n8n vs Pipedream
Both are automation tools. Here is what separates them.
What n8n is
n8n is a workflow automation tool. You build a process as a chain of connected nodes that pass data between applications, and you can either run it on n8n's cloud or host it yourself under a fair-code licence. The node library covers more than 500 integrations, and an HTTP request node handles anything outside that list, including importing a curl command directly to build the request. Data transformation nodes provide merge, loop, filter, switch, if, deduplicate, aggregate and split operations. Where the visual editor runs out, the Code node runs JavaScript and Python, self-hosted instances can pull in npm packages, and expressions are written in JavaScript using the Tournament templating language. The AI nodes are built on LangChain and can call local LLMs as well as hosted models. More than 10,000 workflow templates are published as starting points. Debugging happens inside the editor rather than through logs after the fact. There are inline logs for each line of output, the ability to load a previous execution's data back into the editor, data pinning so a node returns the same result across repeated tests, and single step execution. Self-hosting is free through the Community Edition. Deployment is by Docker or Kubernetes, including inside air-gapped private networks, and queue mode lets a self-hosted deployment reach up to 220 workflow executions per second. Self-hosted instances ping the n8n licence server daily to report execution usage. Cloud plans are separated by execution volume rather than by seats, because every plan includes unlimited users and unlimited workflows. Billed annually, Starter costs 20 EUR per month and covers 2,500 executions with unlimited steps each, one shared project and five concurrent executions. Pro costs 50 EUR per month for 10,000 executions, three shared projects and twenty concurrent executions, and adds admin roles, global variables, workflow history and execution search. Business costs 667 EUR per month for 40,000 executions and six shared projects, and adds SSO through SAML and LDAP, 30 day insights, multiple environments and Git based version control. Enterprise is quoted individually. Paying annually rather than monthly saves 17 percent, and Starter and Pro instances are hosted in Frankfurt, Germany. The enterprise tier is aimed at teams with compliance obligations. It covers identity provider user provisioning, enforced two-factor authentication, custom project roles, external secrets read from HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager or Azure Key Vault, and workflow logs streamed to observability or SIEM stacks by direct integration or webhook. Source control follows a Git push and pull pattern between development and production environments. n8n is SOC 2 audited and undergoes regular external penetration testing.
What Pipedream is
Pipedream is an integration platform aimed at developers, where a workflow is a sequence of steps and any step can be code you wrote rather than a pre-built action. Built-in integrations cover the common cases and custom code fills the gaps, which is the difference between it and tools that stop where their action library stops. The triggers and actions for its integrated apps are source-available, kept in a component registry on GitHub. Anyone can open a pull request to add a component, so an app that is missing a particular action does not have to wait for the vendor to build it. Community contributions are part of how the catalogue grows. Connect is the part aimed at products that need to offer integrations to their own users. It adds 2,500 or more integrations to an application, handles one-click OAuth and key-based authentication for the APIs behind them, and runs workflows on behalf of end users. SDKs are available for Python, TypeScript and Java, covering the authentication flows. For AI agents, Pipedream MCP connects to more than 10,000 tools across over 3,000 APIs, and the MCP servers are free for individuals and developers to use. Existing workflows can also be edited with AI rather than by hand. Between the registry, Connect and MCP, the same catalogue of application connections is exposed three ways: as steps in your own workflows, as integrations inside somebody else's product, and as tools an agent can call. Debugging happens in real time against live API calls, which is the practical argument for building an integration here rather than in a script on a server somewhere. A status page publishes current service state and uptime history. Support runs through documentation and a public community forum, with the forum doubling as the feedback channel. An account can be created free and without a credit card, with paid plans above that. The platform is made by Pipedream, LLC, and launched in 2019.
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