n8n: Workflow Automation with Agent Nodes

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform that now includes native AI and agent nodes. It lets you build multi-step automations — including LLM calls, tool use, and conditional logic — through a visual workflow editor or code.

• You want to prototype or ship agent workflows without writing a lot of backend code.
• Your team is more comfortable with visual builders than Python frameworks.
• You need deep SaaS integrations: CRMs, databases, messaging, email, forms.
• You want self-hosting as an option.

• Visual workflow editor. Drag, drop, and connect nodes for data flow and AI steps.
• Large integration catalog. Hundreds of apps and services ready to wire in.
• AI agent nodes. Built-in support for LLM calls, retrieval, and tool chaining.
• Self-hostable. Run on your own server or use the managed cloud version.
• Fair-code licensing. Core is open; enterprise features are paid.

• Complex agents get messy. Visual workflows can become hard to maintain as logic grows.
• Not a full agent framework. It is automation-first; advanced agent patterns may need code.
• Cloud pricing by execution. Workflows with frequent triggers or heavy AI calls add up.
• Vendor lock-in in visual layer. Complex workflows are harder to migrate than code.

• Open-source self-hosted: free aside from infrastructure.
• Cloud: starts around $24/month for individuals and scales by execution volume.
• Enterprise: SSO, advanced permissions, and support.

Operations teams, founders, and integrators who want to connect AI steps to real business systems quickly. Great for internal tools, alerting, data pipelines, and light customer-facing automations.

• OpenAI / Anthropic / local LLMs through AI nodes.
• Slack / Discord / Gmail / Notion for notification and data workflows.
• Airtable / Postgres / Supabase for data-backed agents.