head to head · open source
n8n vs n8n-helm-chart
n8n has 205,086 GitHub stars, 60,753 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped today. n8n-helm-chart has 704 stars, 248 forks, 64 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. n8n leads on adoption by 29,032% (205,086 vs 704 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 30% 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 | ★ 205K | ★ 704 |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go Template |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 248 |
| 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 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 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 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 (Opti…
read the full n8n-helm-chart overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or n8n-helm-chart more popular?
n8n has 205,086 GitHub stars and n8n-helm-chart has 704. 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 (205,086 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.