What is the main difference between n8n and Windmill?

n8n and Windmill are both workflow automation tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: n8n or Windmill?

The choice between n8n and Windmill depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from n8n to Windmill?

Migration between n8n and Windmill is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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n8n vs Windmill

Learn how n8n and Windmill differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these workflow automation tools is best for you.

n8n

Build automated workflows connecting 500+ apps, write custom code, and deploy AI agents with full visibility into every decision. Self-hostable or cloud.

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205,908stars+3,397(+1.7%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
11 hours ago
Repository age
7 years
Version
2.40.7
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
n8n-io/n8n

Windmill

Powerful, self-hosted platform for building and running workflows, scripts, and apps with code-first approach and collaborative features.

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18,030stars+343(+1.9%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
11 hours ago
Repository age
4 years
Version
v1.817.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
windmill-labs/windmill

Detailed Comparison

Both n8n and Windmill have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity and features when making your decision.

n8n wins

Community & Popularity

n8n significantly outpaces Windmill in community adoption with 205,908 stars compared to 18,030 stars on GitHub. This 11.4x difference suggests n8n has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, n8n has 60,881 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Windmill wins

Growth Momentum

Windmill is growing faster, adding 343 stars in the last 30 days (+1.9%) against adding 3,397 stars for n8n (+1.7%). Windmill is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with n8n last updated 11 hours ago and Windmill 11 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: n8n uses SCSS, Vue while Windmill leverages Python, Golang, Rust, C, Objective-C, SvelteKit.

n8n wins

Project Maturity

n8n has been in development longer, starting 7 years ago, compared to Windmill which began 4 years ago. This 2.9-year head start suggests n8n may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Workflow Automation. However, they also have distinct specializations: n8n also focuses on Low-Code/No-Code while Windmill extends into PaaS & Deployment Tools.

Comparable