Visual no-code automation platform with AI agents connecting 3,000+ apps.
Bardeen vs n8n
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Bardeen is best for sales and GTM teams automating lead sourcing, scraping and enrichment from the browser, while n8n is best for technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run. Only n8n offers self-hosting and custom code steps. Bardeen has a low learning curve, compared with high for n8n. Both Bardeen and n8n offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose Bardeen if…
- You need sales and GTM teams automating lead sourcing, scraping and enrichment from the browser
- You're one of: sdrs and aes, recruiters, revops teams
- You want something quicker to learn
- Scrapes data from sites like LinkedIn directly while you browse
Choose n8n if…
- You need technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run
- Self-hosting matters to you
- Custom code steps matters to you
- You're one of: developers and technical ops teams, companies with data residency requirements, teams building llm agents
At a glance
| Bardeen | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sales and GTM teams automating lead sourcing, scraping and enrichment from the browser | Technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $10/mo | From €20/mo |
| Learning curve | Low | High |
| Platforms | Web, Chrome extension | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API |
| Ideal for | SDRs and AEs, Recruiters, RevOps teams, Founders doing outbound prospecting | Developers and technical ops teams, Companies with data residency requirements, Teams building LLM agents, High-volume automation users |
Feature comparison
| Bardeen | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow builder | Limited | Yes |
| Integrations, approx. | — | 400+ native nodes |
| AI agents | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes |
| Custom code steps | No | Yes |
| Webhooks | — | Yes |
| Human approval steps | — | Yes |
| Billed per | Credit | Execution (per workflow run) |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Bardeen | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | — | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | — | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | — | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud, self-hosted |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Bardeen
Bardeen is a GTM automation tool that runs largely as a Chrome extension, letting users scrape pages, enrich leads, qualify them with AI and push results to sheets or CRMs. Automations can be described in plain English or assembled from pre-built playbooks. Actions and enrichment rows consume credits, while imports, CSV exports and utilities are free.
Key features- Chrome sidebar for automating actions across open tabs
- AI web scraper for lists and profile pages
- Lead enrichment and email validation
- AI lead qualification
- Plain-English automation builder and playbook library
- Exports to Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion and CRMs
n8n
n8n is a fair-code workflow automation tool with a node-based visual editor, available as a managed cloud service or self-hosted via the free Community Edition. Cloud plans are billed per workflow execution regardless of how many steps a run contains. It is favoured by developers and technical operations teams building integrations and LLM agents that need code-level control.
Key features- Node-based visual workflow editor
- AI Agent node with LangChain-based tools and memory
- JavaScript and Python Code node
- Webhook triggers and HTTP Request node
- Human review of AI tool calls via Slack, Teams, Gmail or chat
- Self-hosting with Docker or npm
Pricing
Bardeen
Free plan (100 credits/mo); Basic $10/mo
n8n
Free self-hosted Community Edition + cloud free trial; Cloud Starter from EUR 20/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Bardeen
Strengths- Scrapes data from sites like LinkedIn directly while you browse
- Quick to set up for common sales and recruiting tasks
- Large library of ready-made GTM playbooks
- Free monthly credit allowance on every plan
- Credit costs add up quickly for high-volume scraping and enrichment
- Browser-based automations depend on the extension and page layouts
- Narrow focus on GTM tasks rather than general back-office automation
- No self-hosting option
Not ideal for: Teams that need server-side, event-driven automations across many business apps should use Zapier, Make or n8n instead.
n8n
Strengths- Free self-hosted Community Edition with no execution limits
- Per-execution billing is cheaper than per-step billing for long workflows
- Code nodes allow custom logic in any workflow
- Unlimited users and workflows on all cloud plans
- Fewer native integrations than Zapier or Make
- Assumes comfort with JSON, expressions and APIs
- SSO, Git version control and longer log retention need Business or Enterprise
- Self-hosting requires managing servers, updates and backups
Not ideal for: Non-technical users who want a guided, low-effort setup for common app connections will get started faster with Zapier.
Integrations
Bardeen
n8n
FAQ
What is the main difference between Bardeen and n8n?
Bardeen is built for sales and GTM teams automating lead sourcing, scraping and enrichment from the browser; n8n is built for technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run. Key differences: n8n offers self-hosting and custom code steps.
Is Bardeen or n8n cheaper?
Bardeen starts from $10/mo and n8n starts from €20/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Bardeen and n8n have free plans?
Both Bardeen and n8n offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Bardeen or n8n?
Bardeen is generally quicker to learn (Bardeen: low, n8n: high learning curve).
What are good alternatives to Bardeen and n8n?
Other automation tools worth comparing include Make, Gumloop and Lindy.
