Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apache Airflow VS n8n.io

Compare Apache Airflow VS n8n.io and see what are their differences

Apache Airflow logo Apache Airflow

Airflow is a platform to programmaticaly author, schedule and monitor data pipelines.

n8n.io logo n8n.io

Free and open fair-code licensed node based Workflow Automation Tool. Easily automate tasks across different services.
  • Apache Airflow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-17
  • n8n.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-06-26

n8n.io

Website
n8n.io
$ Details
freemium $20.0 / Monthly
Platforms
Browser TypeScript JavaScript Web Linux Docker Windows Mac OSX
Release Date
2019 January
Startup details
Country
Germany
State
Berlin
City
Berlin
Employees
10 - 19

Apache Airflow features and specs

  • Scalability
    Apache Airflow can scale horizontally, allowing it to handle large volumes of tasks and workflows by distributing the workload across multiple worker nodes.
  • Extensibility
    It supports custom plugins and operators, making it highly customizable to fit various use cases. Users can define their own tasks, sensors, and hooks.
  • Visualization
    Airflow provides an intuitive web interface for monitoring and managing workflows. The interface allows users to visualize DAGs, track task statuses, and debug failures.
  • Flexibility
    Workflows are defined using Python code, which offers a high degree of flexibility and programmatic control over the tasks and their dependencies.
  • Integrations
    Airflow has built-in integrations with a wide range of tools and services such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Apache Hadoop, making it easier to connect to external systems.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Airflow

  • Complexity
    Setting up and configuring Apache Airflow can be complex, particularly for new users. It requires careful management of infrastructure components like databases and web servers.
  • Resource Intensive
    Airflow can be resource-heavy in terms of both memory and CPU usage, especially when dealing with a large number of tasks and DAGs.
  • Learning Curve
    The learning curve can be steep for users who are not familiar with Python or the underlying concepts of workflow management.
  • Limited Real-Time Processing
    Airflow is better suited for batch processing and scheduled tasks rather than real-time event-based processing.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing task dependencies in complex DAGs can become cumbersome and may lead to configuration errors if not properly handled.

n8n.io features and specs

  • Open Source
    n8n.io is open-source, allowing users to modify and extend the platform as needed. This ensures transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Flexibility
    The platform provides a high degree of flexibility, supporting a wide range of automation scenarios and custom workflow configurations.
  • Extensive Integrations
    n8n.io supports many third-party integrations, making it easy to connect various applications and services in workflows.
  • Self-hosting Option
    Users can choose to self-host n8n.io, which provides greater control over data security and privacy.
  • Visual Interface
    The visual workflow builder makes it easy for users to design and manage workflows without needing extensive coding knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of n8n.io

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its flexibility and range of features, n8n.io can have a steeper learning curve for beginners compared to more straightforward automation tools.
  • Performance
    Performance can be an issue for complex workflows or high-volume operations, especially when self-hosted on basic infrastructure.
  • Documentation
    While improving, documentation can sometimes be lacking or not comprehensive, making it challenging for new users to find necessary information.
  • Limited Support
    As an open-source project, professional support may be limited compared to commercial automation platforms, which might offer more robust support options.
  • Cost for Cloud Hosting
    n8n.io offers a cloud-hosted version with a subscription fee, which could be a downside for users looking for a completely free solution.

Apache Airflow videos

Airflow Tutorial for Beginners - Full Course in 2 Hours 2022

n8n.io videos

n8n.io - Typeform to Google Sheet and Slack or Email

More videos:

  • Review - n8n.cloud | Powerful workflow automation tool
  • Review - n8n.io - Slack Notification on Github Star
  • Review - Get started with n8n.cloud (Part 1)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apache Airflow and n8n.io)
Workflow Automation
58 58%
42% 42
Automation
35 35%
65% 65
Web Service Automation
33 33%
67% 67
Workflows
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apache Airflow and n8n.io

Apache Airflow Reviews

5 Airflow Alternatives for Data Orchestration
While Apache Airflow continues to be a popular tool for data orchestration, the alternatives presented here offer a range of features and benefits that may better suit certain projects or team preferences. Whether you prioritize simplicity, code-centric design, or the integration of machine learning workflows, there is likely an alternative that meets your needs. By...
Top 8 Apache Airflow Alternatives in 2024
Apache Airflow is a workflow streamlining solution aiming at accelerating routine procedures. This article provides a detailed description of Apache Airflow as one of the most popular automation solutions. It also presents and compares alternatives to Airflow, their characteristic features, and recommended application areas. Based on that, each business could decide which...
Source: blog.skyvia.com
10 Best Airflow Alternatives for 2024
In a nutshell, you gained a basic understanding of Apache Airflow and its powerful features. On the other hand, you understood some of the limitations and disadvantages of Apache Airflow. Hence, this article helped you explore the best Apache Airflow Alternatives available in the market. So, you can try hands-on on these Airflow Alternatives and select the best according to...
Source: hevodata.com
A List of The 16 Best ETL Tools And Why To Choose Them
Apache Airflow is an open-source platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. The platform features a web-based user interface and a command-line interface for managing and triggering workflows.
15 Best ETL Tools in 2022 (A Complete Updated List)
Apache Airflow programmatically creates, schedules and monitors workflows. It can also modify the scheduler to run the jobs as and when required.

n8n.io Reviews

13 data integration tools: a comparative analysis of the top solutions
A standout feature of n8n is the self-hosted mode (even on a free tier!), which allows data ownership and control. For those who value data ownership and want to avoid high-cost operations, n8n is certainly a worthy consideration.
Source: blog.n8n.io
10 n8n.io Alternatives
n8n.io is a sleek and simple workflow automation platform that never indulges you in unnecessary things and boosts your productivity while letting you focus only on productive things. Some of its super reliable functions are free and open-source, fair code license, easily extendable, and extreme data safety and security. Get on n8n.io – Automate without Limits Tool to know...
15 Great Zapier Alternatives to Automate your Workflows
N8n caters to more tech savvy users, and lacks the customer support that many of the other alternatives offer. But, if you’re willing to learn and do the leg work yourself, N8n offers a large range of possibilities without costing a cent.
Source: paperform.co
7 Zapier Alternatives for Workflow Automation Worth Considering in 2022
N8n.io is an excellent choice for businesses that save time when syncing data between apps and databases. It is free and open-source to use, whether for individual or business purposes, making it attractive for those that want complete control of the automation processes.
Source: teckers.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, n8n.io should be more popular than Apache Airflow. It has been mentiond 174 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apache Airflow mentions (71)

  • Data Engineering with DLT and REST
    This article demonstrates how to work with near real-time and historical data using the dlt package. Whether you need to scale data access across the enterprise or provide historical data for post-event analysis, you can use the same framework to provide customer data. In a future article, I'll demonstrate how to use dlt with a workflow orchestrator such as Apache Airflow or Dagster.``. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Data on Kubernetes: Part 3 - Managing Workflows with Job Schedulers and Batch-Oriented Workflow Orchestrators
    There are several tools available that can help manage these workflows. Apache Airflow is a platform designed to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Apache Doris Job Scheduler for Task Automation
    Job scheduling is an important part of data management as it enables regular data updates and cleanups. In a data platform, it is often undertaken by workflow orchestration tools like Apache Airflow and Apache Dolphinscheduler. However, adding another component to the data architecture also means investing extra resources for management and maintenance. That's why Apache Doris 2.1.0 introduces a built-in Job... - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • How I've implemented the Medallion architecture using Apache Spark and Apache Hdoop
    Instead of the custom orchestrator I used, a proper orchestration tool should replace it like Apache Airflow, Dagster, ..., etc. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • 10 Open Source Tools for Building MLOps Pipelines
    An integral part of an ML project is data acquisition and data transformation into the required format. This involves creating ETL (extract, transform, load) pipelines and running them periodically. Airflow is an open source platform that helps engineers create and manage complex data pipelines. Furthermore, the support for Python programming language makes it easy for ML teams to adopt Airflow. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
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n8n.io mentions (174)

  • Building a Twitter AI Agent with n8n, FastAPI, and Tweepy
    n8n installed: You can use n8n Cloud or self-host it. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • 5 Best Tools for Building Workflow Automation
    n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool designed to help users achieve automated data processing and workflow management. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: Consolidated Notifications from Various Services
    Perhaps you're looking for a integration service like n8n[0], Zapier[1] or IFTTT[2]? [0] - https://n8n.io [1] - https://zapier.com [2] - https://ifttt.com. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Top 15 Open-Source Low-Code Projects with the Most GitHub Stars
    GitHub Https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n GitHub Stars 42.7k Most Recent Update on GitHub Within one day Open Source License Sustainable Use License Number of Active Contributors This Year 30 Acceptance of External PRs Yes Official Website Https://n8n.io/ Documentation Https://docs.n8n.io/. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Ask HN: AI hackday at work – what shall I work on?
    Bit of a controversial opinion (since we are on a programmer's forum) but if you just want to soley focus on the "AI" part and not get bogged down by the code, use a no-code tool like flowise (https://flowiseai.com/). You will create 100x more successful "showcase-able" AI experiments in the same time it'll take to spin up one from scratch - and guaranteed to have a lot more fun doing so! Some inspiration here:... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apache Airflow and n8n.io, you can also consider the following products

Make.com - Tool for workflow automation (Former Integromat)

Zapier - Connect the apps you use everyday to automate your work and be more productive. 1000+ apps and easy integrations - get started in minutes.

ifttt - IFTTT puts the internet to work for you. Create simple connections between the products you use every day.

Microsoft Power Automate - Microsoft Power Automate is an automation platform that integrates DPA, RPA, and process mining. It lets you automate your organization at scale using low-code and AI.

Pipefy - Pipefy is a process management software that empowers anyone to create and automate efficient workflows on their own without code.

Pushwoosh - Mobile-inspired customer engagement platform for high achievers