Alternatives to n8n

Huginn

46,387

MIT

Huginn is an open source automation platform that lets you create agents to monitor and act on your behalf online. Think of it as a self-hosted alternative to IFTTT or Zapier where you maintain full control of your data and automation workflows.

Key Features

Agent System:
- Customizable automation agents
- Event-driven workflows
- Directed graph processing
- Real-time monitoring
- Scheduled tasks
- Custom scripting
Integration Support:
- Twitter streaming
- Weather monitoring
- Website scraping
- RSS/Atom feeds
- Email processing
- Webhooks
- Many API integrations
Notification Options:
- Email alerts
- SMS messaging
- Slack integration
- Webhook callbacks
- Custom notifications
- Digest summaries
Developer Features:
- REST API
- Agent development SDK
- Custom JavaScript/CoffeeScript
- Extensive documentation
- Plugin system
- Testing framework

Who Should Use Huginn

Huginn is ideal for:

Developers needing custom automation
Power Users wanting data control
Organizations requiring self-hosted solutions
Teams automating workflows
Anyone seeking IFTTT alternatives

Getting Started

The platform can be deployed via Docker or directly on a Ruby environment. It supports both MySQL and PostgreSQL databases and provides comprehensive documentation for setup and agent development.

Whether you're monitoring websites, processing data streams, or building complex automation workflows, Huginn provides the framework needed for sophisticated task automation while maintaining data sovereignty.

Node-RED

21,298

Apache-2.0

Node-RED is an open source flow-based programming tool that provides a visual way to wire together hardware devices, APIs and online services. Built on Node.js, it enables developers and non-developers alike to create event-driven applications through a browser-based flow editor.

Key Features

Visual Programming:
- Flow-based development
- Drag-and-drop interface
- Real-time deployment
- Visual debugger
- Flow library
- Subflow support
Integration Capabilities:
- HTTP endpoints
- WebSocket support
- MQTT integration
- Database connections
- File operations
- Function nodes
- Custom node creation
Development Features:
- JavaScript functions
- Context storage
- Flow control
- Error handling
- Template support
- JSON parsing
Deployment Options:
- Local installation
- Cloud deployment
- Docker containers
- Enterprise hosting
- Embedded systems
- IoT devices

Who Should Use Node-RED

Node-RED is ideal for:

Developers building IoT applications
System Integrators connecting services
Makers prototyping solutions
Teams needing visual automation
Organizations wanting low-code tools

Getting Started

The platform can be installed globally via npm with a single command. It provides a web-based editor accessible through a browser interface and extensive documentation for getting started.

Whether you're building simple automations or complex event-driven applications, Node-RED provides the visual tools needed for efficient development while maintaining the flexibility of custom code when required.

Kestra

18,363

Apache-2.0

Kestra is an open source workflow orchestration platform that enables both scheduled and event-driven automation through a declarative YAML interface. It brings infrastructure-as-code practices to workflow automation while providing an intuitive UI for visual development.

Key Features

Workflow Management:
- YAML-based workflows
- Visual flow builder
- Event-driven triggers
- Scheduled executions
- Version control integration
- Real-time topology view
Development Features:
- Code editor with auto-completion
- Syntax validation
- Git integration
- CI/CD support
- Plugin development SDK
- Terraform provider
Execution Capabilities:
- Multi-language support
- Docker/Kubernetes integration
- Local/remote execution
- Parallel processing
- Error handling
- Retry mechanisms
Integration Support:
- 600+ plugins available
- Cloud service connectors
- Database integrations
- Message queue support
- API interactions
- Custom plugin creation

Who Should Use Kestra

Kestra is ideal for:

Development Teams needing workflow automation
DevOps Engineers managing infrastructure tasks
Data Engineers orchestrating pipelines
Organizations requiring scalable automation
Teams wanting code-first solutions

Getting Started

The platform can be quickly deployed via Docker with a single command. It supports both local development and production deployments with comprehensive documentation for setup and configuration.

Whether you're automating simple scripts or complex distributed workflows, Kestra provides the infrastructure and tools needed for reliable workflow orchestration while maintaining infrastructure-as-code best practices.

Activepieces

15,157

NOASSERTION

Activepieces is a modern, open source workflow automation platform designed to be extensible through a type-safe pieces framework written in TypeScript. It provides an intuitive interface for both technical and non-technical users to create automated workflows with AI capabilities.

Key Features

AI-First Automation:
- Native AI pieces for experimenting with various providers
- AI SDK for creating custom agents
- Built-in AI Copilot to help build flows
- ASK AI in Code Piece for non-technical users
Extensive Integration Library:
- 280+ pre-built pieces/integrations
- Open ecosystem with pieces published on npm
- Community-contributed integrations
- TypeScript-based piece framework
Enterprise-Ready Features:
- Role-based access control
- Custom branding options
- Self-hosted deployment
- Network isolation for security
- Version control for flows
Advanced Workflow Capabilities:
- Loops and branches
- Automatic retries
- HTTP requests
- Code execution with NPM
- Human approval steps
- Chat and form interfaces

Who Should Use Activepieces

Activepieces is ideal for:

Development Teams needing customizable automation with code access
Enterprises requiring secure, self-hosted workflow automation
Non-Technical Users wanting an intuitive automation interface
Organizations looking for AI-powered workflow capabilities

Getting Started

Activepieces can be deployed via Docker for quick setup, or installed directly on servers running Node.js. The platform provides comprehensive documentation and an active community to help users get started with automation workflows.

Whether you're building simple integrations or complex AI-powered workflows, Activepieces provides the flexibility and tools needed for modern automation needs.

Windmill

13,281

AGPL-3.0

Windmill is an open-source developer platform that enables teams to build internal tools, automate tasks, and create workflows. It provides a unified interface for APIs, background jobs, and UIs with support for Python, TypeScript, Go, and Bash scripting.

Key Features

Script Management:
- Multi-language support
- Web IDE integration
- GitHub sync
- Version control
- Auto-generated UIs
- Parameter parsing
Workflow Capabilities:
- Visual flow builder
- Script chaining
- Cron scheduling
- Webhook triggers
- Error handling
- State management
Development Features:
- Resource management
- Secret handling
- Environment variables
- Local development
- CLI tools
- VS Code extension
Security Features:
- Sandboxed execution
- Workspace encryption
- Role-based access
- OAuth/SSO support
- Audit logging
- Secure secrets

Who Should Use Windmill

Windmill is ideal for:

Development Teams building internal tools
DevOps Engineers automating workflows
System Administrators managing infrastructure
Technical Teams requiring custom automation
Organizations needing secure tooling

Getting Started

The platform can be quickly deployed using Docker Compose or Kubernetes, with comprehensive documentation for setup and configuration. It provides a web-based interface and supports multiple deployment options.

Whether you're building internal tools, automating tasks, or creating workflows, Windmill provides the infrastructure needed for efficient development while maintaining security and flexibility.