Automatisch vs n8n (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, n8n grades higher than Automatisch: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 4, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Automatisch grades higher on the free plan. n8n grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Automatisch if
- Fits if you are comfortable running Docker and want to own your data
- Works for flows that can wait 15 minutes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want to run servers, as no hosted price is published
- Not for you if you need instant triggers, as flows run every 15 minutes
- Too light for a long app list: about 70 apps are listed
- Watch out: the encryption and webhook keys must never change or saved connections break
Pick n8n if
- Fits if you want automations on your own servers, where the Community Edition is free
- Works for workflows that need a few lines of JavaScript or Python in the middle
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free hosted plan, because n8n Cloud only has a 14-day trial
- Not for you if nobody on the team is technical, since it's pitched at developers
- Pricey if you need SSO or Git version control, which start on Business at €667 a month, self-hosted only
- Watch out: the free Community Edition leaves out projects, environments and workflow sharing, and you maintain it
- Watch out: prices are in euros, and no US dollar price list was found on n8n's site
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAutomatischFair | 2.4GPAn8nFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. That is a C, and no hosted price is published. | CCloud Starter is €20 a month billed annually for 2,500 executions, the dear end of this category, and a whole workflow run counts as one execution however many steps it has. Self-hosting the Community Edition costs nothing but your server, while SSO and Git version control start on Business at €667. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe software is free to run on your own servers with Docker. You pay for the server. | CNo free plan on the hosted service, just a 14-day trial capped at 1,000 executions with no card needed. Free here means self-hosting the Community Edition, which is nearly the full product but leaves out SSO, projects, environments, Git and workflow sharing, and you maintain it. |
| Features | CMulti-step flows, webhooks and requests, but just over 70 apps and flows that run at 15-minute intervals, with instant updates only planned. | BA canvas with JavaScript or Python available in any step, single steps you can re-run while debugging, AI agents whose reasoning you can inspect and gate with approvals, 500+ integrations, custom API calls, and the option to run the lot air-gapped. The job, covered. |
| Ease of use | DSelf-hosting with Docker, Postgres and Redis, and keys that must never change or saved connections break. | CNo store rating on record, and it's pitched at developers: accounts to connect, a canvas to learn, and code in the middle of a workflow when the nodes run out. The hosted version at least saves you installing it; the free route doesn't. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb interface, with connections to Slack, Google Sheets, GitHub, HubSpot, Notion, Stripe, Telegram and OpenAI. No desktop or phone app. | BA web app, hosted or on your own Docker setup, with no phone or desktop app. It cites 500+ integrations, reaches anything else through custom API calls, and the paid plans open up its own API. |
| Best for | self-hosted automation for a developer | technical teams who want to host their own automation |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Automatisch and n8n. How we grade
Price against what you get
Automatisch has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. n8n starts at about $22.34 a month and scores 2.7.
n8n scores higher, and starts $22.34 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other automation tools on the chart, none scores higher than Automatisch for less, and 2 score higher than n8n for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Automatisch is open source, according to its own site.
- Automatisch also covers no-code.
At a glance
| Automatisch | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | €20 / month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions (n8n Cloud Starter) |
| Free plan | The open-source software is free to run on your own servers; no hosted plan or price is published. | The self-hosted Community Edition is free with almost the complete feature set, but without SSO, projects, environments, Git version control or workflow sharing. n8n Cloud has no free plan, only a trial. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day n8n Cloud trial of Pro features, capped at 1,000 executions, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Automatisch | n8n |
| Price read from | automatisch.io | n8n.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Automatisch
- Self-hosting needs Postgres and Redis, and the encryption and webhook keys must never change or saved connections break.
- The homepage mentions a cloud solution, but no cloud plans or prices are published on the pages we read.
- The docs list a bit over 70 apps, far fewer than the large hosted automation services.
- The docs say flows currently run at 15-minute intervals, with instant updates only planned.
n8n
- n8n Cloud has no free plan; the free option is self-hosting the Community Edition, which you run and maintain yourself.
- The Community Edition leaves out SSO, projects, environments, Git version control and workflow sharing.
- The Business plan is self-hosted only and starts at €667 a month, billed annually.
- The pricing page showed prices in euros when checked; no US dollar price list was found on n8n's site.
Key features
Automatisch
- Multi-step flows
- A flow is built from a trigger plus later steps, with built-in helper apps such as Filter, Formatter, Delay, Scheduler and HTTP Request.
- Self-hosting
- The installation guide covers Docker Compose and plain Docker, with a main service and a worker service that share one set of environment variables.
- Own your data
- The site says data stays on your own servers, which it pitches at healthcare, finance and European teams bound by GDPR.
- App directory
- The docs list the supported apps, including Slack, Google Sheets, GitHub, HubSpot, Notion, Stripe, Telegram and AI services such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Webhooks and requests
- Webhooks and a generic HTTP Request app are in the app list, so services without a dedicated integration can still be reached.
n8n
- Visual builder with code steps
- Workflows are built on a canvas, and JavaScript or Python can be written anywhere in them. Single steps can be re-run and earlier data replayed while debugging.
- AI agents
- Agents are assembled from AI nodes on the same canvas, with each step of their reasoning open to inspection and the option to require human approval.
- Self-hosting
- n8n can run on your own infrastructure with Docker, including air-gapped setups. The Community Edition is free; Business and Enterprise add SSO, environments and Git version control.
- Execution-based pricing
- One run of a whole workflow counts as a single execution, however many steps it has. Going over the plan quota does not stop workflows, but overage charges may apply.
- Integrations and custom APIs
- The homepage cites 500+ integrations, including Google Sheets, Slack and OpenAI, and other services can be reached through custom API connections.
- Shared projects
- Shared projects group workflows for a team: 1 on Starter, 3 on Pro, 6 on Business and unlimited on Enterprise. Pro adds admin roles and workflow history.
Plans
Automatisch
Self-hosted$0
Run Automatisch yourself with Docker Compose or Docker. You provide the servers, Postgres and Redis.
n8n
Community Edition€0
Self-hosted from GitHub. Almost the complete feature set, without SSO, projects, environments, Git version control or workflow sharing.
Starter€20
per month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions
Hosted by n8n. Unlimited steps per workflow, 1 shared project, 5 concurrent executions, and agents, MCP and AI nodes.
Pro€50
per month, billed annually, for 10,000 executions
Hosted by n8n. 3 shared projects, up to 50 concurrent executions, 7 days of insights, admin roles and workflow history.
Business€667
per month, billed annually, for 40,000 executions
Self-hosted only. 6 shared projects, SSO with SAML and LDAP, multiple environments, Git version control, queue mode and 30 days of insights.
EnterpriseCustom
Hosted or self-hosted. Custom executions, unlimited shared projects, 200+ concurrent executions, external secret store, log streaming and SLA support.
Ways to pay less
Automatisch
No public discounts listed.
n8n
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
n8n's pricing page shows a 17% saving when a plan is billed annually instead of monthly. The prices listed here are the annual rates.
- Startups
Start-up Plan: 50% off Business
Companies with fewer than 20 employees can check whether they qualify for the Start-up Plan, which takes 50% off the Business plan.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Automatisch or n8n?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Automatisch is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $22.34 a month for n8n. Automatisch is free, and n8n starts at €20 / month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions (n8n Cloud Starter).
Which has a free plan, Automatisch or n8n?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Automatisch and n8n have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.