head to head · open source
n8n vs LiveKit
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. LiveKit has 20,973 stars, 2,347 forks, 189 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 877% (204,887 vs 20,973 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; LiveKit is written in Go under Apache-2.0. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, LiveKit 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 | LiveKit | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 21K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| 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 LiveKit if
- You want the LiveKit feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and LiveKit 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 LiveKit
LiveKit is an open source realtime infrastructure project for voice, video, and physical AI agents, and it lives in the WebRTC, media server, and voice AI ecosystem. The repository contains the LiveKit server, a scalable distributed WebRTC SFU written in Go and built on Pion WebRTC. It moves realtime audio, video, and data between people, devices, and AI models, while SDKs, agent frameworks, and companion services are provided separately.
read the full LiveKit overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or LiveKit more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and LiveKit has 20,973. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and LiveKit free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and LiveKit is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and LiveKit?
n8n is written in TypeScript and LiveKit in Go. 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 LiveKit?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose LiveKit if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.