Activepieces vs Node-RED

Activepieces

• Teams that want open-source automation they can host themselves
• Small teams that prefer a flat price to per-seat billing
• Building AI agents alongside trigger-and-action flows

Node-RED

• Home automation and device projects on hardware such as a Raspberry Pi
• Industrial teams collecting and transforming operational data
• Developers who are comfortable running a Node.js service themselves

Activepieces

• The Free cloud plan covers a single user and 1,000 credits a month; runs beyond the quota do not go through until credits refresh.
• AI steps cost 2, 10 or 20 credits depending on the model. Connecting your own AI keys, on Plus and above, brings each AI step down to 1 credit.
• The self-hosted Community edition leaves out Agents and Chat and MCPs. SSO starts on Team, and SCIM and audit logs need Ultimate.
• Activepieces says its SOC 2 program is still in progress and that it does not yet hold the certification.

Node-RED

• Node-RED is software you install and run yourself; the project offers no hosted service of its own, though third parties such as FlowFuse do.
• The machine that runs it needs a supported version of Node.js, or Docker.
• The project calls it low-code: custom logic is written as JavaScript in function nodes.
• Running on Android through Termux is described in the docs as a bit experimental.

Activepieces

Flow builder

A visual builder with branching, retries, waitpoints, subflows, error handling and human approvals. TypeScript can be written inline for a step that needs code.

AI agents and chat

An agent takes a task described in plain words and chooses tools from connected apps and MCP servers, with approval gates on the steps you pick. Chat drafts flows from a description.

Pieces

The integration directory lists 762 pieces, all open source under the MIT license. An HTTP piece reaches any REST or GraphQL API that does not have a piece yet.

Tables and knowledge base

Tables hold data that every flow and agent can read and write, and a knowledge base makes your documents searchable by agents.

MCP server

Tools built in Activepieces can be served over MCP, so assistants such as Claude and Cursor can run them. MCPs are part of the cloud plans, not the Community edition.

Cloud, self-hosted or air-gapped

Activepieces Cloud runs in Frankfurt. The same software can be installed on your own infrastructure with Docker or Kubernetes, including with no outbound network.

Node-RED

Browser-based flow editor

Flows are built by wiring together nodes from a palette in the browser, then deployed to the runtime in a single click.

Function nodes

JavaScript functions can be written inside the editor in a rich text editor, and a built-in library saves functions, templates and flows for reuse.

Community nodes and flow library

The palette can be extended with new nodes, and the project says the community has shared more than 5,000 nodes and flows. An online flow library hosts them.

Runs from edge devices to the cloud

The Node.js runtime is light enough for low-cost hardware such as the Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone, and guides also cover Docker, Windows, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

Flows stored as JSON

Flows are saved as JSON, which can be imported and exported to share with others. A Projects feature, which needs git, puts flows under version control.

APIs and embedding

An Admin HTTP API administers the runtime remotely, and module APIs let developers embed Node-RED in an existing Node.js application.

Activepieces

• Free$0

  Activepieces Cloud for one user: 1,000 credits a month, unlimited flows, and agents, chat, tables, MCP and API access. No card needed.

• Community$0

  Self-hosted open-source edition: credits are not metered and users are unlimited, but Agents and Chat and MCPs are not included.

• Plus$16

  flat per month, billed yearly ($20 billed monthly)

  10,000 credits a month, then $0.007 per credit. Up to 5 users, and you can connect your own AI provider keys.

• Team$166

  flat per month, billed yearly ($200 billed monthly)

  50,000 credits a month, 25 users, unlimited projects, SSO, standard roles, global connections and email support.

• UltimateCustom

  Yearly credit pool sized to the customer, dedicated workers, execution priority, SCIM, custom roles, Git Sync, audit logs and dedicated support.

• EmbedFrom $36k

  per year

  White-label flow builder, AI agents and the integration library placed inside your own product through one SDK. Sold through sales.

Node-RED

• Node-RED$0

  The whole project under the Apache 2.0 license: the runtime, the browser-based editor and access to the community's nodes and flows.

Activepieces

• Annual discount

  Save 2 months with annual billing

  The pricing page's Annual option is labeled as saving 2 months: Plus is $16 a month billed yearly instead of $20, and Team is $166 instead of $200.

Node-RED

No public discounts listed.