What are the best open-source workflow automation tools?

Best Open-Source Workflow Automation Tools

Open-source automation tools give you full control over your data, no vendor lock-in, and often significant cost savings. Here are the top options ranked by capability and community strength.

1. n8n - The Most Popular Choice

n8n is the most widely adopted open-source automation platform with 50,000+ GitHub stars and a community of 250,000+ members. It offers a visual workflow builder with 400+ integrations, code nodes for custom logic, and both cloud and self-hosted deployment options. The Sustainable Use License is fair-code, meaning you can self-host for free with unlimited workflows.

• License: Sustainable Use License (fair-code)
• Self-hosting: Docker, npm, or Kubernetes
• Best for: Technical teams wanting the most mature open-source automation platform

2. ActivePieces - The Rising Star

ActivePieces launched in 2022 and has quickly gained traction with 10,000+ GitHub stars. It offers a clean, modern UI with 200+ integrations contributed by its community. Licensed under MIT, it is one of the most permissive open-source options available.

• License: MIT
• Self-hosting: Docker, Docker Compose
• Best for: Teams wanting a no-code open-source alternative with a modern interface

3. Windmill - For Developer Teams

Windmill targets engineering teams who want to build automations from code. It supports TypeScript, Python, Go, Bash, SQL, and GraphQL as first-class scripting languages. Scripts automatically become UIs, scheduled jobs, or workflow steps.

• License: AGPLv3
• Self-hosting: Docker, Kubernetes
• Best for: Engineering teams who prefer code-first automation

4. Huginn - The Original Self-Hosted Agent System

Huginn is the OG of self-hosted automation with 44,000+ GitHub stars. It uses an agent-based model where each agent performs a specific task, and agents are chained together in directed graphs. Built in Ruby on Rails, it is best suited for developers comfortable with self-hosting.

• License: MIT
• Self-hosting: Docker, Heroku, manual Ruby installation
• Best for: Developers wanting an agent-based monitoring and automation system

5. Automatisch - Simplest Open-Source Option

Automatisch is a newer entrant focused on being the simplest open-source Zapier alternative. With a familiar trigger-and-action workflow model and a growing list of 40+ integrations, it is the easiest open-source tool to get started with.

• License: AGPL-3.0
• Self-hosting: Docker, Docker Compose
• Best for: Small teams wanting the simplest self-hosted automation tool

Comparison Table