head to head · open source
n8n vs langchain
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. langchain has 148,892 stars, 25,031 forks, 492 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 41% (209,375 vs 148,892 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; langchain is written in Python under MIT. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, langchain 17%. langchain 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 | langchain | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 149K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 25K |
| 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 langchain if
- You want the langchain feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and langchain 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 langchain
The agent engineering platform. LangChain is a framework for building agents and LLM powered applications. It helps you chain together interoperable components and third party integrations to simplify AI application development — all while future proofing decisions as the underlying technology evolves. [!TIP] Just getting started? Check out Deep Agents — a higher level package built on LangChain for agents that have built in capabilities for common usage patterns such as planning, subagents, file system usage, and more. Quickstart If you're looking for more advanced customization or agent orchestration, check…
read the full langchain overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or langchain more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and langchain has 148,892. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and langchain free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and langchain is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and langchain?
n8n is written in TypeScript and langchain 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 langchain?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose langchain if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.