8 Best n8n Alternatives in 2026 (Open Source)
n8n — Fair-code workflow automation platform with native AI capabilities. Combine visual building with custom code, self-host or cloud, 400+ integrations. Unlike Zapier (pure no-code, closed-source), n8n combines visual workflow building with inline JavaScript/Python code and self-hosting, making it the go-to for technical teams who need both flexibility and control
Short answer
- Closest match to n8n: Langflow.
- Most actively developed: Dify (2,338 commits in the last 90 days).
- Fastest growing: Dify (+3,652 GitHub stars in the last 30 days).
- No commit in 6+ months: iX and AgentPilot.
These 8 open-source tools do the same job. They are ordered by how closely they match n8n, with live GitHub data so you can see which projects are actively maintained.
| Tool | GitHub stars | Stars / 30d | Last commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n(original) | 206.5k | +3,991 | 2026-10-02 |
| Langflow | 155.5k | +1,452 | 2026-10-01 |
| Flowise | 55.5k | +690 | 2026-08-13 |
| Dify | 157.7k | +3,652 | 2026-10-02 |
| Windmill | 18.1k | +317 | 2026-10-01 |
| iX | 1.0k | 0 | 2024-03-03 |
| Flock | 1.1k | +4 | 2026-07-06 |
| AgentPilot | 568 | +5 | 2025-05-15 |
| Prefect | 24.0k | +316 | 2026-10-01 |
1. Langflow
Langflow is a powerful tool for building and deploying AI-powered agents and workflows.
What sets it apart: Best visual builder for LLM workflows with direct MCP server deployment — more production-ready than Flowise with API-first architecture
Best for: Rapid prototyping of AI agent workflows with visual builder; Non-developers building LLM applications without coding
2. Flowise
Build AI Agents, Visually
What sets it apart: Easiest no-code AI agent builder with one-command setup (npx flowise start) — simpler than Langflow, targeting non-developers who want AI workflows without Python
Best for: Non-technical users building AI chatbots and RAG applications; Quick prototyping of LLM workflows with drag-and-drop
3. Dify
Production-ready platform for agentic workflow development.
What sets it apart: Unlike LangGraph (code-first orchestration), Dify offers a complete visual IDE combining workflow builder, RAG pipeline, prompt engineering, and production monitoring in one platform — the Vercel of LLM apps
Best for: Teams building RAG-powered chatbots and AI apps with visual workflow and no backend coding; Product teams who need LLMOps monitoring alongside app development in one platform
4. Windmill
Open-source developer platform to power your entire infra and turn scripts into webhooks, workflows and UIs. Fastest workflow engine (13x vs Airflow). Open-source alternative to Retool and Temporal.
What sets it apart: vs Retool: open-source with code-first approach and 10+ language support; vs Temporal: built-in UI generation and low-code app builder; vs n8n: developer-oriented with real code execution rather than node-based visual programming
Best for: Internal tool development with auto-generated UIs; Workflow automation replacing Retool/Pipedream; Teams needing multi-language script orchestration
5. iX
Autonomous GPT-4 agent platform
What sets it apart: vs LangChain/AutoGen: visual no-code drag-and-drop editor with native multi-agent orchestration and horizontal worker scaling — design complex agent workflows visually instead of writing code
Best for: Building custom multi-agent teams with visual no-code editor; Rapid prototyping of AI workflows without coding; Organizations needing self-hosted parallel agent execution at scale
6. Flock
Desktop multi-agent harness with visual workflows, built with Rust, Tauri, React, and langgraph-rust
What sets it apart: vs Dify/Flowise: native human-in-the-loop approval, subgraph nodes for modular reuse, and MCP protocol support for flexible tool integration
Best for: Teams building conversational AI with visual workflow design; Organizations needing human-in-the-loop agent workflows
7. AgentPilot
A versatile workflow automation platform to create, organize, and execute AI workflows, from a single LLM to complex AI-driven workflows.
What sets it apart: vs ChatGPT/Claude desktop: local multi-agent workflow builder with graph-based design, 20+ LLM providers via LiteLLM, branching chats, and built-in multi-language code interpreter
Best for: Power users building complex multi-agent workflows on desktop; Developers wanting visual graph-based agent orchestration with code execution
8. Prefect
Prefect is a workflow orchestration framework for building resilient data pipelines in Python.
What sets it apart: Decorator-based API turns any Python function into a monitored, retryable, schedulable workflow — vs Airflow which requires DAG files and more boilerplate
Best for: Orchestrating data pipelines and ETL workflows; Teams wanting to add resilience to existing Python scripts
FAQ
- What are the best alternatives to n8n?
- The closest open-source alternatives to n8n are Langflow, Flowise and Dify, followed by Windmill, iX and Flock. They are ranked by how closely they match what n8n does.
- Which n8n alternative is the most popular?
- Dify has the most GitHub stars among n8n alternatives, with 157,730 stars.
- Which n8n alternative is the most actively maintained?
- By recent activity, Dify (2,338 commits in the last 90 days) is the most actively developed alternative.