Maxun 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?
FeatureMaxunNode-RED
CategoryAutomation & WorkflowsAutomation & Workflows
LicenseAGPL-3.0Apache-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM2,048 MB256 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 17,077★ 23,501
First released20242013
ReplacesOctoparse, Import.ioZapier

Why pick each one

Choose Maxun if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 17.1k GitHub stars
  • Written in TypeScript
Maxun details

Choose Node-RED if…

  • Great for IoT automation
  • Large node library
  • Easy to learn
Node-RED details

Frequently asked questions

Is Maxun or Node-RED better?

Node-RED is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Maxun if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Maxun and Node-RED free and open-source?

Yes. Maxun is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Node-RED under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Maxun and Node-RED with Docker?

Maxun: yes. Node-RED: yes.

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