The Huginn Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Huginn in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Huginn
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source agents that watch the web and act, on your own server
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among automation tools, read from Huginn’s own pages.
Made by Andrew Cantino and contributors · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Huginn’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Huginn’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 24 of the 40 other automation tools we grade
Huginn is an open-source system, released under the MIT License, for building agents that read the web, watch for events and take actions for you. Agents create and consume events that pass along a directed graph, and the project describes itself as a hackable version of IFTTT or Zapier that runs on your own server. There is no hosted service: you install it yourself, most quickly with the official Docker image.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Huginn, taken from its own pages and our grades.
The built-in agent list is short next to the thousand-app platforms.
- 1
Best for watching the web from a server you control
There's no hosted version: you install, update and back it up yourself, it won't run on Windows, and a new agent means writing Ruby.
- 2
It is free
Huginn has no paid plan at all. Free and open source under the MIT License, with no paid edition. You install and run it yourself, so the only cost is the server or hosting plan it runs on.
- 3
It runs on 2 platforms
Web and Linux.
- 4
Agents and events
Each agent does one job, such as checking a site or sending a message, and emits events that other agents consume. Chaining them forms a directed graph.
- 5
Website monitoring
Agents can scrape websites and email you when a page changes, or watch for travel and shopping deals. The wiki covers browser emulation for pages that need JavaScript.
- 6
Digests and spike alerts
Huginn can send a digest email at set times of day, and count high-frequency events so that an SMS goes out within moments of a spike.
- 7
A 2.6 GPA, above 24 of 40
That is against the other automation tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
Huginn is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
Huginn at a glance
- Pricing
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, Linux
- Made by
- Andrew Cantino and contributors, since 2013
- Category
- Automation
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for watching the web from a server you control
Huginn is a free, open-source set of agents that watch websites, feeds and search terms, then email, text or ping you when something changes, all on your own server. There's no hosted version: you install, update and back it up yourself, it won't run on Windows, and a new agent means writing Ruby. The built-in agent list is short next to the thousand-app platforms.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Free and open source under the MIT License, with no paid edition, where tools in this category start around $15 a month. The only bill is the server it runs on, and the requirements page suggests 2 GB of RAM and a dual-core machine. |
| Free plan and trial | A | All of it is free, with nothing held back and nothing metered: the web interface, the built-in agents and support for new agents added as Ruby gems. No account, no plan, no quota. |
| Features | C | Agents watch sites, feeds and search terms and pass events to each other, with digests, spike alerts, webhooks and custom JavaScript. The gaps are plain, though: the built-in agent list is short next to the thousand-app platforms here, and a new one means writing Ruby. |
| Ease of use | D | There's no hosted version to sign up for: you install it, with MySQL or PostgreSQL beside it, and you update and back it up yourself. Docker is the quickest route. Agents are then configured with options and Liquid templates rather than dragged into place. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | A self-hosted web interface, and the server has to be Linux: the docs say it doesn't run on Windows and suggest a virtual machine. No phone or desktop app. Built-in agents cover Slack, Twilio, Jira and a handful more, with webhooks for the rest. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Huginn is for
- Fits if you want your automation data kept on a server you control
- Works for people already comfortable with Docker or a Ruby on Rails deployment
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you've never run a server, because there's no hosted version to sign up for
- Not for you if you want a drag-and-drop builder, as agents are set up with options and Liquid templates
- Too light for wiring up an obscure business app, since a new agent has to be written in Ruby
- Tight if your server runs Windows, as Huginn doesn't, and the manual install guide covers Ubuntu and Debian only
- Watch out: you'll pay for a server with about 2 GB of RAM and two cores, plus MySQL or PostgreSQL beside it
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who want their automation data kept on a server they control
- Watching websites, feeds and search terms and getting alerts by email or SMS
- People comfortable with Docker or a Ruby on Rails deployment
Worth knowing
- There is no hosted version: you install, update and back up Huginn yourself, with MySQL or PostgreSQL alongside it.
- Huginn does not run on Windows; the docs suggest a virtual machine. The manual install guide supports Ubuntu and Debian.
- The requirements page recommends 2 GB of RAM and a dual-core server.
- Agents are configured in the web interface with options and Liquid templates, and writing a new agent means writing Ruby.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Free
No paid plan at all
Huginn is free to use.
Huginn
$0
The whole project under the MIT License: the web interface, the built-in agents and support for agents added as Ruby gems.
The free plan
Free and open source under the MIT License, with no paid edition. You install and run it yourself, so the only cost is the server or hosting plan it runs on.
Read from github.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: Web and Linux
Open-source agents that watch the web and act, on your own server. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, workflow automation.
Agents watch sites, feeds and search terms and pass events to each other, with digests, spike alerts, webhooks and custom JavaScript.
- Agents and events
- Each agent does one job, such as checking a site or sending a message, and emits events that other agents consume. Chaining them forms a directed graph.
- Website monitoring
- Agents can scrape websites and email you when a page changes, or watch for travel and shopping deals. The wiki covers browser emulation for pages that need JavaScript.
- Digests and spike alerts
- Huginn can send a digest email at set times of day, and count high-frequency events so that an SMS goes out within moments of a spike.
- Webhooks and custom JavaScript
- Agents send and receive webhooks and can run custom JavaScript functions, so services without a built-in agent can still be wired in.
- Agent gems
- New agents can be written as external Ruby gems and loaded through the ADDITIONAL_GEMS environment variable, without changing the core repository.
- Several ways to deploy
- There is an official Docker image, a manual installation guide for Ubuntu and Debian, OpenShift templates and a Heroku deploy button, which needs a paid Heroku plan.
Where it runs
- Web
- Linux
What it works with
- Slack
- Twilio
- Jira
- Pushover
- Pushbullet
- Basecamp
Huginn is made by Andrew Cantino and contributors, and has been around since 2013.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
24/40
Other automation tools it is graded above
Huginn's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 24 of the 40 other automation tools we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 37 of 40) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Huginn has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 41 automation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Huginn’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 27 of 40
- AFree plan and trialAbove 37 of 40
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 40
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 40
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 5 of 40
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 automation tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Huginn is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
Huginn is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- A real app for Linux. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Huginn’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
n8n, Node-RED, Activepieces, IFTTT and Zapier
The 5 tools Huginn is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
n8n
Free plan · from €20/mo
Workflow automation and AI agents you can self-host.
- Only Huginn lists a Linux app.
- Huginn is open source, according to its own site.
- 3.0GPA
Node-RED
Free
Open-source, flow-based programming tool for event-driven apps.
- Only Node-RED lists a Windows app.
- 2.8GPA
Activepieces
Free plan · from $16/mo
Open-source automation with flows, AI agents and tables.
- Only Huginn lists a Linux app.
- Activepieces also covers databases and AI agents.
- 3.0GPA
IFTTT
Free plan · from $2.99/mo
Simple trigger-and-action automations for apps and smart devices.
- Only Huginn lists a Linux app.
- Only IFTTT lists iOS and Android apps.
- Huginn is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Zapier
Free plan · from $19.99/mo
Workflow automation across 9,000+ apps, with AI agents.
- Only Huginn lists a Linux app.
- Only Zapier lists a browser extension.
- Huginn is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Huginn free?
Yes. Huginn is free to use.
How much does Huginn cost?
Huginn lists one plan. Huginn: $0.
What platforms does Huginn work on?
Huginn is available on Web and Linux.
Does Huginn have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Huginn is listed for Web and Linux.
Does Huginn have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Huginn is listed for Web and Linux.
Is Huginn open source?
Yes. Huginn is open source, according to its own site.
What does Huginn integrate with?
Huginn's listing names Slack, Twilio, Jira, Twitter, Pushover, Pushbullet, Weibo and Basecamp.
Who makes Huginn?
Huginn is made by Andrew Cantino and contributors. It dates from 2013.
What are the alternatives to Huginn?
The closest alternatives to Huginn in our directory are n8n, Node-RED, Activepieces, IFTTT and Zapier.
How does Huginn compare with other automation tools?
Huginn's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 24 of the 40 other automation tools we grade, and level with 7.
Is Huginn good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Huginn A for value for money. Huginn has no paid plan.
Could I make my own version of Huginn?
Huginn is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Huginn’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Huginn's own GitHub pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-10.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Andrew Cantino and contributors. Prices change, so check github.com before you buy.
- github.com/huginn/huginn
- raw.githubusercontent.com/huginn/huginn/master/README.md
- raw.githubusercontent.com/huginn/huginn/master/LICENSE
- raw.githubusercontent.com/huginn/huginn/master/doc/manual/README.md
- raw.githubusercontent.com/huginn/huginn/master/doc/manual/requirements.md
- raw.githubusercontent.com/huginn/huginn/master/doc/docker/install.md
- github.com/huginn/huginn/wiki
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Huginn, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/huginn
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Huginn: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/huginn
Know someone choosing between automation tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/huginn/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded automation tools after Huginn, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Automation Insider's GuideEvery one of the 41 automation tools we grade, compared
- IFTTT Insider's GuideSimple trigger-and-action automations for apps and smart devices3.0 GPA
- Node-RED Insider's GuideOpen-source, flow-based programming tool for event-driven apps3.0 GPA
- Ui.Vision Insider's GuideOpen-source browser and desktop automation with computer vision3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Huginn’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Huginn is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Andrew Cantino and contributors. Prices and plans change: check github.com before you buy.