AI Tool Comparison
Langflow vs n8n
A side-by-side breakdown to help you pick the right tool for your workflow.
Langflow
Wire up AI agents and RAG pipelines on a visual canvas, then export the finished flow as a working API or MCP server. Free and self-hosted since DataStax's cloud tier closed.
n8n
Visually connect apps, APIs, and AI models into multi-step automations — free and self-hostable, or run on Cloud with per-execution pricing.
Bottom Line
Last reviewed: August 2026
Langflow (Developer Tools) and n8n (Automation) come from different corners of the market, so this usually comes down to which job you're actually hiring a tool for, not a head-to-head on the same task. Langflow runs on a fully free plan while n8n runs on a freemium model, which alone may settle it if budget or a free tier is a hard requirement. n8n carries the higher rating (4.7 vs 4.5), but a gap that size rarely overrides a real workflow fit on its own.
Choose Langflow if…
Best for developers who want to build agent or RAG flows visually instead of writing orchestration code by hand, and its edge is finished flows export directly as a REST API or MCP server, ready to drop into another application. Genuinely free and open-source, self-hosting is now the only option since the hosted cloud tier shut down.
Choose n8n if…
Best for teams that want automation they can self-host and fully control, and its edge is free and self-hostable, with the same visual workflow builder as the paid competitors. The best choice when you want Zapier's flexibility without the recurring cost.
| Attribute | Langflow | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Automation |
| Pricing | free | freemium |
| Pricing Detail | Free and MIT licensed, self-hosted only (DataStax's hosted cloud shut down April 2026) | Free (self-hosted) / €20/mo Cloud Starter / €50/mo Cloud Pro |
| Rating |
Key Features
Langflow
- Drag-and-drop visual canvas
- Export flows as an API or MCP server
- Built-in RAG and vector store components
- Desktop app plus Docker/pip self-hosting
n8n
- 400+ integrations
- AI nodes (LangChain)
- Self-hosting option
- Code nodes (JavaScript/Python)
- Complex branching logic
- Natural-language AI Assistant for building workflows
Pros
Langflow
- •Fully free since the hosted cloud tier was discontinued
- •MIT licensed with an active, large contributor base
- •Exports directly to a usable API or MCP server
n8n
- •Open source and self-hostable
- •More powerful than Zapier for technical users
- •AI nodes are excellent
- •Great value vs Zapier
Cons
Langflow
- No first-party managed hosting anymore, self-hosting is the only option
- Production usage still costs LLM API tokens and infrastructure
n8n
- Higher technical bar than Zapier
- Self-hosting requires maintenance
- Debugging complex flows can be hard