head to head · open source
n8n vs Steel
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars, 60,739 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Steel has 7,655 stars, 979 forks, 68 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. n8n leads on adoption by 2,577% (204,887 vs 7,655 stars). n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Steel is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. n8n has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, Steel 13%. n8n was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | Steel | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 205K | ★ 7.7K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 979 |
| 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 Steel if
- You want the Steel feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Steel 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 Steel
Steel is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed browser API written in TypeScript that gives AI agents and applications cloud browser sessions, so teams can automate the web without building browser infrastructure from scratch.
read the full Steel overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or Steel more popular?
n8n has 204,887 GitHub stars and Steel has 7,655. n8n has the larger community by that measure.
Are n8n and Steel free?
Both are open source. n8n has no licence declared in this registry, and Steel is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between n8n and Steel?
n8n is written in TypeScript and Steel in TypeScript. 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 Steel?
Choose n8n if you want the larger community (204,887 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Steel if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.