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It's a split decision.
Choose n8n if you want self-hosting or visible, metered Cloud pricing, plus step-level error recovery. Its Starter plan is $20/month billed annually and capped at 2,500 executions. Choose Tines for AI-assisted building and an enterprise-focused environment, especially if three live workflows are enough to start. Its free edition includes unlimited users, spaces, and connectors, but paid pricing is not published. Compare workflow caps with expected usage before switching.
01Side by side
| n8n | Tines | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free self-hosted; Cloud from $20/month annually | Free edition; paid price not published |
| Free plan | Unlimited workflows and executions, limited by your server | 3 live workflows; $50 one-time AI allowance |
| Best for | Teams wanting visual workflows, code flexibility, and self-hosting | Enterprise teams building apps, agents, and automations |
| Core strength | Step-by-step run visibility and error recovery | AI-assisted building, governance, and secure runtime |
| Learning curve | Visual builder with the option to use code | AI-assisted building, testing, and refining |
| Integrations/data | On-prem or Docker deployment; source on GitHub | Unlimited connectors; secure connectivity to systems and data |
| Team/seat costs | Unlimited users across listed plans | Unlimited users on free and paid editions |
| Support | Enterprise includes dedicated support with SLA | Support terms not published |
n8n Choose n8n if
- Choose n8n if you need self-hosting or Docker deployment.
- Choose n8n if you want published Cloud prices and execution caps.
- Choose n8n if step-level visibility and error recovery matter.
Tines Choose Tines if
- Choose Tines if three live workflows cover your free start.
- Choose Tines if you want AI-assisted workflow building.
- Choose Tines if unlimited workflows and flexible deployment fit your team.
02Pricing compared
n8n’s listed Cloud prices start at $24 per month, or $20 per month with annual billing, for 2,500 executions. That’s a hard cap: Starter and Pro plans have no execution overages, so higher usage means upgrading. Pro starts at $60 monthly or $50 with annual billing and includes 10,000 executions. Its self-hosted Community Edition is free, but you manage the infrastructure and get no vendor hosting or support. Tines’ free edition costs $0 and includes three live workflows, unlimited users, spaces, and connectors, plus a one-time $50 AI allowance. Tines does not publish paid prices. Its paid editions include unlimited workflows, so we can’t make a direct paid-plan price comparison. Check your expected workflow volume before switching.
03Features and depth
n8n combines a visual workflow builder with the option to use code. Its materials emphasize step-by-step visibility into AI agent runs, human approval steps, and the ability to rerun a broken step rather than the whole workflow. Community Edition is self-hosted; Business adds SSO/LDAP, multiple environments, Git version control, and queue mode. Tines is positioned as an enterprise environment for building and operating automations, apps, and agents. Its listed features include AI-assisted building, team workspaces, secure connectivity, runtime options, access controls, governance, and monitoring. Tines’ paid editions include unlimited workflows, flexible deployment, and the option to bring your own AI model. The free edition has unlimited connectors and spaces, but only three live workflows. Choose n8n for visible, step-based workflows and recovery; choose Tines if its AI-assisted building and enterprise controls fit your requirements.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Both products offer visual or AI-assisted ways to build automation, but their materials describe different starting points. n8n’s visual builder can be paired with code, and its run-by-run visibility is designed to help teams inspect what happened and identify errors. Self-hosting Community Edition also means managing your own infrastructure. Tines lets users describe what they need and build, test, and refine with AI; it also offers personal and team workspaces. Its free edition is limited to three live workflows, so check that cap against your trial use. The published materials don’t publish onboarding times or learning-curve comparisons. Before switching, confirm deployment needs, who will maintain workflows, and whether the free or paid limits fit.
Questions people ask
Is n8n cheaper than Tines?
n8n’s Starter plan is listed at $20 per month with annual billing, with a 2,500-execution monthly cap. Tines offers a free edition, but its paid prices are not published. We can compare the free entry points, not the paid total cost.
What do n8n and Tines include for free?
n8n Community Edition is free when self-hosted, with users, workflows, and executions limited by your server; it has no vendor hosting or support. Tines’ free edition includes unlimited users, spaces, and connectors, but is capped at three live workflows.
Can I self-host n8n or Tines?
n8n offers a self-hosted Community Edition and a self-hosted Business plan. Tines lists flexible deployment options for paid editions, but the published pricing information does not specify particular deployment methods or locations.
Which is better for AI automation?
n8n emphasizes visible AI agent runs, human approvals, and step-level error recovery. Tines emphasizes AI-assisted building and lets paid users bring their own AI model. The better fit depends on whether workflow inspection or AI-assisted creation matters more to your team.