Free · Agents & automation · 9 of 9 tools · updated Oct 17, 2026
Free AI tools for AI workflow automation
n8n is the strongest tool for AI workflow automation you can use without paying, at 100/100. What you get for nothing: Self-host free; Cloud from about $24/mo. 9 of the 9 tools tracked for this job have a free tier, an open-source licence, or are free outright. It is also the top-ranked tool for this job overall, free or not.
Same evidence score as the ranking — GitHub stars, Hacker News mentions, release activity, free access — recomputed nightly, never sold. See all 9 tools for AI workflow automation.
Top 3
evidence / 100
+ Self-hostable with code nodes and LangChain-based AI nodes at a fraction of Zapier's cost.
− Sustainable Use licence is not OSI open source and the learning curve is steeper than Zapier.
+ Python-native components can be edited inline, so flows are not limited to built-in nodes.
− Several critical security vulnerabilities in 2025 made exposed instances risky.
+ Covers prompt management, knowledge bases, and deployable APIs in one self-hostable app.
− Complex workflows get unwieldy in the visual canvas and version control is weak.
All 9, side by side
| Tool | Score | Pricing | What you get free | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | 100 | Free tier | Self-host free; Cloud from about $24/mo | web, linux, mac, windows |
| Langflow | 98 | Open source | Free self-hosted | web, linux, mac, windows |
| Dify | 96 | Open source | Self-host free; Cloud Professional $59/mo | web, linux |
 Activepieces | 86 | Open source | Self-host free; cloud plans paid | web, linux |
 Make | 44 | Free tier | Core from $9/mo | web |
 Flowise | 42 | Open source | Self-host free; Cloud Starter $35/mo | web, linux |
 Lindy | 14 | Free tier | no limits published | web |
 Gumloop | 9 | Free tier | no limits published | web, chrome-extension |
 Zapier | 8 | Free tier | Professional from $19.99/mo | web |
A free tier counts, and so does an open-source licence you can self-host — both are in the table, so a tool that is only free for a trial is not here.
Head to head: n8n vs Langflow n8n vs Dify Langflow vs Dify