head to head · open source
n8n vs Steel
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Steel has 7,908 stars, 1,002 forks, 68 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. n8n leads on adoption by 2,548% (209,375 vs 7,908 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 29% 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 | ★ 209K | ★ 7.9K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 61K | ⑂ 1.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick n8n if
- You weight community size — 209K 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 – The Platform for AI Agents and Workflow Automation Fair code platform to build and deploy AI agents and workflows. Combine a visual canvas with custom code, run it self hosted or in the cloud, and connect to 1500+ integrations. AI automation you can trust with real work, from prototype to production. Key Capabilities AI Native Automation Platform : Build and operationalize AI workflows and multi step agents using your own data, models, and tools Model Flexibility, No Lock In : Connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open source models and switch providers without changing your architecture From Prototype…
About Steel
Steel The open source browser API for AI agents & apps. The best way to build live web agents and browser automation tools. Get Started · Documentation · Website · Cookbook ✨ Highlights Steel.dev is an open source browser API that makes it easy to build AI apps and agents that interact with the web. Instead of building automation infrastructure from scratch, you can focus on your AI application while Steel handles the complexity. Under the hood, it manages sessions, pages, and browser processes, allowing you to perform complex browsing tasks programmatically without any of the headaches: Full Browser Control…
read the full Steel overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is n8n or Steel more popular?
n8n has 209,375 GitHub stars and Steel has 7,908. 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 (209,375 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.