n8n vs Procrastinate
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?
n8n
Workflow automation with a node-based editor
VS
Procrastinate
PostgreSQL-backed task queue for Python automation
| Feature | n8n | Procrastinate |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Sustainable Use License | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 199,764 | ★ 1,360 |
| First released | 2019 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | Celery |
Why pick each one
Choose Procrastinate if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or Procrastinate 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 n8n and Procrastinate free and open-source?
Yes. n8n is licensed under Sustainable Use License and Procrastinate under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run n8n and Procrastinate with Docker?
n8n: yes. Procrastinate: check the project docs for container support.