head to head · open source
n8n vs Botpress
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Botpress has 14,973 stars, 2,297 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 1,298% (209,375 vs 14,973 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Botpress is written in TypeScript under MIT. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, Botpress 15%. Botpress was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| n8n | Botpress | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 15K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick n8n if
- You weight community size — 209K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Botpress if
- You want the Botpress feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Botpress fits your workflow better
About n8n
n8n – The Platform for AI Agents and Workflow Automation Fair code platform to build and deploy AI agents and workflows. Combine a visual canvas with custom code, run it self hosted or in the cloud, and connect to 1500+ integrations. AI automation you can trust with real work, from prototype to production. Key Capabilities AI Native Automation Platform : Build and operationalize AI workflows and multi step agents using your own data, models, and tools Model Flexibility, No Lock In : Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open source models and switch providers without changing your architecture From Prototype…
About Botpress
Botpress Cloud Botpress is the ultimate platform for building next generation chatbots and assistants powered by OpenAI. Start building incredible assistants for your projects or businesses at lightning speed. Getting started • Cloud • Documentation • Integrations • Plugins This Repository This repository contains: Integrations – all public integrations on the Botpress Hub maintained by Botpress Devtools – all Botpress Cloud dev tools (CLI, SDK, API Client) Bots some example of bots " as code " made only using the SDK and the CLI Plugins – all plugins on the Botpress Studio (coming soon) Contributing We love…
read the full Botpress overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or Botpress more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and Botpress has 14,973. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and Botpress free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and Botpress is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and Botpress?
n8n is written in TypeScript and Botpress in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, n8n or Botpress?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Botpress if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.