Open source Automation tools

5 open-source tools in this category.

Showing 5 results

n8n

n8n

Fair-code workflow automation — 400+ integrations with AI agents.

Sustainable Use License alternative to Zapier. Visual builder, code nodes, native AI capabilities, and self-hosting. TypeScript/Vue stack.

automationworkflowno-code
190.7K58.2KSustainable Use License / fair-code
vs Zapier
Kestra

Kestra

YAML-based orchestration — 1400+ plugins for data, AI, and infrastructure workflows.

Kestra is an open-source, event-driven orchestration platform for data, AI, and infrastructure workflows, built around declarative YAML rather than a visual-only builder. Apache-2.0 licensed with a separate paid Enterprise Edition for SSO and multi-tenancy.

27.3K2.6KApache-2.0
vs n8n
ActivePieces

ActivePieces

AI-first workflow automation — MIT-licensed, 280+ pieces, built-in MCP support.

ActivePieces is an open-source automation platform for building no-code workflows and AI agents. The Community Edition is MIT-licensed and self-hostable via Docker; enterprise features (SSO, advanced permissions) are under a separate commercial license.

23.1K3.9KMIT (Community Edition)
vs n8n
Automatisch

Automatisch

Minimal self-hosted Zapier alternative — AGPL-3.0, simple trigger-action workflows.

Automatisch is an open-source, self-hosted workflow automation tool positioned as a lightweight Zapier alternative. The Community Edition is AGPL-3.0 licensed, with enterprise-only features under a separate license.

13.9K1.1KAGPL-3.0 (Community Edition)
vs n8n
ByteChef

ByteChef

Open-source API orchestration — 200+ components, Java/JS/Python/Ruby code editor.

ByteChef is an open-source, low-code platform for API orchestration, workflow automation, and AI agent integration. The core platform is Apache-2.0 licensed, with enterprise-only features under a separate license.

900155Apache-2.0 (Community Edition)
vs n8n

This category covers workflow automation platforms. n8n is currently the only tool listed here — a fair-code (source-visible, self-hostable, but not fully permissive-licensed) automation platform with native AI agent support and 400+ integrations.

FAQ

What's the best open-source alternative to Zapier or Make?

n8n is the main option here — see alternatives to Zapier and alternatives to Make for the full comparison, including its licensing details.

Is n8n fully open source?

Not in the permissive sense — n8n runs under the Sustainable Use License, meaning the source is visible and self-hostable for internal use, but it's not an OSI-approved open-source license. See alternatives to Zapier for details.

What are the top open-source automation tools?

Browse alternatives to Zapier, alternatives to Make, and alternatives to Workato for more options.