head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs n8n
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars, 82,755 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. n8n has 209,375 stars, 61,361 forks, 1,143 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 88% (393,747 vs 209,375 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under MIT; n8n is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, n8n 29%. OpenClaw 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
| OpenClaw | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 394K | ★ 209K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 83K | ⑂ 61K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenClaw if
- You weight community size — 394K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick n8n if
- You want the n8n feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and n8n fits your workflow better
About OpenClaw
OpenClaw 🦞 — Your assistant, on your devices, in your chats OpenClaw is an open source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and meets you in the channels you already use: Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, and 20+ more, plus native apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. One Gateway runs it as a personal assistant on a laptop or as a shared team deployment; configuration is the only difference. Yours, with no catch. State, memory, and credentials live on your hardware. Models and agent harnesses (Claude, Codex, local models) are plugins you can swap without changing anything…
read the full OpenClaw overview →
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…
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or n8n more popular?
OpenClaw has 393,747 GitHub stars and n8n has 209,375. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and n8n free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw is licensed under MIT, and n8n has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and n8n?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and n8n 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, OpenClaw or n8n?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (393,747 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose n8n if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.