Open-source n8n alternative FAQ
n8n runs the flows you drew on its canvas; for the work a flowchart cannot finish, the open-source n8n alternative is Kortix. An agent plans its own steps, works on its own machine, and lands a change request you review. n8n keeps its place for fixed, repeated flows.
One repo, one session, one change request
How a Kortix project and a session fit together.
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System.Your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors live in one git repo you own,and each session runs on its own cloud computer. Each agent works inside your own git repo. A session runs an agent in anisolated sandbox, on its own branch. When the work is ready, the agent opensa change request. You review it and merge it to the default branch. project (git repo + kortix.yaml) └─ session ──> isolated sandbox on branch "<uuid>" └─ agent commits + pushes └─ change request ──> merge ──> default branchThe project and session shape, quoted from the Kortix docs.
Open-source n8n alternative FAQ
For open-ended agent work, Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, skills, company memory and connectors live in one git repo you own. One isolated sandbox per session. The open-source n8n alternative page explains the fit, and the n8n alternatives guide compares the rest of the field.
Yes. Self-host is free, and Kortix Cloud’s free tier is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project; the team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled (pricing on Kortix, checked October 2026). n8n’s self-hosted Community edition is also free to run, and n8n does not call itself open source (n8n docs).
Yes. Kortix runs as one Docker Compose stack: install the CLI with curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash, then kortix self-host start. Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network (Read the docs).
No. n8n builds AI workflows from agents, tools, memory and MCP servers (n8n AI docs). Its strength is automation whose steps are fixed in advance, where an AI agent is one node inside a workflow you drew. Work where the agent chooses its own next step on its own machine is a different job, and that is what Kortix is built for.
For open-ended work, yes: hand Kortix a job and an agent plans the steps, uses your tools, and opens a change request you review. Session work reaches main through a change request, and cron or signed webhook triggers start sessions with nobody present. For flows that repeat the same steps, keep n8n; the migration guide maps a drawn workflow onto agents, connectors and triggers, and Kortix has the full head-to-head.
Kortix connects to 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. That reaches the systems a typical n8n workflow touches, so the tools usually carry over when you move a job across. n8n’s own repository counts 1,500+ integrations and 9,000+ workflow templates (n8n on GitHub, checked October 2026).
Install the CLI with curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash, scaffold a project with kortix init my-first-project, ship it with kortix ship, then review and merge the agent’s first change request with kortix cr ls and kortix cr merge 1. Kortix runs on macOS and Linux; there is no Windows binary yet (checked October 2026). Or sign up at Kortix and start a session with nothing to install.
Yes. Open source. Read it, fork it, audit it. The source is at Kortix on GitHub, with 20,000+ GitHub stars (checked October 2026).
Hand Kortix the work a flowchart cannot finish.
Open-source Kortix, self-hosted or on Kortix Cloud.
Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem