Best Process Automation

Best n8n alternatives

The n8n competitors here automate work across your apps, as n8n does, and each one starts without a sales call. Ordered by overall score.

Updated By the Best Process Automation deskHow we scoreDisclosure

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Short answer

The best n8n alternatives in 2026 are Power Automate, Workato and Gumloop, and Power Automate ranks highest, at #1 overall: Microsoft work accounts get cloud flows with standard connectors free, and desktop flows reach SAP, mainframes and Citrix, where n8n connects through integrations, HTTP APIs and MCP123. Power Automate and Workato run in their vendors' clouds only166; for your own servers, the self-hosted shortlist covers the options.

Best overall
Microsoft Power Automate
Best for IT-run integration
Workato
Best for AI agents
Gumloop

n8n ranks #2 on this site, scoring 9.0 on power and 6.5 on ease. Two things set it apart, and no platform on this page offers both: one execution per full run, however many steps it has, and a free self-hosted Community edition1718. Power Automate charges per user, per bot or $0.60 a run on pay-as-you-go419, Workato one Task per action step20, and Gumloop and Lindy AI credits that vary with each task2115.

Left off this list: UiPath and Automation Anywhere, built around robots that work desktop apps through the screen; Pega, Appian and Camunda, built around long processes that IT teams model; and Kissflow, which sends every sign-up to its sales team22. All six rank in the full ranking, and the robot platforms also on the enterprise RPA shortlist. This site has not scored open-source engines such as Kestra, Node-RED, Activepieces and Windmill; their licenses are in the questions below.

The picks

1

Microsoft Power Automate

8.1/10

Pick Best overall

Cloud flows with standard connectors are free with work accounts, and desktop flows reach SAP, mainframes and Citrix on Windows12, where n8n connects through integrations, HTTP APIs and MCP3. Premium costs $15 per user a month, paid yearly4. Pick it if your company signs in with Microsoft work accounts.

Price From $15 per user per month, paid yearly4

Full review of Microsoft Power AutomateVisit Microsoft Power Automate (opens the Microsoft Power Automate website)

3

Gumloop

7.4/10

Pick Best for AI agents

Agents built in plain language, with a Python sandbox, subagents and approval steps; Pro costs $37 a month for unlimited seats, and Enterprise can deploy inside your own AWS, Azure or Google Cloud account8910. Pick it if business users will build the agents themselves.

Price Pro from $37/month with 20,000 credits and unlimited seats; 14-day trial, no free plan9

Full review of GumloopVisit Gumloop (opens the Gumloop website)

5

Lindy

7.1/10

Pick Best inside Slack and email

A routine starts from one typed sentence and reaches 1,500+ integrations; $50 in free credits for 7 days, then $29.99 or $49.99 per user a month, depending on which version of Lindy's pricing page you see131415. Pick it for inbox, meeting and CRM chores.

Price $50 in free credits for 7 days; paid seats from $29.99 per user per month for 3,000 credits, while a Lindy price test shows some visitors $49.99 for 5,00015

Full review of LindyVisit Lindy (opens the Lindy website)

Side by side

Best n8n alternatives
PlatformFree planPaid plans fromHow it billsSelf-hosting
Microsoft Power AutomateYes. Free license for work or school accounts, standard connectors only, no sharing1$15 per user/month, paid yearly4Users ($15 per user) and bots ($150 or $215 per bot); pay-as-you-go at $0.60 per cloud or attended run and $3.00 per unattended run194No. Cloud service only; desktop flows run on your own Windows machines216
WorkatoYes, 50,000 one-time credits7$75/mo (Workato Pro, 2,500 credits)7Workato credits; workflows count one Task per action step20Cloud only on AWS: regional data centers, Virtual Private Workato or AWS GovCloud6
GumloopNo free plan; 14-day Pro trial, card required21$37/month (Pro)9Credits at $0.005 each: model tokens at cost, at least 1 credit per connector call, 5 credits per active minute, plus an 8% fee21VPC deployment in your own AWS, Azure or Google Cloud (Enterprise option)10
PipefyYes, Starter: 5 processes, 10 users, 15 automation jobs per month11Not published (Business and Enterprise: Contact Sales)11Users (per-user billing), with monthly caps on automation jobs and API calls; AI credits for AI features11No self-hosted option published; hosted on Oracle OCI in the US, single tenant in other locations on request23
LindyNo lasting free plan: $50 in credits for 7 days, no card required15$29.99 per user/month (Plus, 3,000 credits); a Lindy price test shows some visitors $49.99 for 5,000 credits15Seats plus credits: every active user is billed and adds credits to one shared pool, at $0.01 per credit on base plans24Not published; Lindy's terms say the service is hosted in the United States25

Questions people ask

Is anything better than n8n?

On this site's rubric, Power Automate ranks above n8n, at #1 against #2. It scores higher on ease, 7.0 against 6.5, needs no server and adds desktop robots for apps with no API162. n8n stays ahead for self-hosting and long workflows, because the Community edition is free and a full run counts once1817.

Is there a free alternative to n8n?

Yes, on hosted plans: Workato gives 50,000 one-time credits7 and Pipefy's Starter plan 15 automation jobs a month11. Microsoft work accounts include Power Automate cloud flows with standard connectors1. n8n's own Community edition stays free to self-host18.

Is there an open-source alternative to n8n?

Yes, outside this ranking: Kestra and Node-RED run under Apache 2.02627, Activepieces is MIT-licensed outside its enterprise code28, and Windmill is mostly AGPLv329. This site has not scored them. n8n calls its own Sustainable Use License fair-code: it limits use to internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes30. For ranked platforms that run on your own servers, see the self-hosted shortlist.

Is there a self-hosted alternative to n8n?

Among the platforms scored here, Camunda comes closest for developers: it runs on Kubernetes, Docker or JAR files, its engine is source-available under the Camunda License, and it is free for development; production needs an Enterprise license quoted by sales313233. UiPath on Standard and Enterprise, Pega, Appian and Automation Anywhere also self-host34353637. See the self-hosted shortlist.

Is n8n obsolete now?

No. n8n published release 2.47.3 on 9 November 202638, and its press page lists $240 million raised to date and a $5.2 billion valuation from SAP's investment in May 202639. It ranks #2 on this site.

See the full ranking: Best process automation software in 2026

Sources

  1. Microsoft Learn. Types of Power Automate licenses. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  2. Microsoft Learn. Prerequisites and limitations. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  3. n8n GmbH. AI Workflow Automation Platform - n8n. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  4. Microsoft. Power Automate Pricing. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  5. Workato. Workato Pricing Model: Here's How It Works. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  6. Workato. Workato Security Overview, last updated January 2025 (PDF linked from workato.com/legal/security). Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  7. Workato. Self-service (Workato Free and Workato Pro) billing. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  8. Gumloop (AgentHub Inc.). Agents. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  9. Gumloop (AgentHub Inc.). Pricing | Gumloop. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  10. Gumloop (AgentHub Inc.). Gumloop | Enterprise. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  11. Pipefy. Pricing | Pipefy. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  12. Pipefy. AI Agents: Creating the new AI Agent. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  13. Lindy. Routines - Lindy Documentation. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  14. Lindy. Explore All Integrations - Lindy. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  15. Lindy. Pricing - Lindy. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  16. Microsoft. Power Automate: Business Process Workflow Automation. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  17. n8n GmbH. n8n Plans and Pricing - n8n.io. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  18. n8n GmbH. Compare editions | Deploy | n8n Docs. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  19. Microsoft Learn. Pay-as-you-go meters. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  20. Workato. Understand usage. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  21. Gumloop (AgentHub Inc.). Credits. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
  22. Kissflow. Kissflow Signup | Create Account to Streamline Your Business Process. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  23. Pipefy. Pipefy Security Overview, version 5.0 of September 1, 2025 (public PDF in the Pipefy Trust Center). Checked 8 Nov 2026.
  24. Lindy. Billing - Lindy Documentation. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  25. Lindy. Terms of Service - Lindy. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  26. Kestra on GitHub. kestra/LICENSE at develop · kestra-io/kestra. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  27. OpenJS Foundation (Node-RED) on GitHub. node-red/LICENSE at main · node-red/node-red. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  28. Activepieces on GitHub. activepieces/LICENSE at main · activepieces/activepieces. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  29. Windmill Labs on GitHub. windmill/LICENSE at main · windmill-labs/windmill. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  30. n8n GmbH. Community license | n8n Community license | n8n Docs. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  31. Camunda. Camunda 8 Self-Managed | Camunda 8 Docs. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  32. Camunda. Licensing | Camunda 8 Docs. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  33. Camunda. Camunda Pricing | Process Orchestration Plans | Camunda. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  34. UiPath. UiPath Plans and Pricing. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  35. Pega. Take control of your client-managed cloud. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  36. Appian. Appian Pricing - Enterprise AI Automation Platform. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  37. Automation Anywhere. Operating system, environment, and platform supported for Control Room. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  38. n8n GmbH on GitHub. Release [email protected] · n8n-io/n8n. Checked 10 Nov 2026.
  39. n8n GmbH. n8n Press | Automate without limits. Checked 10 Nov 2026.