Earthly vs n8n
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Earthly
Repeatable, container-based builds for CI
VS
n8n
Workflow automation with a node-based editor
| Feature | Earthly | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Sustainable Use License |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,049 | ★ 199,764 |
| First released | 2020 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Make, GitHub Actions | Zapier, Make |
Why pick each one
Choose Earthly if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 12k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Earthly 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 Earthly and n8n free and open-source?
Yes. Earthly is licensed under MPL-2.0 and n8n under Sustainable Use License. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Earthly and n8n with Docker?
Earthly: yes. n8n: yes.