A recipe vs an assistant
You design the steps
You drag nodes onto a canvas and connect them. Every run follows the same path, so results are predictable and easy to audit.
- Hundreds of ready-made app integrations
- Execution history for every run
- AI Agent nodes when a step needs judgment
- Each new kind of task means building a new workflow
The AI decides the steps
You send a message such as "find last month's invoice and email it to Sam". The agent picks its own tools, asks before risky actions, and reports back.
- Handles new requests without building anything
- Lives in WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and more
- Works on files and commands on your own machine
- Less predictable: the same request may take different paths
n8n now has AI agents inside workflows, and OpenClaw has cron jobs and webhooks. Still, n8n is workflow-first with AI added, and OpenClaw is assistant-first with automation added.
Which do you need?
OpenClaw vs n8n comparison
| n8n | OpenClaw | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Visual workflow automation platform with AI nodes | Self-hosted AI assistant that acts for you |
| How you use it | Build workflows on a drag-and-drop canvas | Send messages in chat apps or the Control UI |
| Predictability | Same steps every run, with full execution history | The agent chooses its steps, with approvals for risky ones |
| Flexibility | Handles what you've built a workflow for | Handles new, one-off requests with no building |
| Integrations | Large built-in library (the README says 1,500+), plus HTTP and code nodes | Tools, skills (ClawHub), plugins, browser and shell |
| Chat apps | Via trigger and send nodes you wire up yourself | Built in: 29 channels, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and iMessage |
| Triggers | App events, webhooks, schedules, forms, chat | Messages, cron, webhooks, email (IMAP), hooks |
| AI models | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or open-source models in AI nodes | Any hosted or local model as the main brain |
| Memory | Per workflow, or added with memory nodes | Long-term memory about you, stored as files |
| Teams | Projects, roles, SSO and Git version control on higher plans | Multi-agent setups, aimed at individuals and small groups |
| Hosting | n8n Cloud or self-hosted | Self-hosted only |
| License | Fair-code (Sustainable Use License) | MIT open source |
| Price | Community Edition free. Cloud from €20/month. | Free. You pay for hosting and AI model use. |
Shaded cells mark a clear advantage. n8n figures from its pricing page and GitHub README, checked October 1, 2026.
Which one wins for common jobs
New form submission → enrich → add to CRM → notify sales in Slack. Same steps, thousands of times.
Keep a spreadsheet, database and billing tool in sync on a schedule, with logs for every run.
Read your calendar and inbox, suggest what to move, draft replies and ask before sending.
Message from WhatsApp on the bus: "Find the cheapest direct flight Friday and compare three hotels."
n8n catches each new ticket and calls OpenClaw to read it, check your docs and draft a reply for approval.
Rename, convert and summarize files on your own computer, which cloud workflows can't reach.
More ideas: OpenClaw use cases.
What each one costs
n8n
| Community | Free, self-hosted |
| Starter | €20/month · 2,500 executions |
| Pro | €50/month · 10,000 executions |
| Business | €667/month · 40,000 executions, self-hosted |
| Enterprise | Custom |
Prices billed annually, as shown on n8n.io/pricing (shown in euros there; your currency may differ). Paid plans bill by workflow executions, with unlimited steps per run. AI model costs are extra.
OpenClaw
| Software | $0, MIT open source |
| Hosting | Your computer, or a small VPS |
| AI model | Pay-per-use API, an existing plan, or $0 with local models |
| Limits | No execution caps, only your model's rate limits |
The model is usually the biggest cost, since every agent turn uses tokens. See the full cost breakdown.
Open source vs fair-code
Use, change, sell or build services on it with very few conditions. Keep the copyright notice.
Free to self-host for your own internal business, personal or non-commercial use. You can't, for example, resell n8n as a hosted service without a commercial agreement.
Files marked .ee. in n8n's code fall under a separate Enterprise License and need a paid license.
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Read n8n's LICENSE.md if you plan to offer automation to clients.
Use n8n and OpenClaw together
The strongest setup is often n8n for reliable plumbing and OpenClaw for judgment. Connect them in either direction:
An n8n workflow sends an event to OpenClaw's /hooks/agent webhook. The agent reads it, decides what to do, and replies in your chat app.
Ask OpenClaw to POST to an n8n Webhook node URL, so a chat message can start a proven workflow. Save it as a skill to reuse it.
Use n8n's HTTP Request node with OpenClaw's OpenAI-compatible /v1/chat/completions endpoint and use the answer in the next node.
Details on tokens, endpoints and responses: OpenClaw API guide.
n8n → OpenClaw webhook builder
Settings for n8n's HTTP Request node
Fill in your details. The builder shows the OpenClaw config to turn webhooks on, the HTTP Request node settings, and a curl test.
Store the hook token as an n8n credential (Header Auth), not as plain text in the node. OpenClaw rejects tokens sent in the query string.
Run both on one server
Both run happily on the same VPS or home server. By default they use different ports:
:5678Editor and webhooks:18789Gateway, Control UI and APIdocker volume create n8n_data
docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8nNeither should face the open internet without authentication. Keep OpenClaw on 127.0.0.1 or a tailnet, put n8n behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS, and only expose the webhook paths you need. Guides: OpenClaw on a VPS, OpenClaw with Docker.
OpenClaw vs n8n questions
What is the main difference between OpenClaw and n8n?
n8n runs workflows you design step by step on a visual canvas, so every run follows the same path. OpenClaw is an AI assistant you message, and it decides which tools and steps to use for each request.
Can n8n replace OpenClaw?
Partly. n8n's AI Agent nodes and chat triggers can build an assistant, but you wire up every channel, memory and tool yourself. OpenClaw gives you chat apps, long-term memory and local computer access out of the box.
Can OpenClaw replace n8n?
For personal automation, often yes, using cron jobs, webhooks and skills. For business pipelines that need exact, repeatable runs, execution logs and team permissions, n8n is the better fit.
Is n8n open source?
n8n is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License. You can self-host it free for internal business, personal or non-commercial use, but you can't, for example, resell it as a hosted service without an agreement. OpenClaw uses the MIT license.
How do I connect n8n to OpenClaw?
Enable hooks in OpenClaw's config with a token, then use n8n's HTTP Request node to POST to /hooks/agent with that token in an Authorization: Bearer header and a JSON body containing your message.
Which is cheaper, OpenClaw or n8n?
Both can be free to self-host. n8n Cloud starts at €20 a month for 2,500 executions. OpenClaw's main cost is the AI model, which runs on every agent turn, unless you use a local model or an existing subscription.