head to head · open source
n8n vs frigate
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. frigate has 35,947 stars, 3,601 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 470% (204,887 vs 35,947 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; frigate is written in TypeScript under MIT. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, frigate 10%. n8n 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 | frigate | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 36K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 3.6K |
| 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 frigate if
- You want the frigate feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and frigate 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 frigate
Frigate NVR is a complete and local network video recorder built for Home Assistant, with AI object detection. It uses OpenCV and Tensorflow to run realtime object detection locally on IP cameras, so video analysis happens on your own hardware instead of a vendor cloud. Project lives in the Home Assistant home automation ecosystem, with tight integration through a custom component, and it talks over MQTT so other systems can consume its events. Written mainly in TypeScript, MIT licensed, 8 years old, 35,896 stars and 3,596 forks on GitHub.
read the full frigate overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or frigate more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and frigate has 35,947. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and frigate free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and frigate is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and frigate?
n8n is written in TypeScript and frigate 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 frigate?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose frigate if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.