Alternatives · Automation
Windmill alternatives
Windmill compared with 5 alternatives: n8n, Activepieces, BuildShip, Node-RED and Tines.
Windmill has a free plan. Paid plans start at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month. 4 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
5 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 9, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
How each one differs from Windmill
- Free plan · from €20/mo
n8n
Workflow automation and AI agents you can self-host
- n8n starts at €20 / month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions (n8n Cloud Starter). Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month.
- Windmill is open source, according to its own site.
- Windmill also covers AI agents and app builder.
Suits: Technical teams that want to host their automation on their own servers
- Free plan · from $16/mo
Activepieces
Open-source automation with flows, AI agents and tables
- Activepieces starts at $16 / month flat, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly), for up to 5 users. Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month.
- Activepieces also covers databases.
- Windmill also covers app builder.
Suits: Teams that want open-source automation they can host themselves
- Free trial · from $19/mo
BuildShip
Visual builder for backend workflows, APIs and AI agents
- BuildShip starts at $19 per workspace / month, billed yearly ($225); $25 billed monthly. Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month.
- Windmill has a free plan. BuildShip does not, though it has a free trial.
- Windmill is open source, according to its own site.
- BuildShip also covers databases, templates and no-code.
- Windmill also covers app builder.
Suits: Front-end and no-code app builders who need a backend API quickly
- Free
Node-RED
Open-source, flow-based programming tool for event-driven apps
- Node-RED is free. Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month.
- Only Node-RED lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Windmill also covers AI agents and app builder.
Suits: Home automation and device projects on hardware such as a Raspberry Pi
- Free plan
Tines
Workflow automation and AI agents for security and IT teams
- Windmill is open source, according to its own site.
- Tines also covers templates.
- Windmill also covers app builder.
Suits: Security teams automating alert intake, triage and remediation
Limits worth knowing in Windmill
- Windmill is code-first: scripts and most flow steps are written in a programming language, so it suits engineers more than non-technical users.
- The free self-hosted edition stops at 3 workspaces, 50 users and 10 SSO users, has no audit logs and keeps run details for up to 30 days.
- Cloud Free covers 1,000 executions a month, and an execution is one job of under a second; each extra second of compute counts as another.
- Enterprise and Pro bill at least 2 compute units, and their instances report seat and memory use to Windmill through license telemetry.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Windmill?
The alternatives to Windmill in this directory are n8n, Activepieces, BuildShip, Node-RED and Tines. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Windmill.
Is there a free alternative to Windmill?
Yes. Node-RED is free to use. n8n, Activepieces and Tines have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Which Windmill alternatives work on Windows?
The Windmill listing does not include a Windows app. Node-RED lists one.
Which Windmill alternatives work on Linux?
The Windmill listing does not include a Linux app. Node-RED lists one.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 4, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
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