Visual no-code automation platform with AI agents connecting 3,000+ apps.
n8n vs Relevance AI
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
n8n is best for technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run, while Relevance AI is best for building teams of AI agents for sales, GTM and operations work. Only n8n offers self-hosting. n8n has a high learning curve, compared with medium for Relevance AI. Both n8n and Relevance AI offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which should you choose?
Choose n8n if…
- You need technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run
- Self-hosting matters to you
- You're one of: developers and technical ops teams, companies with data residency requirements, teams building llm agents
- Free self-hosted Community Edition with no execution limits
Choose Relevance AI if…
- You need building teams of AI agents for sales, GTM and operations work
- You're one of: sales and gtm teams, revops and marketing ops, companies piloting ai agent workforces
- You want something quicker to learn
- Multi-agent Workforce canvas for chaining specialised agents
At a glance
| n8n | Relevance AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run | Building teams of AI agents for sales, GTM and operations work |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From €20/mo | From $19/mo |
| Learning curve | High | Medium |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, API | Web, API |
| Ideal for | Developers and technical ops teams, Companies with data residency requirements, Teams building LLM agents, High-volume automation users | Sales and GTM teams, RevOps and marketing ops, Companies piloting AI agent workforces, Agencies building agents for clients |
Feature comparison
| n8n | Relevance AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow builder | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations, approx. | 400+ native nodes | 2,000+ |
| AI agents | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No |
| Custom code steps | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Human approval steps | Yes | Yes |
| Billed per | Execution (per workflow run) | Action + vendor credits |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| n8n | Relevance AI | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | — | Enterprise plan |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | — | — |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | — |
| Data residency options | — | US, EU/UK, Australia |
| No training on your data | — | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, self-hosted | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
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
Relevance AI
Relevance AI is a no-code platform for building AI agents and multi-agent Workforces that use custom tools, knowledge and integrations to complete business tasks. Agents can run as chat assistants in Slack or Teams or autonomously on schedules and triggers, with configurable approval and escalation rules. Usage is billed through Actions (agent tool runs) plus Vendor Credits for model costs, with bring-your-own-key available on paid plans.
Key features- Agent builder with configurable autonomy levels
- Workforce canvas for multi-agent pipelines
- Tool builder with no-code and code steps
- Approvals and escalations for agent actions
- 2,000+ integrations
- Calling and meeting agents on Enterprise
Pricing
n8n
Free self-hosted Community Edition + cloud free trial; Cloud Starter from EUR 20/mo
Relevance AI
Free plan (200 actions/mo); Pro from $19/mo annual ($29 monthly)
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
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.
Relevance AI
Strengths- Multi-agent Workforce canvas for chaining specialised agents
- Fine-grained approval rules per agent and action
- Model costs passed through at cost, or bring your own API keys
- Strong templates for sales and GTM use cases
- Two separate usage meters (Actions and Vendor Credits) make costs harder to predict
- Meaningful setups need upfront integration and policy work
- Advanced custom behaviours can still require engineering help
- No self-hosting option
Not ideal for: Teams that only need simple app-to-app automations will find Zapier or Make cheaper and quicker to set up.
Integrations
n8n
Relevance AI
FAQ
What is the main difference between n8n and Relevance AI?
n8n is built for technical teams wanting self-hostable automation and AI agents billed per workflow run; Relevance AI is built for building teams of AI agents for sales, GTM and operations work. Key differences: n8n offers self-hosting.
Is n8n or Relevance AI cheaper?
n8n starts from €20/mo and Relevance AI starts from $19/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do n8n and Relevance AI have free plans?
Both n8n and Relevance AI offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, n8n or Relevance AI?
Relevance AI is generally quicker to learn (n8n: high, Relevance AI: medium learning curve).
What are good alternatives to n8n and Relevance AI?
Other automation tools worth comparing include Make, Gumloop and Lindy.
