head to head · open source
n8n vs n8n-helm-chart
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n-helm-chart has 709 stars, 246 forks, 64 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. n8n leads on adoption by 29,431% (209,375 vs 709 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; n8n-helm-chart is written in Go Template under Apache-2.0. n8n has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, n8n-helm-chart 35%. 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 | n8n-helm-chart | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 209K | ★ 709 |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go Template |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 246 |
| 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 n8n-helm-chart if
- You want the n8n-helm-chart feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go Template
- You evaluated both and n8n-helm-chart 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 n8n-helm-chart
[!NOTE] The n8n Helm chart is growing in popularity. We're looking for additional conscientious and accurate maintainers and contributors to improve and maintain this chart, governance, development, documentation and CI/CD workflows. If you're interested in making a difference, join the discussion. n8n Helm Chart for Kubernetes n8n is an extendable workflow automation tool. The Helm chart source code location is github.com/8gears/n8n helm chart Requirements Before you start, make sure you have the following tools ready: Helm = 3.8 external Postgres DB or embedded SQLite (SQLite is bundled with n8n) Helmfile…
read the full n8n-helm-chart overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or n8n-helm-chart more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and n8n-helm-chart has 709. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and n8n-helm-chart free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and n8n-helm-chart is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and n8n-helm-chart?
n8n is written in TypeScript and n8n-helm-chart in Go Template. 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 n8n-helm-chart?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (209,375 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose n8n-helm-chart if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.