FlowFn vs n8n
n8n is the developer’s pick — source-available (fair-code), code-friendly, self-hostable. FlowFn is hosted-first and AI-native, accessible to non-engineers, with forms and dashboards baked in. Ship workflows without DevOps, and share them across the whole team.
The short version
- n8n is open source and self-hostable, ideal for engineering teams that want to run their own automation infra.
- FlowFn is hosted-first, AI-native, and built for cross-functional teams — no DevOps required.
- Pick n8n if you need self-hosting or live in code; pick FlowFn to ship workflows without standing up a server.
How FlowFn stacks up against n8n
Source-available (fair-code), code-friendly, self-hostable workflow automation.
Reflects publicly documented features as of this date; competitor capabilities can change.
Feature
FlowFn
n8n
Setup & operations
Fully managed — sign up and ship
Self-host requires server setup; managed cloud also available
AI builder (describe → build)
Native — workflows, forms, playgrounds, and visualizers from plain English
AI Workflow Builder drafts workflows from plain English (Cloud only, credit-metered)
AI models in-line
60+ models, bring your own keys
Via individual model nodes
Agents — autonomous, embeddable
Goal-driven agent loop with embeddable chat widget, MCP tools, approval gates, and webhook/schedule triggers — no node graph to wire up
AI Agent node in a workflow graph; embeddable chat via the Chat Trigger + @n8n/chat widget, wired per-workflow rather than as a standalone agent
Built-in forms
Native form builder, embeddable
Hosted multi-step Form (Form Trigger + Form node), built inside a workflow — not standalone reusable forms
Visualizers
Native tables, charts, and dashboards
Built-in Insights dashboard for execution monitoring (Pro+); no data/chart builder for your own data
Playgrounds — embeddable mini apps wired to workflows
Native — HTML/CSS/JS pages, embed anywhere, one-click trigger wiring, plus direct action bindings to single platform-tool / AI calls
Not available
Realtime streams — multiplayer rooms for games & live apps
WebSocket rooms with presence; channels trigger workflows, server functions, or AI agents that answer the room as in-game characters; signed player tokens
Not available
Built-in content moderation
AI screens every published workflow, playground, and agent against the platform policy; HIGH-risk auto-blocks publish; owners can appeal from a banner
Opt-in Guardrails node for AI input/output filtering (jailbreak, NSFW, PII, etc.) wired into each workflow — no platform-level screening of published artifacts, no auto-block on publish
Approachable for non-engineers
AI Assistance + visual canvas, no code required
Code-leaning UX (JS/TS in steps is common)
Self-host / source-available
Not available
Included
Free plan (cloud)
Included
No free Cloud plan — 14-day trial only; free self-hosted (Community Edition)
How n8n and FlowFn price differently
n8n is source-available — self-hosted is free in licence terms, but the real cost shows up in operations: a Docker host, a Postgres instance, log storage, monitoring, backups, security patching, and someone on call when a workflow errors at 3am. n8n Cloud removes that burden but moves to per-execution metering. FlowFn is hosted-only by design — credits cover runs and AI in a single pool, and there's no infra cost to amortise across workflows. For a small team, the FlowFn plan is typically less expensive than the all-in cost of self-hosting once you count engineer time; for an established platform team that already runs Postgres and Kubernetes, n8n self-host can be cheaper at high run volumes.
What FlowFn does that n8n doesn’t
No infrastructure to run
Sign up and ship. No Docker, no Postgres, no oncall — workflows execute on managed infrastructure with credits as the unit.
Built for cross-functional teams
AI Assistance and a visual canvas make automation accessible to PMs, ops, and marketers — not just engineers comfortable in code nodes.
Forms and dashboards in-product
Collect data, automate it, and visualise the result — without bolting on another service.
When n8n is the better choice
No tool is right for every team. Here’s when we’d send you to a competitor.
- You require self-hosting, on-prem, or air-gapped deployment for compliance reasons.
- Your team prefers writing JavaScript or TypeScript inside step nodes over visual configuration.
- You want full source-code access to fork and customise the platform itself.
Migrating from n8n to FlowFn
A practical playbook for moving an existing workflow over without losing data or downtime.
- Export your workflow JSON from n8n (per-workflow, via the editor or CLI).
- Categorise nodes: pure integration nodes vs. Code/Function nodes that contain custom JavaScript.
- For integration-only workflows, use FlowFn’s AI Assistance to draft the visual equivalent from a one-line description.
- Code/Function nodes (JavaScript) map directly to FlowFn Custom Code steps — paste the code, adjust input/output references, and test. Python code in n8n Code nodes can be ported to JS or kept as an external API call.
- Re-add credentials in FlowFn (n8n credential names won’t carry over), run a few cycles, then disable the n8n workflow.
Try FlowFn free — see the difference yourself
Free forever plan. No credit card required. Build your first AI workflow in minutes.