Leek vs n8n
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?
Leek
Monitoring and issue detection for Celery task queues
VS
n8n
Workflow automation with a node-based editor
| Feature | Leek | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Sustainable Use License |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 205 | ★ 199,764 |
| First released | 2020 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Flower | Zapier, Make |
Why pick each one
Choose Leek if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Leek 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 Leek and n8n free and open-source?
Yes. Leek is licensed under GPL-3.0 and n8n under Sustainable Use License. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Leek and n8n with Docker?
Leek: yes. n8n: yes.