n8n vs Pipedream

Self-hostable Zapier meets the glue that holds your saas stack together, letting you automate workflows without drowning in api docs. Here's our take.

n8n

Nice Pick

Self-hostable Zapier. More powerful, more technical.

Pros

• Self-hostable
• Fair pricing
• Powerful workflows
• Code nodes

Cons

• Steeper learning curve
• Less polished
• Fewer integrations

Pipedream

The glue that holds your SaaS stack together, letting you automate workflows without drowning in API docs.

Pros

• Visual workflow builder with 1,000+ pre-built integrations
• Instant HTTP endpoints for webhooks and serverless functions
• Built-in observability with logs, triggers, and debugging tools
• Free tier generous enough for prototyping and small projects

Cons

• Complex workflows can become spaghetti code in the UI
• Vendor lock-in risk as workflows are platform-specific

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. n8n is a automation while Pipedream is a hosting & deployment. We picked n8n based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

n8n wins

Based on overall popularity. n8n is more widely used, but Pipedream excels in its own space.