head to head · open source
n8n vs MDMA
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. MDMA has 67 stars, 2 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. n8n leads on adoption by 305,701% (204,887 vs 67 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; MDMA is written in TypeScript under MIT. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, MDMA 3%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (mcp), 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.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| n8n | MDMA | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 67 |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-08-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 2 |
| 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 MDMA if
- You want the MDMA feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and MDMA 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 MDMA
MDMA (Markdown Document with Mounted Applications) is an MIT licensed TypeScript library that extends Markdown with interactive components, so an LLM can answer with forms, tables, and approval gates that a host application renders inline instead of leaving the user to act on plain text.
More in Productivity & Utilities
Related comparisons
More Automation projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Automation field.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or MDMA more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and MDMA has 67. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and MDMA free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and MDMA is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and MDMA?
n8n is written in TypeScript and MDMA 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 MDMA?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose MDMA if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.