head to head · open source
n8n vs astron-rpa
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. astron-rpa has 5,564 stars, 598 forks, 55 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. n8n leads on adoption by 3,582% (204,887 vs 5,564 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; astron-rpa is written in Python under Apache-2.0. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, astron-rpa 11%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (ai, automation, 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 | astron-rpa | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 5.6K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 598 |
| 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 astron-rpa if
- You want the astron-rpa feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and astron-rpa 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 astron-rpa
AstronRPA is an open source, enterprise grade Robotic Process Automation desktop application written in Java and released under the Apache 2.0 license. It provides a visual designer for low code and no code development, letting users build automation workflows through drag and drop rather than hand written scripts. The project lives in the iflytek/astron rpa repository and sits in the broader iFlytek Astron ecosystem, alongside Astron Agent, which serves as its native agent platform. Topics attached to the repository — agent, ai, llm, mcp, low code, no code, enterprise, data privacy, and on premise — describe tha…
read the full astron-rpa overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or astron-rpa more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and astron-rpa has 5,564. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and astron-rpa free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and astron-rpa is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and astron-rpa?
n8n is written in TypeScript and astron-rpa in Python. 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 astron-rpa?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose astron-rpa if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.