head to head · open source
n8n vs OBS Studio
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OBS Studio has 76,325 stars, 10,217 forks, 1,148 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 168% (204,887 vs 76,325 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; OBS Studio is written in C under GPL-2.0. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, OBS Studio 13%. 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 | OBS Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 76K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 10K |
| 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 OBS Studio if
- You want the OBS Studio feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and OBS Studio 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 OBS Studio
OBS Studio is a free, open source C application for capturing, compositing, encoding, recording, and streaming video content, built for streamers, screen recorders, and anyone who needs to produce live or recorded video without paying for a commercial suite.
read the full OBS Studio overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or OBS Studio more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and OBS Studio has 76,325. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and OBS Studio free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and OBS Studio is licensed under GPL-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and OBS Studio?
n8n is written in TypeScript and OBS Studio in C. 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 OBS Studio?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose OBS Studio if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.