Activepieces vs n8n
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Activepieces
Open-source no-code business automation
VS
n8n
Workflow automation with a node-based editor
| Feature | Activepieces | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | Sustainable Use License |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,701 | ★ 205,815 |
| First released | 2022 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | Zapier, Make |
What are Activepieces and n8n?
Activepieces
Activepieces is an open-source, no-code automation tool for building workflows that connect business apps. It targets teams wanting an open Zapier alternative with an accessible UI. It is deployed via Docker.
- No-code flow builder
- Growing library of pieces
- AI-assisted automation
- MIT-licensed core
n8n
n8n is a workflow automation tool with a visual node editor that connects apps and APIs, with optional code steps. It targets technical users automating processes across services. It is deployed via Docker.
- Visual node-based workflows
- Hundreds of app integrations
- Code nodes for custom logic
- Self-hostable with no execution caps
Activepieces vs n8n: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Activepieces versus Sustainable Use License for n8n. N8n is the more established project (first released 2019), while Activepieces arrived in 2022. N8n has the considerably larger community, at 205,815 GitHub stars versus 24,701.
Why pick each one
Choose Activepieces if…
- Truly open-source license
- Friendly no-code UI
- Active development
Watch out for
- Fewer integrations than n8n
- Younger project
Choose n8n if…
- Powerful and flexible
- Huge integration library
- Code when you need it
Watch out for
- License is fair-code, not OSI
- Complex workflows get unwieldy
Frequently asked questions
Is Activepieces or n8n better?
Neither is universally better. n8n has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Activepieces and n8n free and open-source?
Yes. Activepieces is licensed under MIT and n8n under Sustainable Use License. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Activepieces and n8n with Docker?
Activepieces: yes. n8n: yes.