It’s incredible how fast this space is growing. I mean, look how fast n8n has grown:

Nearly doubling in traffic every month!

While popular, you’re most likely reading this because you’re looking for a great n8n alternative. And maybe not even great, but better.

Don’t get me wrong, n8n is great and has a lot of technical use cases. But that’s exactly what it is: technical. It’s not the most intuitive when it comes to UI and getting started with.

I’ve been using and testing a bunch of different AI agent platforms and automation tools for the past couple of years. And I’ve put together a list of the ones I believe are specifically the best alternatives to n8n.

But before we jump into the best alternatives, let’s first go over what you should be looking for when you’re window-shopping (it can get crazy out there).

What to look for in an n8n alternative?

When looking for an alternative to n8n, it’s important to know how to evaluate the other tools out there. Maybe you want to find an alternative simply because of the price. Or maybe it’s the UI. Whatever it is, you want to make sure that just because some alternatives look pretty, it doesn’t mean they have the functionality you need.

Here are a few things you should consider when looking for an n8n alternative:

• How easy it is to use: n8n is powerful but can feel a bit technical, especially if you're not used to flow-based builders. A good alternative should let you build fast without needing a CS degree.
• Integrated LLM features: If you want to connect GPT-style models or automate AI tasks (like summarizing, generating copy, etc.), look for tools that support this out of the box, not just API integration workarounds.
• Templates or prebuilt flows: Look for platforms that give you a head start with templates for sales, content, ops, recruiting, etc.
• Visual workflow builder: One of n8n’s best features is its visual builder. Alternatives should let you clearly see and edit your logic without digging through tabs or nested menus.
• Integrations (and how they’re handled): It’s not just about the number of integrations, but also how deep they go. Can you do advanced stuff with Gmail? Does it support pagination in API calls? OAuth? Webhooks?
• Error handling + debugging: Can you easily see where a workflow failed and why? Debugging matters more than people think, especially once automations are live and running.
• Team features & scalability: If you're working with a team, look for role-based permissions, audit logs, shared folders, and scalability. Some tools are solo-operator friendly, others are better for teams.
• Hosted vs. self-hosted: n8n has a big draw in being self-hostable. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, make sure the alternative either supports it or has good privacy + compliance standards.
• Pricing at scale: Some platforms get really expensive fast. Make sure to check task limits and pricing tiers if you plan to run a lot of flows.

While we can get into all the nitty-gritty of other things to look out for, these are the core ones. I went through some of my favorite n8n alternatives that cover these. So I’m going to stop rambling and let’s just get to it.

Editor's note: Not every n8n alternative will tick all these boxes, so it really depends on what you need. I included a mix of tools below that range from AI-first assistants to visual builders that feel like upgraded versions of Zapier.

7 best n8n alternatives and competitors in 2025

Here are my top picks for the best n8n alternatives:

1. Gumloop (best for LLM automations)
2. Zapier (best for API automations)
3. IFTTT (best for personal automations)
4. Lindy (best for email automations)
5. Make (best for smaller budgets)
6. Relay (best for simple automations)
7. Integrately (best for ecommerce automations)

Alright, let’s check out each of these.

1. Gumloop

• Best for: Connecting LLMs to your tech stack
• Pricing: Includes a free plan, then $97/month (20% off with code MARKETERMILK)

First up is one of my favorite AI automation tools right now — Gumloop. It’s like giving your existing tools the power to automate any task by integrating it with an LLM (think ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, or whatever).

It’s especially useful if you’re running a startup or a lean team. You don’t need an engineer every time you want to connect two tools or automate a process. Gumloop lets you string together actions using prebuilt templates or build your own flows from scratch. You can use it to build scrapers, automate content, handle internal ops, or even power your sales and recruiting workflows.

Pros and cons of Gumloop

Here are some of the pros and cons I’ve found with Gumloop:

Pros:

• Integrates with any LLM model (without the need for you to connect an account or API).
• Includes lots of pre–built templates, but you can also ask Gummie (their in-product chatbot) to help you build any flow.
• Secure and scalable for larger teams and enterprises.
• It has a Slack community where users can ask questions and get feedback quickly.

Cons:

• It’s still a relatively new tool, so there might be some UI quirks or bugs.
• Not super cheap for freelancers or solopreneurs.
• Might require some trial and error when creating complex workflows.

If you want to dive deeper into the pros and cons of Gumloop (and how it compares to n8n), you can check out this Gumloop vs n8n article I wrote.

Gumloop ratings and reviews

I already wrote a Gumloop review. But here is what other users rate the platform:

• Product Hunt: 5/5 star rating (from +6 reviews)
• There’s an AI for that: 5/5 star rating (from +1 review)

Gumloop did not pay me to mention them, I personally use them and they gave me a coupon code for my readers: 20% off with code MARKETERMILK.

2. Zapier

• Best for: Automating between software APIs (connect software together)
• Pricing: Includes a free plan, then starts at $29.99/month

Zapier is the OG when it comes to no-code automation. It’s probably the first tool you heard about if you ever googled “how to automate [literally anything].”

You can use it to connect pretty much any two tools on the internet — from Slack and Google Sheets to Salesforce and HubSpot. It doesn’t have the same AI-native approach as tools like Gumloop or n8n, but if you just need to move data between apps or trigger workflows on certain events, Zapier’s solid.

It’s especially useful if you’re looking for stability and a huge list of integrations. And because it’s been around forever, there’s a ton of community tutorials and support out there.

It’s a great tool, and I’ve been paying for my subscription for well over three years now. It’s safe to say Zapier has made a lot of money off of me.

Pros and cons of Zapier

Here are the pros and cons of using Zapier:

Pros:

• Integrates with basically everything (6,000+ apps and counting).
• Tons of step-by-step templates to help you get started fast.
• Great for solo founders, marketers, and ops teams.
• Battle-tested and reliable for mission-critical workflows.

Cons:

• Can get expensive fast if you’re running multiple Zaps with lots of tasks.
• The UI feels a little dated and slow compared to newer tools.
• Doesn’t natively support complex logic or AI-driven flows (unless you do some heavy workaround stuff).
• Sometimes breaks silently, and it’s not always clear why a Zap didn’t run.

Zapier ratings and reviews

Here’s what customers or Zapier rate the platform on third-party review sites:

• G2: 4.5/5 star rating (from +1,341 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 star rating (from +2,984 reviews)

3. IFTTT

• Best for: Personal automations (if this, then that)
• Pricing: Has a free plan, paid plans start at $2.99/month

IFTTT (short for If This Then That) is the first automation tool I learned about. It’s like a barebones version of Zapier. It’s been around forever and was originally built more for personal use, like “if I post on Instagram, then save the photo to Dropbox.”

Over the years, it’s expanded a bit into business and productivity automations, but it still feels more like a consumer tool. But if you’re looking for basic app-to-app connections or smart home automations, IFTTT is one of the easiest tools to use.

It’s probably not the best fit for complex workflows or scaling businesses, but if you want to quickly connect two services for personal use, it gets the job done.

Pros and cons of IFTTT

Here are some of the pros and cons I’ve found with IFTTT:

Pros:

• Super simple to use, great if you’re new to automation.
• Has a mobile app that makes setting up automations quick and easy.
• Works well for connecting personal tools and smart devices.
• One of the most affordable options out there.

Cons:

• It can be limited when it comes to advanced logic, branching, or multi-step flows.
• Smaller library of integrations compared to Zapier or n8n.
• Not ideal for business use or complex team workflows.
• UI feels dated and hasn’t evolved much in recent years.

IFTTT ratings and reviews

Here’s what customers or IFTTT rate the platform on third-party review sites:

• G2: 4.6/5 star rating (from +111 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.6/5 star rating (from +218 reviews)

4. Lindy

• Best for: Email automations for sales teams
• Pricing: Includes a free plan, then starts at $49.99/month

Similar to Gumloop, Lindy is like having your own AI executive assistant. It’s designed to handle tasks across your calendar, email, docs, and even apps like Notion or Salesforce.

Instead of setting up triggers and actions like Zapier or n8n, you just tell Lindy what you want done. For example: “Schedule a meeting with John next week and send him the doc we discussed.” Lindy will actually do it. Just like Gumloop, the idea is that you talk to it like a teammate, and it figures out how to get things done behind the scenes.

The product is still very new (as with most in this space), but the vision is super promising.

Pros and cons of Lindy

Here are some of the pros and cons I’ve found with Lindy:

Pros:

• Natural language commands make it feel like a real assistant.
• Can handle multi-step tasks across apps without complex setup.
• Great UI. Clean, fast, and feels like the future.
• Constantly improving with new features and integrations.

Cons:

• Still in early stages, so integrations are limited (for now).
• You’ll need to trust it with access to your email, calendar, and other tools.
• Works best with clear instructions. It’s smart, but not magic (yet).

Lindy ratings and reviews

Here’s what customers or Lindy rate the platform on third-party review sites:

• G2: 5/5 star rating (from +1 review)
• Capterra: 3.5/5 star rating (from +2 reviews)

5. Make

• Best for: Small startups with small budgets
• Pricing: Includes free plan, then starts at $10.59/month

Make (formerly Integromat) is what you get when Zapier and a flowchart have a baby. It gives you a super visual way to build automations, where you can drag, drop, and connect tools together in a kind of mind map view.

Compared to Zapier or IFTTT, Make is a lot more customizable. You can add filters, conditional logic, error handling, and even run scripts if you want. It’s great if you’re a power user or want more control over complex workflows, especially for admin tasks, data syncing, or multi-step processes.

That said, the learning curve is a bit steeper. But once you get the hang of it, Make can do some seriously powerful stuff.

Pros and cons of Make

Here are some of the pros and cons I’ve found with Make:

Pros:

• The visual editor makes it easy to understand and debug complex workflows.
• Supports advanced logic, routers, and multiple branching paths.
• Cheaper than Zapier for higher task volume.
• Great for ops, devs, and technical marketers.

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve compared to tools like Zapier or IFTTT.
• Some parts of the UI feel a little clunky or overwhelming at first.
• Might be overkill if you just need simple automations.
• Requires a bit more time and setup to get right.

Make ratings and reviews

Here’s what customers or Make rate the platform on third-party review sites:

• G2: 4.7/5 star rating (from +231 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 star rating (from +396 reviews)

6. Relay

• Best for: Creating simple automations for your team
• Pricing: Includes a free plan, then starts at $23.75/month

Relay is another automation tool, but it has such a clean interface that it feels like a mix between Notion and Zapier. Instead of just setting up triggers and actions, you create relays — shared workflows that teammates can follow, collaborate on, and run together.

It’s really good if you have recurring processes (like onboarding, weekly reporting, or campaign launches) that involve more than one person. You can assign steps, add approvals, loop in stakeholders, and even automate parts of the flow with AI or integrations.

It feels less like a “bot builder” and more like a modern command center for creating AI agents across your tech stack.

Pros and cons of Relay

Here are some of the pros and cons I’ve found with Relay:

Pros:

• Built for teams. Great for async workflows and collaborative processes.
• Mixes manual steps (like approvals) with automated ones.
• Clean, modern UI that’s easy to use and onboard others.
• Includes AI features and integrates with tools like Slack, Notion, Google Sheets, and more.

Cons:

• Not as flexible for deep custom automations (like scrapers or external API chaining).
• Still an early product, so the number of integrations is limited compared to Zapier or Make.
• Works best when everyone on the team is using it. Less useful for solo workflows.
• Naming your workflows “relays” takes a second to get used to 😅

Relay ratings and reviews

Here’s what customers or Relay rate the platform on third-party review sites:

• G2: 4.9/5 star rating (from +65 reviews)
• Capterra: 5/5 star rating (from +1 review)

7. Integrately

• Best for: Creating ecommerce automations
• Pricing: Includes a free plan, then starts at $29.99/month

Integrately is kind of like Zapier’s more affordable sibling, but with a bigger focus on ecommerce workflows. The main pitch is that you can set up automations in just one click thanks to its massive library of pre-made workflows.

So instead of building something from scratch, you just search for the two tools you want to connect (like “Shopify + Airtable”), and chances are there’s already a handful of automation templates ready to go.

It’s super beginner-friendly and works well if you want to quickly connect apps without dealing with conditional logic, routers, or flowcharts.

Pros and cons of Integrately

Pros:

• Huge library of 1-click automation templates.
• Much cheaper than Zapier at higher task volumes.
• Great for non-technical users or those new to automation.
• Clean UI and easy setup process.

Cons:

• Not as flexible for advanced or multi-step workflows.
• Limited support for complex conditions or error handling.
• Smaller integration ecosystem than Zapier or Make.
• Some automations can feel a bit rigid without much customization.

Integrately ratings and reviews

Here’s what customers or Integrately rate the platform on third-party review sites:

• G2: 4.7/5 star rating (from +671 reviews)
• Capterra: 4.1/5 star rating (from +319 reviews)

Is there a free alternative to n8n?

Yes, there are several free alternatives to n8n that have powerful automation features without the steep learning curve. Tools like Zapier, Make, and Integrately all have free plans, but they tend to come with task limits or fewer features unless you upgrade.

However, one of the most exciting (and free-to-start) options right now is Gumloop. It’s built for tech-enabled teams that want to connect large language models (like ChatGPT) to their workflows — without needing a developer. With Gumloop, you can automate internal tasks, scrape web data, create content workflows, and more, all using a visual builder and AI-powered chatbot to guide you through each workflow setup.

So if you're looking for a free alternative to n8n that’s actually built for 2025 and beyond, Gumloop is definitely worth checking out. And no, they didn’t pay me to say that, I just personally use it and only like recommending tools I actually use.

Happy automating!