head to head · open source
n8n vs Pearcleaner
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Pearcleaner has 14,653 stars, 375 forks, 84 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. n8n leads on adoption by 1,298% (204,887 vs 14,653 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Pearcleaner is written in Swift under a custom or non-standard licence. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, Pearcleaner 3%. 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 | Pearcleaner | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 15K |
| License | Custom / other | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-06-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 375 |
| 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 Pearcleaner if
- You want the Pearcleaner feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and Pearcleaner 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 Pearcleaner
Pearcleaner is a free, source available, fair code licensed macOS application written in Swift and listed under Productivity & Utilities / System Cleanup & Optimization. It is described as a Mac app cleaner inspired by Freemacsoft's AppCleaner and by Sun Knudsen's Privacy Guides post about an app cleaner script. The project's homepage is hosted at itsalin.com, and the repository states that this is the only legitimate website owned by the author.
read the full Pearcleaner overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or Pearcleaner more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and Pearcleaner has 14,653. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and Pearcleaner free?
Neither n8n nor Pearcleaner declares a licence in this registry, so check each project's own repository before relying on either for a commercial use. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and Pearcleaner?
n8n is written in TypeScript and Pearcleaner in Swift. 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 Pearcleaner?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Pearcleaner if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.