head to head · open source
n8n vs joint
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. joint has 5,396 stars, 888 forks, 49 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. n8n leads on adoption by 3,780% (209,375 vs 5,396 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; joint is written in JavaScript under MPL-2.0. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, joint 16%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (low-code), 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 | joint | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 5.4K |
| License | Custom / other | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 888 |
| 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 joint if
- You want the joint feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and joint 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 joint
JointJS — The JavaScript diagramming library you don't replace at scale JointJS is a proven JavaScript/TypeScript diagramming library for building complex, production scale diagramming applications. Teams use it to build AI workflow builders, flowchart and process editors, BPMN modelers, SCADA/HMI and monitoring dashboards, data modeling tools, energy network diagrams, electronic design tools, and org chart builders. JointJS is framework agnostic, with first class support for React. Further information, examples and documentation can be found at jointjs.com. 🚀 Getting started guide 💡 Ask a question or share…
read the full joint overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or joint more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and joint has 5,396. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and joint free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and joint is licensed under MPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and joint?
n8n is written in TypeScript and joint 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 joint?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose joint if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.