Activepieces alternatives
Short answer
We track 4 self-hosted alternatives to Activepieces: Langflow, n8n, Dify and Sim.
Langflow (ai agent and workflow automation builders): fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) and larger community (156k vs 25.2k GitHub stars).
n8n (same category): larger community (208k vs 25.2k GitHub stars).
Dify (ai agent and workflow automation builders): larger community (159k vs 25.2k GitHub stars).
Last updated · how we rank · sources
Activepieces alternatives compared
| # | App | Advantages over Activepieces | Est. server cost | Official hardware | License | Stars | Last commit | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Activepieces (this app) | Active | not estimated (no official RAM figure) | not published | MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) | 25.2k | Oct 22, 2026 | — |
| 1 | Langflow AI agent and workflow automation builders | fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core); larger community (156k vs 25.2k GitHub stars) | from €11.99/mo | minimum 1 vCPU · 1.5 GB RAM (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM) | MIT | 156k | Oct 21, 2026 | Activepieces vs Langflow |
| 2 | n8n Same category | larger community (208k vs 25.2k GitHub stars) Trade-off: Activepieces has fewer license conditions (Open core vs Source-available) | not estimated (no official RAM figure) | not published | Sustainable Use License (fair-code) + n8n Enterprise License for .ee files | 208k | Oct 22, 2026 | Activepieces vs n8n |
| 3 | Dify AI agent and workflow automation builders | larger community (159k vs 25.2k GitHub stars) Trade-off: Activepieces has fewer license conditions (Open core vs Custom / conditional); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack) | from €19.99/mo | minimum 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM | Dify Open Source License (modified Apache-2.0) | 159k | Oct 22, 2026 | Activepieces vs Dify |
| 4 | Sim AI agent and workflow automation builders | fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) Trade-off: Activepieces has simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack) | from €69.99/mo | minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk) | Apache-2.0 | 29.9k | Oct 22, 2026 | Activepieces vs Sim |
Ranked by the number of objective advantages each alternative has over the app (cheaper estimated server cost, lighter official RAM figure, no GPU needed, fewer license conditions, better maintenance status, at least 1.5× the GitHub stars, simpler deploy). Ties: same-category apps first, then more GitHub stars. License order used: Permissive (MIT/Apache) → Open core → Copyleft (GPL) or Custom conditions → Network copyleft (AGPL) → Source-available. Archived projects are not listed as alternatives.
What each alternative is
- Langflow (AI app & agent builders): Visual builder for AI agents and RAG flows that you can deploy as APIs or MCP servers. Why it is listed: All of them let you build multi-step workflows or agents that call LLMs and expose or connect to other systems.
- n8n (Workflow automation with AI): Workflow automation with 1,500+ integrations and built-in AI agent nodes.
- Dify (AI app & agent builders): Visual platform for building LLM apps, RAG chatbots, agents and workflows. Why it is listed: All of them let you build multi-step workflows or agents that call LLMs and expose or connect to other systems.
- Sim (AI app & agent builders): Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. Why it is listed: All of them let you build multi-step workflows or agents that call LLMs and expose or connect to other systems.
Activepieces alternatives: FAQ
What is the best self-hosted alternative to Activepieces?
By our objective ranking: 1. Langflow (fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core); larger community (156k vs 25.2k GitHub stars)) 2. n8n (larger community (208k vs 25.2k GitHub stars)) 3. Dify (larger community (159k vs 25.2k GitHub stars)). "Best" depends on the features you need; the ranking only counts cost, hardware, license, maintenance, community size and deploy complexity.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Activepieces?
Not by our estimate. Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Alternatives: Langflow (from €11.99/mo), n8n (not estimated (no official RAM figure)), Dify (from €19.99/mo), Sim (from €69.99/mo).
Which Activepieces alternative has the most permissive license?
Langflow: MIT (Permissive); Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Activepieces is MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). Not legal advice.
Which SaaS products does Activepieces replace?
In our mapping, Activepieces is a self-hosted alternative to Zapier and Make, with gaps listed on each comparison page.
Related
Sources
- Activepieces GitHub repository: github.com/activepieces/activepieces
- Activepieces documentation, Activepieces hardware requirements, Activepieces deploy instructions: www.activepieces.com/docs/install/options/docker
- Activepieces license: github.com/activepieces/activepieces/blob/main/LICENSE
- Langflow GitHub repository: github.com/langflow-ai/langflow
- n8n GitHub repository: github.com/n8n-io/n8n
- Dify GitHub repository: github.com/langgenius/dify
- Sim GitHub repository: github.com/simstudioai/sim
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub stars and commits: GitHub REST API, refreshed daily