What Is N8N? Pros & Cons and Best Alternative [2025]

If you’re working with automations in 2025, you’ve likely heard of N8N.

In case you missed the headlines: N8N just raised its valuation to $2.3 billion in August 2025, up from $350 million just four months earlier. It now brings in more than $40 million in annual revenue, with clients including Vodafone and Delivery Hero. The rise shows how quickly businesses are embracing customizable automation.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know: what N8N is, how it works, what it costs, and whether alternatives might be a better fit for your project.

Let’s dive in.

What is N8N? 

N8N started in 2019 as a side project by Jan Oberhauser in Berlin. He first published it on GitHub that June, and by October, he was sharing it more widely on platforms like Product Hunt.

Essentially, N8N is an open-source, low-code automation tool. It’s built for technical teams who want the ease of a visual editor without giving up the power of code. Workflows are created through drag-and-drop nodes, but you can also drop in custom JavaScript when you need more control.

What are N8N’s Core Features and Use Cases?

N8N helps you automate the boring stuff, connect your favorite tools, and build powerful workflows without hiring a developer. It’s like having a robot assistant you trained yourself. Here are some of its key features:

1. Drag-and-Drop Simplicity: You can build automated workflows visually, no need to write a bunch of code. It’s like connecting puzzle pieces that say, “when this happens, do that.”
2. Works With All Your Apps: N8N connects with hundreds of tools like Google Sheets, Slack, Notion, Airtable, email, databases, and even AI tools like OpenAI. You can move info between apps automatically.
3. Flexible Like a Developer Tool (Even If You’re Not One): You get the ease of no-code tools, but with the power to add logic, filters, and conditions if you want to. It’s perfect for people who don’t want to be limited.
4. You Control Everything: Unlike tools that charge by the task or limit what you can do, N8N is open-source. You can host it on your own server, keep your data private, and use it however you like.
5. Start Things Automatically: You can set workflows to start on a schedule, such as every day at 9 am, or when something happens, or when you call a special link. 

Remember, one of the most common ways people use N8N is to get rid of boring, manual tasks. N8N can run in the background, so you never have to think about it again. Here are some examples: 

Managing Lead and Customers

Running a business means juggling a thousand little tasks. New leads shouldn’t be one of them.

With N8N, someone fills out your contact form, and everything just happens. Their profile gets enriched with useful data. They receive a personal email. They’re added to your CRM without you lifting a finger. You can even notify your sales team on Slack and log the lead in a spreadsheet for tracking.

Streamlining E-Commerce Operations

For e-commerce owners, N8N feels like an extra set of hands.

A new order comes in? Your warehouse is notified instantly. Inventory updates on its own. The customer gets a confirmation email without delay.

And if someone walks away from their cart, N8N can send a reminder to bring them back.

Powering Email and SMS Campaigns

N8N helps you talk to customers in ways that feel natural. No more blasting the same email to everyone on your list!

You can set up messages that trigger at the right moment. A follow-up email two days after someone signs up. A text when their package ships.

This way, it feels personal, but you don’t have to do it by hand. 

Building AI-Powered Workflows

With N8N, you can even bring AI into your workflows. Connected to tools like OpenAI, it can write summaries, translate text, or power simple chatbots.

If you’re experimenting with AI agents, N8N takes care of the heavy lifting in the background. It can chain prompts together, store memory, and call outside APIs all automatically.

How Much Does N8N Cost?

N8N offers flexible pricing for every type of user, from solo builders to enterprise teams. Here’s the latest N8N Cloud pricing information in 2025:

Here’s the latest N8N Self-Hosted pricing information:

What Is N8N Docker?

N8N Docker is the preferred way to self-host N8N on your own server or cloud platform.

Here’s how it works:

docker pull n8nio/n8n

docker run -it --rm \
  -p 5678:5678 \
  -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
  n8nio/n8n

version: "3"
services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n

What Are N8N’s Best Alternatives?

While N8N is powerful—especially for technical users—it’s not always the most intuitive or beginner-friendly tool. If you’re looking for something easier to use, more AI-native, or just better suited to your specific use case, here are the top alternatives being used (and loved) in 2025:

Voiceflow: Best Free Alternative for AI Agents and LLM Workflows

Why it’s #1: Voiceflow is built specifically for creating AI agents and conversational workflows without writing any code. It’s like Figma for automation builders, with full support for the latest LLMs, vector databases, tool use, memory, and agent orchestration.

Even better? It’s free to start. Teams can build and test advanced AI workflows with zero cost and scale into an enterprise plan when ready.

Make: Best for Visual Logic & Budget-Conscious Teams

Formerly Integromat, Make gives you Zapier-like power with deeper customization and cheaper pricing, if you can survive the learning curve!

Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of N8N vs Make.com:

Conclusion

N8N is one of the most powerful automation tools available in 2025, especially if you’re a developer or technically inclined builder who wants full control. 

With its open-source core, flexible pricing, and ability to self-host or scale into enterprise, it’s no surprise that it’s now valued at over $2.3 billion.

But it’s not for everyone. If you’re building AI agents, want a smoother UI, or just need something that “just works” out of the box, there are better alternatives like Voiceflow or Make.com that might save you hours (and headaches).

Bottom line:

1. If you love tinkering and want to own your stack, try N8N.
2. If you want to build powerful AI workflows without writing code, go with Voiceflow.
3. If you want Zapier-style logic at a lower price, Make.com is a solid bet.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Does N8N offer a free trial?

Yes. Both Cloud plans (Starter and Pro) and Self-Hosted Business & Enterprise plans offer a 14-day free trial. 

What is the best N8N alternative for AI agents?

Voiceflow. It’s free to start, AI-native, and purpose-built for building LLM-powered agents.

Is N8N better than Zapier?

It depends. N8N gives you way more flexibility and depth, especially if you want to write logic or self-host. Zapier is simpler, but limited in advanced use cases and very expensive at scale.

Can I build AI workflows in N8N?

Yes! You can connect to OpenAI, HuggingFace, or other AI APIs to automate summarization, translation, chat, and prompt chaining, but it may require more manual setup than purpose-built tools like Voiceflow.

How hard is it to learn N8N?

If you have basic technical skills, it’s pretty approachable. You don’t need to be a developer, but you should be comfortable with logic flows and API concepts. Total beginners may find it overwhelming compared to Make or Zapier.