If you'd asked me what automation was 10 years ago, when I was a legal assistant and just proud of myself for using Zapier to send Toggl time logs to a spreadsheet, my answer would've been a lot different than it is today. The world of automation has come a long way in the last decade. What started as simple if-this-then-that workflows has evolved into something that can involve AI, agents, branching logic, and entire systems of workflows working together behind the scenes.
As automation has expanded, so has the number of automation tools that power it. n8n is a newer automation tool built with developers and technically inclined teams in mind, offering deep control over workflows, infrastructure, and logic. That flexibility can be useful in certain environments, but it also makes n8n very different from the tools most teams use to automate and orchestrate business processes across an organization.
In this article, I'll break down what n8n is, how it works, who it's best for, and where it starts to fall short for most teams. I'll also compare n8n directly with Zapier to help you understand which tool makes sense based on your technical resources, automation goals, and how widely you want automation to scale across your organization.
Table of contents:
What is n8n?
n8n (short for "nodemation," but both options really roll off the tongue) is a workflow automation tool that lets users connect apps, services, and APIs to build automated processes. It's designed around a visual, node-based editor, where each "node" represents a step in a workflow like triggering an event, transforming data, or making an API request.
n8n can be self-hosted or used via its cloud offering. Users build workflows by chaining nodes together to define how data moves from one step to the next. While n8n supports integrations with common tools, it places a heavier emphasis on custom logic and API-based connections than many no-code automation platforms.
Because n8n is open source, users can inspect, modify, and extend the platform's code. This makes it appealing to teams that want control over their infrastructure or need to build automations that go beyond standard app-to-app connections. At the same time, that flexibility often comes with additional setup, configuration, and ongoing maintenance.
n8n's set of core features includes:
API and webhook support to let users integrate with tools that don't have pre-built connectors. This is often used for internal systems or less common services, but it means you'll need to be familiar with APIs and authentication methods.
Custom code and data transformation, including JavaScript code steps for handling complex logic or transforming data.
Open-source extensibility. Developers can extend n8n's functionality by building custom nodes or modifying the underlying codebase. This can be useful for specialized use cases, though it generally isn't necessary or practical for non-technical teams.
Execution control and debugging tools to help users troubleshoot workflows. These tools are geared toward inspecting individual workflow runs rather than managing automation at scale across many non-technical users.
In practice, n8n is typically used by developers or teams with engineering resources who are comfortable working with APIs, JavaScript, and self-managed systems. It's less focused on enabling out-of-the-box automations that can be deployed across an organization and more oriented toward customizable workflows built and maintained by technical users.
Who is n8n best for?
n8n isn't a general-purpose automation tool, and it tends to work best in a narrower set of scenarios. It's best suited for teams with strong technical resources and very specific infrastructure requirements.
n8n can make sense if:
You have dedicated developers or IT staff to work with the platform
Self-hosting is a hard requirement for compliance, data residency, or internal policy reasons
You're automating highly custom systems and have the resources to maintain them
These strengths come with trade-offs. Self-hosting often introduces hidden costs that aren't obvious at first glance. Teams are responsible for setup, uptime, scaling, security patches, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance. As workflows become more business-critical, those operational requirements tend to grow too, which will probably offset any cost savings. Recent vulnerabilities highlight the issue and showcase that self-hosting doesn't eliminate risk—it shifts it to teams now responsible for securing, patching, and monitoring an execution platform.
For many teams, self-hosting also isn't strictly necessary. If you're automating common SaaS tools like CRMs, marketing platforms, support systems, or internal operations, a managed automation platform is usually faster to implement and easier to scale. Or you can use VPC for the smallest number of self-hosted systems, while maintaining a managed infrastructure at the orchestration layer.
In practice, n8n is best for organizations that want automation to live primarily within engineering. Zapier is usually a better fit for companies that want automation to scale across teams without adding operational overhead or relying on developers to keep workflows running and ensure security.
n8n use cases
As a creative professional with an instinctual aversion to numbers, any tool with an eight in the middle of it gives me pause. And my instinct was right: n8n is built for numbers people (engineers), not for the likes of me.
n8n is typically used in engineering-led environments where automation needs to work closely with internal systems or custom infrastructure. Most n8n use cases treat automation as a technical system rather than a productivity layer. These use cases tend to be owned by engineering or IT teams and optimized for control and customization, not speed or accessibility. Here are a few examples.
Backend workflow orchestration for custom systems
n8n is often used to coordinate workflows across internal services, databases, and APIs that don't have user-facing interfaces. For example, an engineering team might use n8n to move data between microservices, trigger internal jobs, or connect records across custom-built tools.
In these cases, automation is part of the backend architecture, not something business teams interact with directly.
Complex, code-heavy automation logic
Some teams use n8n when workflows require extensive conditional logic or custom scripts at multiple steps. This might include parsing large payloads, validating data against internal rules, or dynamically deciding which downstream systems to call.
These workflows can resemble lightweight applications rather than typical automations, which makes them powerful, but also harder to debug and maintain over time.
Infrastructure-adjacent or environment-specific workflows
n8n is sometimes used for automations that need to run inside a specific network or environment, such as behind a firewall or within a private cloud. This can include reacting to internal system events, coordinating scheduled jobs, or integrating with monitoring and deployment tools.
Because these workflows depend on where and how n8n is deployed, they usually require close involvement from infrastructure or DevOps teams.
Centralized automation owned by a technical team
In many organizations, n8n is used by a small group of developers who build and maintain automations on behalf of the rest of the company. Business teams submit requests, but they don't typically build or modify workflows themselves.
This centralized model can work for highly technical automation, but it often becomes a bottleneck as automation demand grows across teams.
Experimentation and custom automation frameworks
Some teams adopt n8n as a flexible foundation for experimentation, testing automation logic, prototyping internal tools, or building custom frameworks that might be replaced or productized later.
In most companies, though, automation is about letting teams move faster without adding complexity. It's used to connect SaaS tools, coordinate work across departments, and reduce manual effort in everyday processes. Those scenarios don't usually require full infrastructure control or code-heavy workflows. They require reliability, clarity, and ease of ownership—especially as automation spreads beyond a single technical team. That's where Zapier tends to be a better fit.
n8n pricing
n8n comes in two main deployment options: cloud and self-hosted. The difference largely comes down to who's responsible for running and maintaining the software.
n8n Cloud
With n8n's cloud plans, the platform is fully managed. You sign up, log in, and start building workflows without needing to worry about servers, updates, uptime, or security patches. n8n pricing is tied to usage and plan tier, which makes costs more predictable than managing your own infrastructure.
Cloud plans are typically the fastest way to get started with n8n, especially for teams that don't want to handle operational overhead—but they still require technical expertise to build and maintain workflows.
Self-hosted n8n
Self-hosting n8n means running the software on your own infrastructure, whether that's a virtual private server, Docker setup, or on-prem hardware. The Community tier is free and open source, but it's also unsupported. Teams are responsible for installation, upgrades, monitoring, backups, and troubleshooting.
Self-hosting offers more control over data and environment configuration. At the same time, it introduces ongoing operational costs—both in infrastructure and engineering time—that aren't always obvious upfront.
Higher-tier n8n plans can also be self-hosted. In fact, the Business plan actually requires self-hosting, even though it still uses consumption-based pricing. These paid tiers add features like SSO, logging, and higher support levels, but they don't remove the responsibility of managing the underlying system.
The trade-off with n8n is ultimately convenience versus control. Cloud hosting reduces infrastructure management, but self-hosting offers flexibility with a lot of hidden costs.
For teams that want a fully managed automation platform with minimal overhead—and more accessible automation across the business—Zapier is a better fit. Zapier's cloud-first approach, extensive pre-built integrations, and support for AI-powered workflows make it easier to scale automation without relying on engineering resources.
n8n vs. Zapier
n8n and Zapier both help teams automate workflows, but they're built for very different audiences and priorities. (They're both pronunciation minefields, though; I had to train myself to rhyme Zapier with "happier" when I was first hired here. But hey, at least there weren't any numbers involved.)
Here are a few key differences between the tools. To dive even deeper, check out our breakdown of Zapier vs. n8n: Which is best for your organization?
| n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
Ease of use | Visual builder, but workflows often require APIs, data mapping, and custom code | No-code setup with guided steps and plain-language logic |
Setup time | Longer initial setup, especially for self-hosted deployments | Fast setup—most automations can be built in minutes |
Hosting and maintenance | Self-hosted or cloud; self-hosting requires ongoing infrastructure management | Fully managed cloud platform |
Integrations | API-first approach with fewer pre-built integrations | 8,000+ pre-built integrations with popular SaaS tools |
Customization | High: supports custom nodes and code-heavy workflows | High (without requiring custom code in most cases) |
Scalability across teams | Typically centralized with engineering or IT | Designed to scale across teams and departments |
Governance & admin controls | Available on higher tiers; often tied to self-hosting | Built-in admin, security, and role-based controls |
Best for | Highly technical, infrastructure-driven automation | Cross-team, business-critical automation at scale |
Ease of use
Zapier is designed so non-technical users can build automations quickly. Most workflows can be set up in minutes using pre-built integrations, guided setup, and plain-language logic. That actually makes it possible for teams across marketing, sales, support, operations, and finance to automate their own work without calling IT every five minutes.
n8n, on the other hand, is more technical. While it uses a visual editor, building reliable workflows often requires working with APIs, data structures, and custom code. That makes n8n better suited for developers but harder to adopt across an entire company.
Setup and maintenance
Zapier is fully managed. There's no infrastructure to configure, no updates to apply, and no systems to monitor. Workflows run in the background without requiring ongoing engineering involvement, and you get enterprise-grade controls and security baked in.
With n8n, especially in self-hosted setups, teams are responsible for setup, updates, uptime, and troubleshooting. Even with n8n's cloud offering, workflows typically need more hands-on maintenance due to their technical nature.
Integrations and ecosystem
Zapier offers 8,000+ pre-built integrations with popular tools, plus built-in AI actions and app extensions that reduce the need for custom logic. That makes it easier to connect tools quickly and adapt workflows as teams and processes change.
n8n has a few hundred pre-built integrations, but it relies more heavily on custom API connections. That flexibility is useful in niche scenarios, but it also increases build time and complexity.
Scalability across teams
Zapier is designed to scale automation across an organization. Features like shared workflows, admin controls, and role-based access make it easier to manage automation as more teams get involved.
n8n is typically owned by a small technical group. As usage grows, workflows often become harder to manage and update without dedicated engineering support.
To sum up:
Choose n8n if you have dedicated engineering resources, need to self-host, and are primarily automating highly custom systems.
Choose Zapier if you want automation and AI orchestration that's fast to deploy, easy to maintain, and accessible to teams across your business.
For most organizations—especially if you're automating common SaaS tools and cross-functional workflows—Zapier offers a more scalable path to automation.
n8n FAQs
What does n8n stand for?
n8n stands for "nodemation" (think node + automation). The name reflects how the platform lets users connect individual nodes (like a trigger, action, or logic function) to define how data moves through the workflow.
Is n8n free?
n8n offers a free, open-source Community edition that can be self-hosted. While there's no subscription cost for that kind of implementation, teams still need to cover hosting, setup, maintenance, and ongoing support themselves—that can end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
n8n also offers paid cloud and self-hosted plans that include higher usage limits, additional features, and support. For many teams, the total cost of ownership depends less on the subscription price and more on the time and resources required to build and maintain workflows.
Is n8n good for enterprise?
n8n can work for enterprise organizations with such a strong need for self-hosting or infrastructure control that it's worth devoting engineering and IT resources to maintaining and deploying automation. In these environments, automation is usually centralized and managed by technical users.
Enterprises that want automation to scale across departments without relying on developers for every workflow often choose managed platforms like Zapier instead. Zapier is designed to support enterprise needs such as reliability, governance, security, and ease of use for non-technical teams.
Is n8n open source?
Yes. n8n's core platform is open source, and the Community edition can be downloaded and self-hosted. That means teams can inspect and modify the code if needed, but it also means taking on responsibility for operating and maintaining the software.
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