strong2025-05-03
179,860 GitHub stars — HN 195 pts, 99 comments (2025-05-03)Largest OSS workflow automation repo in adjacent space. Strong developer community for a 'no-code' tool.
195 points, 99 commentsHacker News community
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n8n
active179,860 GitHub stars — largest OSS repo in adjacent workflow-automation space by 2×. 3,000+ enterprise customers, ~200,000 active users, $60M Series B. 1,100+ ready-to-use integrations, native AI Agent node, MCP client/server support. Best for orchestrating SaaS integrations and processes with AI nodes — not for building agent systems in code.
Score 88
Where it wins
179,860 GitHub stars — largest OSS workflow repo by 2×
3,000+ enterprise customers, ~200,000 active users
$60M Series B
1,100+ ready-to-use integrations
Native AI Agent node + MCP client/server support
Where to be skeptical
AI agent features are a newer layer on a mature workflow platform — not a ground-up agent framework
Visual/low-code paradigm does not replace code-first frameworks like LangGraph/CrewAI for complex agent architectures
Editorial verdict
Clear #1 for workflow automation with AI nodes. If your goal is to wire together SaaS tools with AI orchestration, n8n is the answer. If you're building an agent system from code, use LangGraph or CrewAI instead. Do not mix these use cases.
Source
Videos
Reviews, tutorials, and comparisons from the community.
Learn n8n for Production-Grade AI Agents
freeCodeCamp.org·2025
Step-by-Step n8n AI Agent Tutorial 2025
Leon van Zyl·2025
n8n 8 Hour Masterclass
Jono Catliff·2025
N8N Full Tutorial - Building AI Agents in 2025 for Beginners
AI Foundations·2025
n8n Masterclass - Build AI Agents & Automate Workflows
Nate Herk·2025
Related
Teams of Agents / Multi-Agent Orchestration
#F12of 23
Orchestrating SaaS integrations and processes visually with AI nodes — NOT for building agent systems in code
Automation
#01of 10
Technical teams building complex, multi-step automations with AI agents — the default choice for Claude Code users needing workflow automation
Claude Code
98Anthropic's official agentic coding CLI. v2.1.81 (Mar 20) shipped `--bare`, smarter worktree resume, and improved MCP OAuth while the repo crossed 82,204 stars and logged ~14 commits/week across 10+ maintainers. Terminal-native, tool-use-driven, with deep file system + shell access, #1 SWE-bench Pro standardized (45.89%), ~4% of GitHub public commits (SemiAnalysis), $2.5B annualized revenue. 8M+ npm weekly downloads. Opus 4.6 with 1M context.
LangGraph
95#1 Python agent framework by production evidence — 40.2M PyPI downloads/month, Fortune 500 deployments (LinkedIn, Uber, Replit, Elastic, Klarna, Cloudflare, Coinbase), ~400 LangGraph Platform companies, LangSmith rated best-in-class observability. Stable v1.x API, model-agnostic, MCP support.
Pydantic AI
95#3 Python agent framework by downloads — 15.6M PyPI/month. Built by the Pydantic team. Runtime type enforcement is a genuine differentiator no other framework offers. V1 shipped with Temporal integration for durable execution and Logfire observability. Emerging pattern: 'Pydantic AI for agent logic, LangGraph for orchestration' (ZenML).
AutoGen (Microsoft)
95⚠️ MAINTENANCE MODE — Microsoft officially confirmed bug fixes and security patches only, no new features (VentureBeat 2026-02-19). 55.9K stars but only 1.57M PyPI/month — DL/star ratio of 28, the most inflated among active frameworks. Being replaced by Microsoft Agent Framework (AutoGen + Semantic Kernel merge, GA targeted ~Q2 2026). Teams on AutoGen should plan migration.
Public evidence
strongSelf-reported2025
3,000+ enterprise customers, $60M Series BMeaningful enterprise scale. 3,000+ paying customers with $60M Series B validates commercial viability.
Verified enterprise adoptionn8n company
strong2026-03
n8n: $40M ARR, 3,000+ enterprise customers, named users: Vodafone, Delivery Hero, Microsoft$40M ARR, 3,000+ enterprise customers. Named users: Vodafone, Delivery Hero, Microsoft. Unassailable market position in workflow automation.
GetLatka revenue dataGetLatka (independent)
strong2026-03
HN — $180M funding announcement: 235 points$180M total funding. 235 HN points on funding announcement. 180K stars confirms dominant community position.
235 points on HNHacker News community
strong2026
Consensus #1 open-source Zapier alternative across 9+ comparison sitesCross-validated dominance — not just star count but real enterprise adoption. Trusted by Cisco, Microsoft, Liberty Mutual.
Featured in 9+ 'best alternatives' roundupsOpenAlternative, Hatchworks, Digidop, HostAdvice (independent)
strong2026-03-18
n8n-mcp: 15,434 stars — highest-starred MCP automation serverDirect bridge between Claude Code and n8n — 99% node property coverage, 265 AI-capable tool variants. Highest-starred MCP automation tool.
15.4K stars, 2.7K forksCommunity project by czlonkowski
strong2026
n8n-skills: 7 Claude Code skills for production-ready n8n workflowsDirectly relevant to SkillPack — pre-built Claude Code skills for n8n workflow automation.
Claude Code skill packczlonkowski (same author as n8n-mcp)
strong2026
n8n vs Zapier: better for devs, complex workflows, AI agents'n8n is better for AI agent use cases' — 70+ AI-specific nodes, full LangChain integration. Clear winner for SkillPack audience.
Top Google result for comparison queryHatchworks (independent engineering consultancy)
Raw GitHub source
GitHub README peek
Constrained peek so you can sanity-check the source material without leaving the site.
n8n - Secure Workflow Automation for Technical Teams
n8n is a workflow automation platform that gives technical teams the flexibility of code with the speed of no-code. With 400+ integrations, native AI capabilities, and a fair-code license, n8n lets you build powerful automations while maintaining full control over your data and deployments.
Key Capabilities
- Code When You Need It: Write JavaScript/Python, add npm packages, or use the visual interface
- AI-Native Platform: Build AI agent workflows based on LangChain with your own data and models
- Full Control: Self-host with our fair-code license or use our cloud offering
- Enterprise-Ready: Advanced permissions, SSO, and air-gapped deployments
- Active Community: 400+ integrations and 900+ ready-to-use templates
Quick Start
Try n8n instantly with npx (requires Node.js):
npx n8n
Or deploy with Docker:
docker volume create n8n_data
docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n
Access the editor at http://localhost:5678
Resources
- 📚 Documentation
- 🔧 400+ Integrations
- 💡 Example Workflows
- 🤖 AI & LangChain Guide
- 👥 Community Forum
- 📖 Community Tutorials
Support
Need help? Our community forum is the place to get support and connect with other users: community.n8n.io
License
n8n is fair-code distributed under the Sustainable Use License and n8n Enterprise License.
- Source Available: Always visible source code
- Self-Hostable: Deploy anywhere
- Extensible: Add your own nodes and functionality
Enterprise Licenses available for additional features and support.
Additional information about the license model can be found in the docs.
Contributing
Found a bug 🐛 or have a feature idea ✨? Check our Contributing Guide for a setup guide & best practices.
Join the Team
Want to shape the future of automation? Check out our job posts and join our team!
What does n8n mean?
Short answer: It means "nodemation" and is pronounced as n-eight-n.
Long answer: "I get that question quite often (more often than I expected) so I decided it is probably best to answer it here. While looking for a good name for the project with a free domain I realized very quickly that all the good ones I could think of were already taken. So, in the end, I chose nodemation. 'node-' in the sense that it uses a Node-View and that it uses Node.js and '-mation' for 'automation' which is what the project is supposed to help with. However, I did not like how long the name was and I could not imagine writing something that long every time in the CLI. That is when I then ended up on 'n8n'." - Jan Oberhauser, Founder and CEO, n8n.io