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n8n vs Workato

A side-by-side comparison of n8n and Workato, drawn from Ignaite's continuously-verified listings.

Compared from listings verified as of

n8n

Orchestration

Fair-code workflow automation with first-class AI nodes.

View n8n

Workato

Automation

Enterprise iPaaS for integration, automation, and AI agents.

View Workato

At a glance

Feature comparison of n8n and Workato
Attributen8nWorkato
Category (differs)OrchestrationAutomation
Pricing (differs)FREEMIUMPAID
LicenseProprietaryProprietary
Deployment (differs)HybridCloud
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, API
Model support (differs)Model-agnosticMulti-model
Vendor (differs)n8nWorkato
Capabilities (differs)
  • Workflow orchestration
  • Agent framework
  • Tool / function calling
  • RAG pipeline
  • Workflow orchestration
  • Multi-agent orchestration
  • MCP gateway / registry
  • AI app builder
  • Document parsing (structured)

The honest brief

n8n

The self-hostable Zapier alternative with first-class AI/LangChain nodes and per-execution (not per-task) pricing.

  • Free Community Edition
  • 500+ integrations
  • Visual builder bridging APIs and databases
  • Per-execution pricing, not per-task
  • Code nodes for full control
  • Fair-code license, not OSI open-source
  • Self-host carries ops overhead
  • Steeper than Zapier for non-technical users

Workato

Marries 1,200+ enterprise connectors with agentic orchestration, so AI agents act across your real systems instead of stopping at chat.

  • Connectors for CRMs, ERPs, HR, and databases
  • Build and govern AI agents via Workato ONE
  • Low-code recipe builder
  • Strong enterprise governance and security
  • Enterprise pricing is sales-led and opaque
  • Overkill for simple personal automations
  • Learning curve for advanced recipes

When to pick which

Both cover Workflow orchestration.

Pick n8n if you need Agent framework, Tool / function calling, and RAG pipeline.

  • Agent framework (secondary capability)
  • Tool / function calling (secondary capability)
  • RAG pipeline (secondary capability)

Pick Workato if you need Multi-agent orchestration, MCP gateway / registry, AI app builder, and Document parsing (structured).

  • Multi-agent orchestration (primary capability)
  • MCP gateway / registry (secondary capability)
  • AI app builder (secondary capability)
  • Document parsing (structured) (secondary capability)

They also differ on:

Pricing
FREEMIUM · PAID
Deployment
Hybrid · Cloud
n8n detailsWorkato details