n8n

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform that lets developers and technical teams connect any API, database, or service using a visual node-based editor. Unlike Zapier or Make which are fully hosted SaaS products, n8n can be self-hosted on your own server for zero cost and unlimited workflow executions — making it the preferred choice for teams with privacy requirements or high automation volumes.

The node library includes 400+ integrations covering all major services: OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Slack, Notion, Airtable, PostgreSQL, HTTP requests, and much more. Building AI pipelines is a first-class use case — you can chain LLM calls, add conditional logic based on model output, store results in a database, and trigger notifications, all in a single visual workflow. The platform also supports complex data transformations using JavaScript expressions within nodes.

The cloud-hosted version (n8n.io) starts at $20/month for small teams, but the self-hosted community edition is free forever with no usage limits. The learning curve is steeper than Make or Zapier — JSON expressions and occasional JavaScript are required for advanced flows — but the flexibility and cost savings at scale are unmatched. n8n has become the default automation backbone for many AI startups building production pipelines.