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Most buyers should pick n8n.
For developers who want control over deployment and a known entry price, n8n is the clearer fit: it has a self-hosted Community Edition and published Cloud tiers. Tines is aimed at enterprise teams building apps, agents, and automations in workspaces with centralized access control and monitoring. Its free edition allows three live workflows, but paid prices are not published. Compare execution needs, governance requirements, and deployment options before choosing.
01Side by side
| n8n | Tines | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Published Cloud prices; free self-hosted edition | Free edition; paid pricing requires a quote |
| Free tier | Unlimited executions, limited by your server | Three live workflows; one-time $50 AI allowance |
| Open source and licence | Open source; exact licence needs verification | Open-source status and licence not stated |
| Self-hosting | On-premises or Docker deployment | Self-hosting availability is not stated |
| Integrations | Examples include Slack, Jira, Notion, and Claude | Unlimited connectors on free; no integration count |
| Deployment model | Cloud or self-hosted, depending on plan | Flexible deployment options on paid editions |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Limits and scaling | Cloud execution caps; higher tiers available | Paid workflows unlimited; execution caps not published |
n8n Choose n8n if
- Choose n8n if you need to self-host workflows.
- Choose n8n if published Cloud prices matter to procurement.
- Choose n8n if step-level workflow visibility is important.
Tines Choose Tines if
- Choose Tines if teams need shared workspaces and access controls.
- Choose Tines if enterprise governance and monitoring are priorities.
- Choose Tines if you need paid deployment flexibility and bring-your-own-model support.
02Pricing at real usage
n8n's Community Edition costs $0 and has unlimited users, workflows, and executions, limited by your own server. Cloud Starter costs $24 monthly or $20 per month with annual billing, for 2,500 executions and five concurrent executions. Pro costs $60 monthly or $50 annually, with 10,000 executions on its listed tier. Starter and Pro are hard-capped, with no execution overages. Business, which is self-hosted, starts at $960 monthly or $800 annually for 40,000 executions; an extra 300,000-execution pack costs $4,800. Tines Free includes unlimited users, spaces, and connectors, but only three live workflows and a one-time $50 AI allowance. Paid editions include unlimited workflows and flexible deployment, but Tines does not publish their prices. Ask Tines for a quote based on deployment and usage.
03API, SDKs and integration
n8n is a visual workflow builder with the option to drop into code. Its homepage gives Slack, Jira, and Notion as examples of connected tools, and shows Claude Sonnet 4.6 in an AI workflow. Tines describes secure connections to business systems and data, with unlimited connectors on its free edition, but does not give an integration count. Both products frame integrations around building and operating workflows, apps, or agents. The product pages do not specify a public API shape, SDK languages, CLI, or protocol, so teams planning a code-first integration should confirm those details with each vendor. Check the documentation for authentication methods, webhook behavior, versioning, and retry semantics before wiring either platform into production. For an existing stack, verify that the required services have maintained connectors and that credential handling meets your policies.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
n8n is open source and can be deployed on-premises or through Docker. Its Community Edition is self-hosted, and its source code is available on GitHub. The exact licence terms should be checked before distributing or modifying it. Cloud plans provide another deployment path, while Business is self-hosted and adds controls such as SSO/LDAP, multiple environments, Git version control, and queue mode. Tines describes flexible deployment, secure connectivity, and the option to use different models and infrastructure. It also says customers own their code and can change it, but its open-source status and self-hosting options are not stated. Neither product's pages specify export formats or a migration path. Before committing, ask how workflows, credentials, execution history, and generated code can be exported, and what can be moved to another system.
Questions people ask
Is n8n cheaper than Tines?
n8n is easier to price from its published plans: Cloud Starter starts at $20 per month with annual billing, and Community Edition is free to self-host. Tines has a free edition, but paid rates are not published. Request a quote before comparing paid deployments.
Can I self-host Tines?
Tines advertises flexible deployment options on paid editions and says its software can run on infrastructure that suits the enterprise. Its product pages do not specify self-hosting availability. Ask Tines which deployment environments are supported and what operational responsibilities fall to your team.
Which is better for AI agents?
n8n emphasizes visual agent workflows, step-by-step run visibility, and human approval steps. Tines offers an AI coding harness, workspaces, secure connectivity, runtime, access controls, and monitoring. Choose based on whether workflow-level inspection or enterprise-wide building and governance is the main requirement.
Can teams migrate between n8n and Tines?
Neither product's pages specify a migration or export format. Before switching, ask both vendors what workflow definitions, code, credentials, logs, and execution history can be exported. Also check how connectors, approval logic, and environment-specific settings would need to be rebuilt.