n8n vs viaSocket

n8n

• Technical teams that want to host their automation on their own servers
• Developers who mix visual workflows with JavaScript or Python
• Building AI agents where every step can be inspected

viaSocket

• Small teams that want a large free task allowance before paying
• People who would sooner describe an automation in chat than build it
• Connecting AI clients to business apps through an MCP server

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.

viaSocket

• A task is counted for every step that runs, including the trigger, so a trigger with 3 actions uses 4 tasks per run.
• AI steps and premium actions such as WhatsApp and SMS draw on a separate monthly credit allowance.
• SSO and advanced permissions are listed only on the paid Team and Premium plans.
• When a month's tasks or credits run out, automations keep running only if you top up with pay-as-you-go credits.

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.

viaSocket

Workflows from a prompt

You describe a job in plain words and viaSocket AI plans the steps and connects the apps. The result can run once, on a trigger or on a schedule.

No-code builder with paths

A drag-and-drop builder chains multi-step flows, and Paths send a run down different branches when conditions you define are met. Delay steps pause a run for a set time.

Webhook, schedule and email triggers

Flows start from webhooks in real time, from a cron schedule at set intervals, or from an email sent to a unique address through Email to Flow.

JavaScript functions and API requests

Custom JavaScript functions can run inside a workflow, HTTP API Request steps call services that have no built-in app, and variables and Memory carry data between steps.

Human intervention

A workflow can pause when a person needs to supply input or approve something, then pick up from the same point once that is done.

AI agents and MCP servers

The AI Agent feature builds agents on models such as GPT and Claude. Mushrooms, viaSocket's MCP service, gives AI clients like Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT per-action access to 2,000+ apps.

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.

viaSocket

• Free$0

  10,000 standard tasks and 500 AI credits a month, built-in integrations, and GPT, Claude and Gemini models.

• Team$18

  per month, billed annually ($27 billed monthly)

  17,000 standard tasks and 2,500 AI credits a month, SSO and advanced permissions. Extra usage at $0.0025 per task and $0.007 per AI credit.

• Premium$67

  per month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)

  40,000 standard tasks and 10,000 AI credits a month, SSO and advanced permissions. Extra usage at $0.0004 per task and $0.002 per AI credit.

• Agency$250

  per month; arranged through sales

  For agencies: 250,000 tasks and 100,000 AI credits a month. The pricing page asks agencies to get in touch for it.

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.

viaSocket

• Annual discount

  Save 33% with annual billing

  The pricing page shows a 33% saving for annual billing: Team is $18 a month billed annually against $27 monthly, and Premium is $67 against $99.

• Nonprofit

  3x the free plan for nonprofits and education

  viaSocket's pricing page says nonprofits, students and educators can unlock three times the free plan's usage through its free access programs.