head to head · open source
n8n vs CryptPad
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. CryptPad has 8,039 stars, 873 forks, 401 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 2,504% (209,375 vs 8,039 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; CryptPad is written in JavaScript under AGPL-3.0. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, CryptPad 11%. 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 | CryptPad | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 8.0K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 873 |
| 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 CryptPad if
- You want the CryptPad feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and CryptPad 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 CryptPad
CryptPad CryptPad is a collaboration suite that is end to end encrypted and open source. It is designed to facilitate collaboration by synchronizing changes to documents in real time. Since all the user data is encrypted, in the event of a breach, attackers have no way of accessing the stored content. Furthermore, if the administrators do not modify the code, they and the service also cannot access any information about the users' content. Installation For development Our developer guide provides instructions for setting up a local instance without HTTPS or our more advanced security features. For production…
read the full CryptPad overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or CryptPad more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and CryptPad has 8,039. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and CryptPad free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and CryptPad is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and CryptPad?
n8n is written in TypeScript and CryptPad 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 CryptPad?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose CryptPad if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.