n8nFreemium
Open-source workflow automation tool with a visual builder — self-host or use their cloud.
Automation comparison
n8n vs UiPath
Pricing, pros, cons, and ideal use cases — side by side.
UiPathPaid
The RPA incumbent turned agentic automation platform — robots, AI agents, document processing, and orchestration under one control plane.
At a glance
| n8n | UiPath | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | FreemiumFree to self-host. Cloud Starter from $20/month. Cloud Pro from $50/month. The vendor's pricing page showed these tiers in euros (20 EUR Starter, 50 EUR Pro, 667 EUR Business, billed annually) when read in early October 2026, so confirm the USD figure at checkout. | PaidAutomation Cloud Basic starts at $25/month with limited scale, European hosting only, and Bronze support. Standard and Enterprise are contact-sales; Standard adds agents, document classification, and process orchestration with no scale limits, and Enterprise adds self-healing UI automation, bring-your-own-model, customer-managed encryption keys, and credential vaults. Test Cloud is licensed separately. Users, robots, and specialised capabilities are purchased on top of every tier. |
| Category | Automation | Automation |
| Ideal for | Tech-savvy SMBsAgenciesSaaSAny business wanting data control | Large enterprises with an existing RPA estateAutomation centres of excellence adding agents to deterministic robotsShared services and back-office operations at scaleRegulated organisations needing credential vaults and audit on automation |
Pros & cons
n8n
Pros
- Open source and self-hostable
- No per-execution pricing
- Custom code nodes
- Active community and integrations
Cons
- Self-hosting requires technical knowledge
- Smaller integration library than Zapier
- UI less polished than commercial alternatives
UiPath
Pros
- Agents inherit mature orchestration, governance, and credential management
- Combines reasoning agents with deterministic robots for the steps that must not vary
- Intelligent document processing is genuinely strong
- Huge partner and implementation ecosystem
- A published entry price exists, unusual at this end of the market
Cons
- Only the limited Basic tier is priced publicly; agents require contact-sales tiers
- RPA maintenance burden is real and agents do not eliminate it
- Users, robots, and capabilities are all separate purchases — the quote gets complex
- Basic is European-region hosting only
- Requires an automation CoE or partner to get value; this is not self-serve
Which should you choose?
n8n is the lighter-weight option (Freemium), while UiPath sits higher on the pricing ladder (Paid). n8n is built around tech-savvy smbs; UiPath leans more toward large enterprises with an existing rpa estate. Shortlist the one whose strengths line up with your biggest constraint.
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