head to head · open source
n8n vs saltcorn
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. saltcorn has 2,071 stars, 353 forks, 737 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n leads on adoption by 9,793% (204,887 vs 2,071 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; saltcorn is written in JavaScript under MIT. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, saltcorn 17%. 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 | saltcorn | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 353 |
| 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 saltcorn if
- You want the saltcorn feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and saltcorn 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 saltcorn
Saltcorn is a free and open source no code application builder, licensed under MIT and written in JavaScript, for people who need to build database backed web and mobile applications without writing application code.
read the full saltcorn overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or saltcorn more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and saltcorn has 2,071. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and saltcorn free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and saltcorn is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and saltcorn?
n8n is written in TypeScript and saltcorn in JavaScript. 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 saltcorn?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose saltcorn if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.