head to head · open source
n8n vs btw
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. btw has 1,254 stars, 101 forks, 15 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. n8n leads on adoption by 16,597% (209,375 vs 1,254 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; btw is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, btw 8%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | btw | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-08-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 101 |
| 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 btw if
- You want the btw feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and btw 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 btw
btw btw is an open source personal website builder. You can sign up and use btw without installing anything. You can also use the open source version to self host. Demo blogs published using btw: deeptichopra.com siddg.com Table of contents Getting Started Pre requisites Installation Development Community Coming next License Getting started These instructions will help you to get a copy of the project up and running on your local machine Pre requisites Install the latest version of Docker, Docker compose on your system Working postgres instance SMTP credentials (Ex: from mailgun) Installation Set ADMIN EMAIL and…
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or btw more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and btw has 1,254. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and btw free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and btw is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and btw?
n8n is written in TypeScript and btw in JavaScript. 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 btw?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose btw if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.