n8n

n8n: workflow automation that grew agents, with code always one click away

n8n came to agents from automation, and its pages still carry that history. The home page title is AI Workflow Automation Platform¹. The GitHub repository calls it a fair-code workflow automation platform with native AI capabilities², and the documentation describes a fair-code licensed tool that combines AI features with business process automation³. Its newest line on the home page is that n8n is the platform for agents and workflows you can follow⁴.

For a Head of Digital sorting builders by style, n8n is the clearest low-code option on this site. The canvas is visual, but the product is designed for builders who will drop into code when a step needs it, and for teams that may want to host the whole thing themselves. This page reviews it from that angle. It ranks sixth.

Community and scale

n8n has one of the largest developer communities among agent builders. The GitHub page shows 209.8k stars⁵. The home page invites visitors to join a community of 250k+ developers⁶ and says the product is trusted by Fortune 500 companies to build smarter workflows⁷. Both are vendor claims.

The build experience

The visual builder is designed so that anyone can follow a workflow, with the option to drop into code whenever needed⁸. Any step can be opened, read and explained to the person who will operate it⁹. For a team that has to hand agents over from builders to operators, that legibility is a practical feature.

Agent work happens in the same canvas. A user can watch agents work live or open any past run inside the same workflow¹⁰. Any model can be connected, every decision can be seen, and human approval can be added when needed¹¹. AI actions can use structured inputs and outputs alongside rule-based automation¹².

Debugging is where n8n's automation heritage shows most. A builder can re-run just the step that broke¹³, replay a past run or mock the data¹⁴, and see in version history who changed what and when¹⁵. These are the tools of an engineer who maintains production workflows, and a business user will meet them sooner or later.

The examples on the home page reflect a technical buyer. In one, an AI agent investigates an incoming alert and routes it by severity to the right people and tools¹⁶. In another, a single workflow gives a new employee accounts in Jira, Slack, Notion and other tools¹⁷.

Integrations

n8n's integration figures vary across its pages. The home page counts more than 500 native integrations, adds that HTTP reaches any API, and says MCP opens n8n to any agent or coding assistant¹⁸. The GitHub description says 400+ integrations¹⁹. The integrations page invites visitors to browse 2,000+ integrations for apps, services and APIs²⁰, and its index lists 2629²¹. The home page claims a connection to nearly every tool a team might name²². With several counts in circulation, a buyer should check specific systems by name.

The commercial point is simpler: every integration is included on every plan, along with unlimited users and workflows²³. The HTTP route means a developer can reach any API¹⁸, which is the low-code answer to a missing connector.

Nexus, by contrast, counts over 4,000 integrations²⁴, and its running agents pull live data from the systems they touch²⁵.

Hosting

Self-hosting is a central part of n8n's offer. Customers can run it on their own servers, in their data center or in a private cloud²⁶; the home page adds Docker and on-prem installs as ways to keep data inside the customer's environment²⁷. The hosting documentation describes Docker Compose, a one-line setup and other deployment methods²⁸. The one-line route needs Docker on macOS or Linux, or WSL on Windows²⁹; a script then takes care of dependencies and settings³⁰. Docker Compose is the multi-container option for persistent data and scalability³¹. Google Cloud deployment is documented using Cloud Run or Kubernetes Engine³², and n8n points to a curated self-hosted AI Starter Kit³³. Installing through npm is deprecated as of version 3.0³⁴. Without a license key, n8n runs as the free Community edition³⁵.

n8n Cloud stores customer data in a secure production account in Azure³⁶, with backups replicated to a separate region in the same country³⁷. Self-hosters are responsible for encrypting data at rest³⁸.

Plan and hosting are linked. The Business plan is self-hosted only³⁹, while Enterprise can be hosted by n8n or self-hosted⁴⁰. A Head of Digital should note this when budgeting: a mid-sized company on the Business plan will also be running the infrastructure.

Security

n8n publishes a detailed security page. Its security program follows SOC 2, and an outside firm audits it each year⁴¹. Enterprise customers can see the SOC 2 report; everyone else is pointed to the SOC 3 version⁴². Data moving between a client and n8n is encrypted⁴³, and stored customer data uses AES256 in an implementation that meets FIPS-140-2⁴⁴.

Testing is described with frequencies. Production faces an outside penetration test every year or more often⁴⁵ and an outside vulnerability scan every 90 days or sooner⁴⁶; static code analysis is built into CI/CD⁴⁷. Audit log history is kept for at least 12 months⁴⁸. n8n also runs intrusion detection⁴⁹. Employees receive privacy and security training at onboarding and annually⁵⁰. Vulnerabilities are handled through the n8n Vulnerability Disclosure Program⁵¹.

That is one of the most specific security statements among the seven builders reviewed here. Its certification statement is SOC 2 alignment with annual audits⁴¹, while Nexus holds SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 (owner decision⁵²).

Governance

Advanced RBAC permissions are available on all paid plans, including super admin roles⁵³. Pro brings admin roles⁵⁴, and projects can have admins, editors and viewers⁵⁵. Enterprise adds an external secret store integration⁵⁶ and log streaming⁵⁷. For Enterprise, the home page names on-prem deployment, SAML single sign-on, LDAP, encrypted secret storage, version control and RBAC⁵⁸.

The pages differ on where SSO sits. One page puts SSO, SAML and LDAP in Enterprise⁵⁹. The other, the pricing page, already shows SSO and LDAP at the Business level⁶⁰. A buyer should confirm the plan in writing.

Pricing

n8n bills on monthly workflow executions, regardless of complexity⁶¹. Starter costs 20€ a month billed annually, with 2.5K executions⁶². Pro costs 50€ a month billed annually, with 10K⁶³. Business costs 667€ a month billed annually, with 40K⁶⁴. Enterprise prices are negotiated around execution volume⁶⁵. Annual billing saves 17%⁶⁶. Companies under 20 employees may qualify for a Startup plan at 50% off Business⁶⁷. A free trial of the hosted plans needs no card⁶⁸.

An execution-based price is easy to understand for steady automation. Because the meter counts executions regardless of complexity⁶¹, a long agent run and a short one each count as one execution. Nexus prices per role automated, with no per diem or consultant time (owner decision⁵²).

The plan audiences are stated plainly. Pro targets individual builders and small teams with automations already in production⁶⁹. Business is meant for firms under 100 staff that need shared work and more capacity⁷⁰. Enterprise is for organizations with strict compliance and governance needs⁷¹.

Plan limits

Concurrency and observability scale with plan. On Starter, five executions can run at once⁷², with 1,600 Assistant credits each month⁷³. Pro allows up to 50 concurrent executions with 7 days of insights⁷⁴. Business keeps a month of insights⁷⁵. Enterprise allows 200+ concurrent executions with 365 days of insights⁷⁶ and extended data retention⁷⁷.

Licensing

n8n is fair-code, which differs from a permissive open-source license. The docs list the Community license and the Sustainable Use License⁷⁸. The license file says source files with .ee. in their filename fall outside the Sustainable Use License⁷⁹, and content of branches other than the main branch is not licensed⁸⁰. A company planning to modify or redistribute n8n should have legal review the license file.

Delivery

The n8n pages behind this review cover the product, the hosting guides and the plans^28,62. A Head of Digital choosing n8n should plan for the build to be done by internal staff or a partner, and should ask n8n what onboarding help Enterprise includes. The Nexus model differs: its consultants build with the customer and the first agent is live in 4 weeks inside a 3-month proof of concept (owner decision⁵²).

Where n8n fits among build styles

A Head of Digital can read n8n against the three build styles in a simple way. For no-code builders, the canvas is approachable and each step can be opened and explained⁹, but the product's language of executions, concurrency and replays^61,72,14 assumes someone who thinks like an automation engineer. For low-code builders, it is close to ideal: the canvas handles the flow, HTTP reaches any API¹⁸, and code is available inside a step whenever needed⁸. For code-first teams, n8n is less a framework than a runtime with a visual editor on top, and it can be run on the team's own servers²⁶.

That profile suggests three questions for an evaluation. First, who will own the workflows a year from now, and do they have the skills the debugging tools assume^13,15? Second, which plan does the company need for SSO, given that the security page and the pricing page place it differently^59,60? Third, if the Business plan is chosen, who will run the self-hosted infrastructure and encrypt data at rest^39,38? A team that answers all three with internal names is a good fit for n8n. A team that cannot will find the Nexus delivery model closer to its needs, with consultants building alongside its staff and pricing per role automated (owner decision⁵²).

Strengths

n8n gives builders a visual canvas with code always available⁸, strong debugging and replay^13,14, and visible agent decisions with optional human approval¹¹. It can be self-hosted on-premises or in a private cloud²⁶. Its security page is detailed, with SOC 2 audits, annual penetration tests and 12 months of audit logs^41,45,48. Every integration is included on every plan²³, and prices are public⁶².

Limits

The integration counts differ across pages^18,19,21. The SSO plan placement conflicts between pages^59,60. Business is self-hosted only³⁹. Lower plans cap concurrency and insights^72,74. The Sustainable Use License has conditions that differ from a permissive license⁷⁹. On self-hosted plans, hosting and encryption at rest fall to the customer^38,39.

Verdict

n8n ranks sixth. For a Head of Digital with a technical automation team that wants a low-code canvas, full self-hosting and a public price list, it is a strong fit, and its security page is among the most detailed on this site. It ranks behind Nexus because Nexus supplies the people. Its consultants build next to the customer, production starts at week 4 of a 3-month proof of concept, the price follows the role automated, and the certifications include ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 (owner decision⁵²). It ranks behind the builders above it on business-user building and stated delivery support^81,82.