Windmill vs n8n

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Updated October 2026

Windmill

Windmill Labs

Code-first orchestration platform for internal software

Open Source

86% verification coverage

n8n

n8n GmbH

AI Workflow Automation Platform

Freemium

81% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

Windmill

Users:1K-10K

Customers (per vendor):Zoom, Kahoot, Investing.com +7

GDPR

SOC 2

HIPAA

n8n

Uptime:99.99%Status page

Users:100K-1M

Customers (per vendor):Vodafone, Huel, Musixmatch +7

GDPR

SOC 2

Overall Winner: Windmill

8.0/10 vs n8n at 7.3/10

Leads in:

Compliance & Data Protection

Performance

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

AI Comparison Summary

Windmill

8.0

avg score

n8n

7.3

avg score

Windmill leads overall — particularly in Performance.

Based on 7 dimensions

Scores are AI-estimated from publicly available data — not an independent test or a verified user rating. How we rank →

Overall Winner

Windmill

8.0 / 10

Windmill

Best For

Engineers seeking full code flexibility and control over infrastructure

Teams building and collaborating on internal software

Organizations needing to automate business-critical tasks and automations

Companies requiring self-hostable orchestration for data pipelines and AI workflows

n8n

Best For

Technical teams building AI agents and workflows

Developers needing flexible automation with code access

Organizations with strict security and compliance requirements

Small teams running automations in production

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

Windmill is best for

🎧Customer Support8.0🤖Automation & Agents7.2✍️Writing & Content6.0

n8n is best for

🤖Automation & Agents7.9🎧Customer Support7.0📊Data & Analytics5.4

Filter by your use case:

Limitations

Windmill

Cons

Free and Open-source tier has a 10 GiB workspace object storage quota
Free and Open-source tier limits email triggers to 100 emails per day
Free and Open-source tier does not include Oracle DB and MS SQL runtimes
Free and Open-source tier lacks advanced observability features like audit logs and unlimited job run retention
Free and Open-source tier does not support SAML & SCIM for SSO

n8n

Cons

Telemetry cannot be switched off on n8n Cloud
Business plan is currently only available for self-hosted n8n
Free trial of n8n Cloud has limits on executions, concurrent executions, and execution timeout
Assistant credits are consumed as used and unused credits do not roll
Overage charges may apply if workflow execution quota is exceeded

Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5

Customization5

Support5

Integration5

Compliance & Data Protection5

Performance5

Planning Quality5

Dimension Comparison

Windmill

8.0

/ 10

Your pick

n8n

7.3

/ 10

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

How intuitive is onboarding, UI navigation, and day-to-day usage for the target audience?

Windmill

3.0

n8n

3.0

Customization

Calculated

How much can users tailor workflows, settings, prompts, or outputs to their needs?

Windmill

10.0

n8n

10.0

Support

How strong is the documentation, customer support, community, and learning resources?

Windmill

10.0

n8n

10.0

Integration

Calculated

How well does it connect with other tools, APIs, and workflows?

Windmill

9.0

n8n

9.0

Compliance & Data Protection

Calculated

Compliance certifications and data-protection posture, counted from ten verified signals: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance, HIPAA, WCAG AA/AAA, PII redaction, licensed-only training, a published sub-processor list, a downloadable DPA, not training on user data, and a documented deletion path

Windmill

8.0▲ +1.0

n8n

7.0

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

Windmill

8.0▲ +3.0

n8n

5.0

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

Windmill

—

n8n

—

Calculated = derived from structured signals (integration count, API/open-source config, compliance certs, response-time). AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

Windmill

Task

n8n

9.0

Workflow Building

10.0

Trigger Variety

9.0

8.0

Action Library

9.0

Error Handling

8.0

9.0

Scheduling Capability

8.0

9.0

Conditional Logic

9.0

Api Connectivity

10.0

9.0

Monitoring Logging

8.0

9.0

Multi Step Chains

10.0

7.0

Autonomous Execution

8.0

Log Analysis

6.0

5.0

Agent Coordination

7.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Windmill or n8n?

Both are strong options. Windmill is a strong choice, while n8n is a strong choice. The best choice depends on your specific use case, budget, and workflow requirements.

Is Windmill cheaper than n8n?

Windmill starts at free (open_source model). n8n starts at free (freemium model) with a free trial. Use the Cost Calculator above for a detailed estimate.

What are the main differences between Windmill and n8n?

Windmill — "Code-first orchestration platform for internal software". n8n — "AI Workflow Automation Platform". Key differences include their pricing models, platform support, integrations, and technical capabilities. See the Feature Comparison table above for a complete side-by-side breakdown.

Can I use Windmill and n8n together?

Yes, many teams use both tools together for different purposes. Use the Stack Builder section above to combine Windmill and n8n with other tools and save your AI toolkit.

Does Windmill or n8n have a free plan?

Windmill is a paid tool. n8n is available for free with a free trial. Always verify current pricing directly with the vendor.

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