Automa vs Node-RED
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Automa
Browser automation via drag-and-drop visual workflows
VS
Node-RED
Flow-based programming for event-driven apps
| Feature | Automa | Node-RED |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,543 | ★ 23,501 |
| First released | 2021 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Zapier, UiPath | Zapier |
Why pick each one
Choose Automa if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 21.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Vue
Frequently asked questions
Is Automa or Node-RED better?
Neither is universally better. Node-RED has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Automa and Node-RED free and open-source?
Yes. Automa is licensed under MIT and Node-RED under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Automa and Node-RED with Docker?
Automa: check the project docs for container support. Node-RED: yes.