Open-source alternatives / Zapier
n8n — free open-source Zapier alternative
206,521 GitHub stars
Fair-code workflow automation platform with native AI capabilities. Combine visual building with custom code, self-host or cloud, 400+ integrations.
Replaces: Zapier + Make — the paid alternative. n8n does the same job and the licence is $0: you pay only for the server it runs on.
Why teams switch to n8n
- $0 licence. The paid tool charges per seat every month. n8n is free forever, including commercial use under its open-source licence.
- Your data stays yours. n8n is self-hosted — it runs on your own server, so no third party holds your records.
- Proven at scale. 206,521 GitHub stars and an active contributor base mean real companies run this in production, not just hobbyists.
Trade-off, honestly: open-source means you (or an IT person) install and maintain it. If nobody on your team can run a server, the paid alternative may still be the right call — that is what it is charging for.