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n8n vs Activepieces
Short answer: n8n and Activepieces are both self-hostable alternatives to Zapier / Make. Pick n8n if community size is your main criterion – it has 8.3× the stars. Pick Activepieces if license terms matter to you (for example, you plan to modify it or offer it to others): MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) is permissive, while n8n's Sustainable Use License (fair-code) is not OSI open source.
n8n has 8.3× the GitHub stars of Activepieces (208.0k vs 25.1k). Stars measure popularity and community size, not quality. Both are actively developed: n8n's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check); Activepieces's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check).
n8n vs Activepieces at a glance
| n8n | Activepieces | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 208.0k | ★ 25.1k |
| Forks | 61.2k | 4.4k |
| License | Sustainable Use License (fair-code) (file) | MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) (file) |
| License type | not OSI open source | permissive |
| Last push | 2026-10-19 on the day of our check | 2026-10-19 on the day of our check |
| Latest GitHub release | n8n@2.43.8 2026-10-19 | 0.92.3 2026-10-12 |
| Main language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Archived | no | no |
| Repository | n8n-io/n8n | activepieces/activepieces |
Data: GitHub REST API, checked 2026-10-19. Licenses verified manually against each project's license file. Self-hosting difficulty (Zapier: easy, Make: easy) is our rating per use case and applies to both.
In their own words
n8n (GitHub description): Fair-code workflow automation platform with native AI capabilities. Combine visual building with custom code, self-host or cloud, 400+ integrations.
Activepieces (GitHub description): AI Agents & MCPs & AI Workflow Automation • (~400 MCP servers for AI agents) • AI Automation / AI Agent with MCPs • AI Workflows & AI Agents • MCPs for AI Agents
Which should you pick?
- Pick n8n if community size is your main criterion – it has 8.3× the stars.
- Pick Activepieces if license terms matter to you (for example, you plan to modify it or offer it to others): MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) is permissive, while n8n's Sustainable Use License (fair-code) is not OSI open source.
n8n is Sustainable Use License (fair-code), Activepieces is MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs). Both are written mainly in TypeScript. License note for Activepieces: MIT for everything outside packages/ee; the ee directories have their own license.
FAQ
Which is more popular, n8n or Activepieces?
n8n has 8.3× the GitHub stars of Activepieces (208.0k vs 25.1k). Stars measure popularity and community size, not quality.
Are n8n and Activepieces actively maintained?
Both are actively developed: n8n's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check); Activepieces's last push was on 2026-10-19 (on the day of our check). Latest GitHub releases: n8n n8n@2.43.8 (2026-10-19), Activepieces 0.92.3 (2026-10-12).
What licenses do n8n and Activepieces use?
n8n: Sustainable Use License (fair-code) – not OSI open source (fair-code / source-available: read the terms before commercial or hosted use). Activepieces: MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) – permissive (MIT/Apache/BSD-style: few obligations). Activepieces keeps some code under a separate license (open-core).
Is n8n or Activepieces easier to self-host?
We rate self-hosting difficulty per use case, not per project: easy for Zapier alternatives, easy for Make alternatives. Both need a server you maintain; check each project's install docs for the exact services (database, workers) it needs.
Should I pick n8n or Activepieces?
Pick n8n if community size is your main criterion – it has 8.3× the stars. Pick Activepieces if license terms matter to you (for example, you plan to modify it or offer it to others): MIT (+ separate enterprise/EE license for some dirs) is permissive, while n8n's Sustainable Use License (fair-code) is not OSI open source.
All alternatives
Both are listed in the directory, next to other options and a build-it-yourself-with-AI prompt:
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