We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
Most buyers should pick n8n.
Choose n8n for visual workflows, self-hosting and transparent entry pricing: its Community Edition is free, while Cloud Starter costs $20/month billed annually or $24 monthly, with 2,500 executions. Choose Workato for enterprise governance, multi-agent orchestration and 17,000+ connections, but pricing is not published and requires a sales quote. If you need predictable costs, n8n is easier to assess; if you need enterprise controls and connectivity, compare Workato’s quote against your expected usage.
01Side by side
| n8n | Workato | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Cloud Starter: $20/month annually; $24 monthly | Not published; contact sales for a quote |
| Free plan | Free self-hosted Community Edition | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Teams building visual workflows and AI agents | Enterprises orchestrating agents, workflows and integrations |
| Core strength | Step-level visibility, error recovery and self-hosting | Governance, multi-agent orchestration and enterprise connectivity |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Integration count not published | 17,000+ apps, APIs, databases and more |
| Team/seat costs | Unlimited users on listed plans | Unlimited users on listed plans |
| Support | Enterprise includes dedicated support with SLA | Support terms not published |
n8n Choose n8n if
- Choose n8n if you want free self-hosting.
- Choose n8n if you need visible, step-by-step workflow runs.
- Choose n8n if you want published Cloud pricing and execution caps.
Workato Choose Workato if
- Choose Workato if you need centralized AI governance.
- Choose Workato if you need multi-agent orchestration at enterprise scale.
- Choose Workato if 17,000+ listed connections fit your stack.
02Pricing compared
n8n is easier to price before you commit. Its Community Edition is free to self-host, but you manage the infrastructure and get no vendor hosting or support. Cloud Starter costs $24 per month, or $20 per month with annual billing, and includes 2,500 executions. Those are hard-capped: there are no execution overages, so exceeding the allowance means upgrading. Pro starts at $60 monthly or $50 monthly on annual billing, with 10,000 executions on the listed tier.
Workato publishes no plan prices and requires a sales quote. Its listed tiers include different concurrency, Workbot and on-premises-agent allowances, but the available pricing information does not provide a cost to compare. That makes budget planning harder, especially if usage-based charges apply. Get a quote based on expected volume and required add-ons before comparing it with n8n.
03Features and depth
n8n centers on a visual workflow builder with the option to add code. It shows workflow runs step by step, supports human approvals for AI actions and lets teams rerun a broken step rather than the whole workflow. Self-hosting is available, including via Docker; enterprise controls listed include SSO, LDAP, encrypted secret stores, RBAC and audit logs. The trade-off is that some controls are plan-dependent: Community Edition excludes SSO, LDAP, queue mode and admin roles.
Workato is positioned for enterprise integration and agent orchestration. Its listed capabilities include centralized AI governance, model routing and connectivity to 17,000+ apps, APIs, databases, files and MCP servers. The plan details also specify concurrency, Workbots and on-premises agents, with higher allowances on Enterprise MCP and Workato ONE. These are broader enterprise-oriented controls, but pricing is not published, and several capabilities are add-ons. Choose based on the systems and governance you actually need, not the headline connection count.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Both products offer visual automation, but n8n makes the build-and-debug process more visible: teams can inspect workflow runs, trace errors and rerun a failed step. The option to use code gives technical teams room to customize, while Community Edition means your team also owns hosting and infrastructure.
Workato is aimed at teams coordinating enterprise apps, agents and governance. Its broad connectivity may suit complex environments, but the available plan information does not show how much setup or training is required. A sales conversation is also part of assessing cost. For a small team that wants to understand the entry price first, n8n is more straightforward; Workato is worth evaluating when enterprise controls and connections are priorities.
Questions people ask
Is there any better tool than n8n?
There is no single better choice for every team. n8n offers a free self-hosted edition and published Cloud prices, while Workato emphasizes enterprise governance and 17,000+ connections but requires a sales quote. Compare the tools against your hosting needs, execution volume, integrations and budget.
What is Workato's annual revenue?
The published information does not publish Workato's annual revenue, so we can't give a sourced figure. Workato's homepage information here says it is used by over 100,000 employees across hundreds of platforms and automates more than 100 million tasks per month; those figures are not revenue.
What are the best no-code automation tools?
The right shortlist depends on your requirements. n8n offers visual workflows, optional code and self-hosting, with published Cloud entry pricing. Workato focuses on enterprise integrations, governance and agent orchestration, but its prices are not published. Compare the specific apps, controls and usage limits your team needs.
Why is n8n n8n?
The published product information describes n8n as a visual workflow automation platform for automations and AI agents, but it does not explain the origin or meaning of the name. We can compare its features and plans with Workato; we can't give a sourced explanation for the name.