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AutoGPT vs n8n

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Both have one
Public API
n8n has one; not confirmed by us for AutoGPT
Best fit
AutoGPT: Teams that want to self-host an agent platform and own the infrastructure · n8n: Technical teams that want to self-host automation with Docker, on-prem or air-gapped
Trust score
About even — AutoGPT 79, n8n 75
Status
Both up at our last check (Sep 6, 2026)

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

AutoGPTBlock-based builder for agents that keep running on a schedulen8nWorkflow automation with AI-agent nodes that runs on n8n's cloud or self-hosted from GitHub

Side by side

FactAutoGPTn8n
CategoryAI Agents & Autonomous WorkersWorkflow Automation Platforms
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$42.50/mo—
Public APINot confirmedYes
Trust score79 / 10075 / 100
PlatformsWeb, LinuxWeb, Linux, API
CompanySignificant Gravitasn8n GmbH
Launched2023—
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

AutoGPT

The name that started the autonomous-agent wave is now a fairly conventional low-code workflow builder, and it is worth judging on that basis rather than on the 2023 demos — as a self-hosted option it is strong, as a paid cloud product it is expensive.

Pros

  • Genuinely open source outside the platform directory, with a very large contributor community
  • Self-hosting is free and unrestricted for internal use
  • Visual block builder plus a marketplace of prebuilt agents lowers the starting effort
  • Hosted option removes infrastructure, model access and credential management

Cons

  • Cloud Pro at $42.50/month is steep for an allowance that still needs pay-as-you-go credits on top
  • Polyform Shield on the platform directory rules out commercial redistribution
  • Two-tier cloud pricing jumps from $42.50 to $272 with nothing in between
  • Team plan is advertised as coming soon rather than available

n8n

The automation tool to pick when you want agents and integrations on one canvas and the option to run it on your own hardware; self-hosting from GitHub is the escape hatch Zapier and Make do not offer. Cloud pricing is per execution rather than per task, which rewards long workflows, but the monthly figures hide behind a toggle and the Business tier is a self-hosted licence at a very different price point.

Pros

  • Self-hosted Community Edition on GitHub under a fair-code licence, with 207k stars
  • Agent, model, MCP and RAG nodes alongside 500+ app integrations
  • JavaScript or Python at any step, with a canvas that traces agent reasoning
  • Execution-based cloud billing with unlimited steps per execution
  • Public REST API on all self-hosted editions and on cloud Starter and above

Cons

  • Cloud prices were shown only in euros and only as annual-billing figures
  • Business tier (€667 a month) is self-hosted only, with cloud availability on a waitlist
  • Fair-code licence is not OSI open source, which matters for some corporate policies
  • Forum-only support below Enterprise

Which one fits

Choose AutoGPT if you need

  • Teams that want to self-host an agent platform and own the infrastructure
  • Building scheduled, continuously running automations rather than one-shot tasks
  • Anyone who prefers wiring blocks to writing agent code

Choose n8n if you need

  • Technical teams that want to self-host automation with Docker, on-prem or air-gapped
  • Builders combining LLM agents, MCP tools and RAG with ordinary app integrations
  • Workflows with many steps, since billing counts executions rather than individual operations

AutoGPT vs n8n: the questions people ask

Is AutoGPT cheaper than n8n?

AutoGPT starts at $42.50/mo. n8n has a free tier; what its paid plans cost is not confirmed by us yet.

Does AutoGPT or n8n have a free tier?

Both: AutoGPT has a free tier, and n8n has a free tier.

Which has a public API, AutoGPT or n8n?

n8n ships a public API, as of our last verification. A public API for AutoGPT is not confirmed by us — check its developer docs before you plan an integration.

More comparisons

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