n8n-io/n8n — fair-code automation, now with AI agents

A visual, node-based automation platform used as an open alternative to Zapier — now shipping native AI agent nodes for the decisions a fixed workflow can't make.

n8n is a workflow automation platform with a visual, node-based editor and native AI capabilities — combine drag-and-drop building with custom code where you need it, and self-host or use the managed cloud. It connects to 400+ integrations out of the box, from webhooks and schedules to third-party APIs and, increasingly, LLM-powered agent nodes for decision points a fixed workflow can't handle.

Teams reach for it when they want to automate a business process — syncing data between apps, running a scheduled report, triggering actions off an incoming webhook — without standing up a full backend, and want the option to self-host rather than depend on a SaaS automation vendor.

• ›License: Sustainable Use License — n8n calls this "fair-code," not open source
• ›Self-host or cloud: free for internal/non-commercial use either way
• ›Editor: node-based visual builder, drops into custom JavaScript/Python where needed
• ›Integrations: 400+, plus native AI agent nodes for LLM-driven decision points
• ›Enterprise features: a separate license (.ee. files in the repo)

Free to self-host, modify, and run internally, and — as of n8n's 2022 license update — free to build a paid consulting or support business around. What's restricted is reselling n8n itself, or hosting it and charging others for access.

That distinction is worth sitting with before you adopt it. n8n itself is upfront that the Sustainable Use License isn't OSI-approved open source — the source is available and modifiable, but the license carves out commercial resale specifically, which a permissive license like MIT or Apache doesn't. For internal automation — the overwhelming majority of how teams actually use it — this changes nothing in practice. It matters the moment the plan shifts from "automate our own processes" to "build a product on top of n8n and sell it," at which point talking to n8n about a commercial license is the right move, not a workaround.

The other honest trade-off is the one every node-based visual tool shares: the builder is genuinely powerful once you're fluent in it, and genuinely more to learn upfront than writing a script, especially for workflows with a lot of branching logic or custom expressions between nodes.