head to head · open source
n8n vs python-miio
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. python-miio has 4,303 stars, 601 forks, 313 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. n8n leads on adoption by 4,661% (204,887 vs 4,303 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; python-miio is written in Python under GPL-3.0. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, python-miio 14%. 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 | python-miio | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 4.3K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-07-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 601 |
| 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 python-miio if
- You want the python-miio feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and python-miio 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 python-miio
python miio is a Python library and console tool for controlling Xiaomi smart appliances. It supports devices using Xiaomi's miIO and MIoT protocols, and it provides programmatic access through Python and command line access through miiocli. The project lives in the Python home automation ecosystem, and its topics connect it to Home Assistant and Xiaomi smart home control.
read the full python-miio overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or python-miio more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and python-miio has 4,303. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and python-miio free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and python-miio is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and python-miio?
n8n is written in TypeScript and python-miio in Python. 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 python-miio?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose python-miio if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.