head to head · open source
n8n vs magic
n8n has 205,401 GitHub stars, 60,791 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped today. magic has 1,192 stars, 176 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. n8n leads on adoption by 17,132% (205,401 vs 1,192 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; magic is written in C# under MIT. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, magic 15%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (ai, low-code, mcp), 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 | magic | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 176 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick n8n if
- You weight community size — 205K 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 magic if
- You want the magic feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and magic fits your workflow better
About n8n
n8n is a visual workflow automation platform built in TypeScript that combines a drag and drop editor with custom code execution. It lives in the integration and automation ecosystem, positioned as an open alternative to proprietary services like Zapier. Users design multi step workflows—called “n8n flows”—that connect apps, services, and custom logic to automate repetitive tasks.
About magic
Magic is an MIT licensed low code platform and MCP server, written in C for .NET 10, that turns plain English into a working full stack application — database, secure API, business logic and frontend — running on your own hardware with no vendor lock in.
read the full magic overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or magic more popular?
n8n has 205,401 GitHub stars and magic has 1,192. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and magic free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and magic is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and magic?
n8n is written in TypeScript and magic in C#. 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 magic?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (205,401 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose magic if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.