Sim vs n8n
Sim is the open-source AI workspace where teams build, deploy, and manage AI agents visually, conversationally, or with code. Here is how Sim compares to n8n on platform architecture, AI capabilities, integrations, pricing, security, and support. Every fact below is sourced and dated.
Sim is an open-source AI workspace for building, deploying, and managing AI agents. This page compares Sim to n8n across platform architecture, AI capabilities, integrations, pricing, security and compliance, observability, and support, using sourced, dated facts for buyers evaluating both platforms.
What is Sim?
Sim is the open-source AI workspace where teams build, deploy, and manage AI agents, connecting 1,000+ integrations and every major LLM to automate real work visually, conversationally, or with code.
What is n8n?
n8n is a fair-code workflow automation platform combining a visual, node-based builder with custom code and built-in AI/agent nodes, available as a self-hosted or cloud-hosted product.
Sim vs n8n: feature-by-feature comparison
CompareSim vs n8n
Sim
n8n
Platform
Builder type
Sim
Visual canvas, chat, or codeVisual drag-and-drop canvas, natural-language (Chat), or code (API/SDK)
n8n
Visual canvas plus code node and AI builderHybrid visual/code node-based builder. n8n's core interface is a visual, drag-and-drop node canvas where each node is a step. It supports a Custom Code node (JavaScript/Python) and an HTTP Request Tool for arbitrary API calls, plus a beta natural-language AI Workflow Builder that generates an editable draft workflow from a text prompt.
Learning curve
Sim
Low, plus natural-language Chat for non-technical usersLow for visual building; natural-language Chat surface for non-technical builders. Chat lets users describe a workflow in plain language and have Sim build it.
n8n
No official rating; easy visually, code needs skillUnknown / not vendor-quantified. n8n does not publish a formal learning-curve metric. Node-based visual building is broadly described in docs and tutorials as approachable for non-developers on simple flows, while advanced AI-agent and expression/code usage assumes technical familiarity.
Self-hosting
Deployment options
Sim
Cloud-hosted or self-hosted, no mid-tier VPC optionCloud-hosted (managed, multi-tenant SaaS) or self-hosted (Docker/Kubernetes). No documented managed single-tenant/VPC hosting tier in between. The Enterprise plan's only hosting-related row in the pricing comparison table is a boolean "Self Hosting" flag; there is no dedicated-instance/VPC offering.
n8n
Cloud, npm, Docker Compose, or Kubernetes HelmCloud (n8n-managed) and self-hosted via npm, Docker/Docker Compose, or Kubernetes (official Helm chart). Self-hosting can be run via npm, Docker, or a server. A separate n8n-io/n8n-hosting GitHub repo and Helm chart (oci://ghcr.io/n8n-io/n8n-helm-chart/n8n) provide reference deployments for Docker Compose and Kubernetes, and cloud deployment guides cover AWS, Azure, and GCP.
Templates
Sim
License
Sim
Apache 2.0Apache License 2.0
n8n
Sustainable Use License plus Enterprise LicenseSustainable Use License v1.0 (source-available/"fair-code") + n8n Enterprise License for .ee. Files. Core n8n code is under the Sustainable Use License v1.0: free for internal business, non-commercial, or personal use, with required attribution on modifications. Files with '.ee.' in the path require a separate proprietary n8n Enterprise License. n8n calls this combination "fair-code"; it is not OSI-approved open source.
Environment promotion
Sim
Yes: fork a whole workspace into a dev/qa/prod-style child, diff it, and promote or roll back changes in either direction. Credential and env-var remapping is required before every promote, so secrets are never silently copied across environments. Gated to Enterprise plan on hosted Sim, or a FORKING_ENABLED flag on self-hosted deployments.
n8n
Yes: Git-backed Environments feature promotes whole projects between instances. n8n's 'Source control and environments' feature links an n8n instance/project to a Git repository and branch, and supports pushing a full project's workflows, credential references, and variables from one environment (e.g. development) to Git, then pulling into another (e.g. staging/production). Whole-project promotion, not just single-workflow versioning. Supported topologies include multiple instances on one branch (simple push then pull) or multiple instances on multiple branches (requiring a Git-provider pull request/merge). Instance owners/admins can push and pull; project admins can push but not pull. Credential values and variable values are not synced via Git and must be configured manually per environment. This is an Enterprise-tier feature.
Version control
Sim
Deployment rollback plus Copilot edit diff/revertDeployed-version history with rollback for every workflow; server-persisted checkpoint/revert and visual diff (accept/reject) specifically for Copilot AI edits. Manual drag-and-drop undo/redo is client-side/localStorage only (capped at 100 ops, 5 stacks), not server-synced across devices. Deployment history does not include an arbitrary version-to-version diff tool, and knowledge base documents have no version history.
n8n
Version history with restore and compare, no branchingServer-persisted workflow version history with restore and side-by-side compare; no true branching; undo/redo not a distinct persisted feature. n8n maintains a server-side Workflow History of prior saved versions, each capturing node/parameter changes. Users can restore a workflow to a selected version (n8n auto-saves the current state as a new version before restoring, so restores are themselves reversible), open a version in a new tab to compare it against the current workflow, create a new workflow from a historical version, download a version as JSON, and pin or name a version to exempt it from automatic pruning. Retention is tiered: full history on Enterprise Cloud/Self-hosted, 5 days on Cloud Pro, 24 hours for all other users/plans. Git-based branching exists only at the environment/project level, not as per-workflow Git branches. In-editor undo/redo exists but is not documented as a separately persisted, server-tracked mechanism distinct from workflow history.
Realtime collaboration
Sim
n8n
No: n8n does not support live concurrent multi-user canvas editing with cursors/selections/synced operations. Collaboration is handled through async workflow sharing, project-based access, and Git-based source control (Enterprise), not real-time co-editing; community edition additionally lacks any workflow sharing at all.. Enterprise adds Git source control and project sharing, but there is no live-cursor or simultaneous canvas editing support.
Native file storage
Sim
Yes: a native Files area with folder hierarchy, link-based sharing (public, password, email OTP, or SSO auth), and a workspace-level Recently Deleted view covering workflows, tables, knowledge bases, files, and folders. Admins can restrict which share-auth modes (public/password/email/SSO) a permission group is allowed to use.
n8n
No: n8n does not have a Drive-like native file storage system with folder hierarchy, link-based sharing (password/SSO), and deleted-item recovery. Its "file storage" is binary data handling scoped to workflow executions (local filesystem/S3-compatible backend config) or per-node file operations, not a user-facing file manager.. n8n docs describe binary data storage mode (filesystem/S3) for execution artifacts and per-node file/folder operations (e.g. Google Drive node), not an internal shared-drive product surface.
Sub-workflows (composition)
Sim
n8n
Yes: the Execute Sub-workflow node calls a saved workflow as a step in another workflow, with a 'Wait for Sub-Workflow Completion' option so the parent pauses until the child finishes, passing data in via the child's trigger and receiving data back from the child's last node.. The child workflow starts with a 'When Executed by Another Workflow' trigger that defines the expected input fields. When 'Wait for Sub-Workflow Completion' is enabled, the parent blocks until the sub-workflow finishes and receives whatever data the sub-workflow's final node outputs; disabling it lets the parent continue without waiting.
Pricing
Pricing model
Sim
Credit-based billing, BYOK exempt from capsCredit-based usage billing (Stripe), with bring-your-own-key exemption from metered caps
n8n
Billed by monthly workflow executionsPer-workflow-execution pricing tiers (not per step, not per seat). n8n's pricing page states workflows are billed by monthly execution count. A workflow that runs start-to-finish counts as one execution regardless of the number of steps or nodes, explicitly contrasted against competitors that charge per step or per user. Unlimited users are included at every paid tier.
Entry paid plan
Sim
Pro plan at $25/user/monthPro: $25 per user/month
n8n
€20/month, 2,500 executionsStarter plan: €20/month (billed annually), 2,500 executions/month, cloud-hosted. Starter includes 2,500 workflow executions per month, 5 concurrent executions, 1 shared project, unlimited users, 50 AI credits, and forum support.
Free tier
Sim
Bring your own key
Sim
n8n
De facto via provider API keys, not namedDe facto yes: all Chat Model nodes require users' own provider API credentials, though n8n does not name this "BYOK". n8n's pricing page describes plan-included 'AI credits' (50/150/1,000 depending on tier) for its own hosted AI features, but doesn't name a bring-your-own-API-key policy. Since all Chat Model nodes require users to supply their own provider API credentials to call OpenAI, Anthropic, and others directly, BYOK is the de facto default for workflow-level LLM calls.
Security & compliance
SOC 2
n8n
Aligned to SOC 2, report on requestSOC 2: program 'aligned to' SOC 2 with annual third-party audits; report available to enterprise customers via Trust Center. n8n operates a Trust Center (trust.n8n.io, powered by SafeBase) covering security, compliance, privacy, and reliability. Its security program is aligned to the SOC 2 framework, with continuous evaluation and annual independent audits, and the SOC 2 report is provided to enterprise customers on request rather than published openly.
Data residency
Sim
Full control via self-hosting; Cloud region toggle is global, not per-customerFull data control via self-hosting (Docker/Kubernetes); data never leaves customer infrastructure when self-hosted. On Sim Cloud, async job execution has an internal US/EU region toggle, but it is deployment-wide, not a customer-selectable per-workspace residency option
Role-based access control
n8n
Yes: role-based access control available on all plans except Community edition. RBAC manages access to workflows and credentials via projects and project roles, available on all plans except the free Community edition. Custom Project Roles (granular, admin-definable permissions) is an Enterprise-only feature.
Audit logging
Sim
n8n
Yes: audit logging available, primarily an Enterprise-tier feature. n8n collects and centrally stores server/audit logs queryable by authorized users, retaining at least 12 months of history, with SIEM export/log streaming. Per the pricing page, unlimited execution log retention and enforced audit logging are listed under the Enterprise tier's feature set.
Additional compliance
Sim
SOC2SOC2. Self-hosting is the primary lever Sim offers for data-residency-sensitive compliance needs beyond SOC2, rather than additional certifications.
n8n
GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3GDPR (as data processor) and SOC 2 Type II / SOC 3; no HIPAA, ISO 27001, PCI, or FedRAMP certification found. n8n's Trust Center (SafeBase-hosted) and legal/security page list GDPR compliance (as a data processor with a standard DPA) and SOC 2 Type II plus a public SOC 3 report, with CAIQ self-assessment questionnaires available for both cloud and self-hosted deployments. n8n holds no ISO 27001, HIPAA BAA, PCI-DSS, or FedRAMP certification. Third-party blog posts describe self-hosted n8n as helping organizations map to HIPAA/ISO 27001 requirements, but that is not the same as holding those certifications.
Model & tool governance
Sim
Yes: enterprise "permission groups" let an admin allow-list/deny-list specific LLM providers and models, and separately deny specific tools/integrations (or disable all MCP or custom tools) per group, layered on top of workspace admin/write/read roles. This does not control whether an LLM provider retains prompts. Sim offers no "zero data retention" mode or governed AI gateway. A separate, Enterprise-gated feature lets orgs set a log-retention window and redact PII, but that only controls how long Sim itself keeps execution logs.
n8n
Not publicly documentedUnknown. Not publicly documented by n8n.
Credential governance
Sim
Yes: shared credentials (connected accounts, service accounts, workspace secrets) are their own nested permission level (Member/Admin) below organization and workspace roles, and enterprise permission groups can further allow-list specific integrations and restrict which file-share auth modes (public/password/email/SSO) a group may use. A user's personal environment variables/secrets are never shared or inherited by anyone, including org owners/admins.
n8n
Yes: n8n's RBAC model is scope-based, with custom project roles (Enterprise feature) letting admins grant or restrict access to specific credentials, workflows, and folders at a granular, per-resource level, beyond the built-in Admin/Editor/Viewer roles.. Custom Project Roles (Enterprise) let admins build least-privilege roles scoped to particular credentials/resources, not just feature-level RBAC.
Single sign-on (SSO)
Sim
n8n
Yes: n8n supports SAML and OIDC single sign-on on Business/Enterprise plans, including automated user provisioning that assigns a user's instance role and project access from their identity-provider attributes on first login.. Works with Okta, Azure AD, or any SAML-compliant IdP. The role/project mapping is driven by IdP attributes named n8n_instance_role and n8n_projects, and is documented as part of Enterprise governance features.
Vetted first-party integrations
Sim
Yes: every one of Sim's 302 blocks is first-party authored and code-reviewed through the standard pull-request process in the main Sim repository; there is no public marketplace where an arbitrary third party can publish and have other users install executable tool code without going through Sim's own review. Custom code steps run inside Sim's own isolated-vm sandbox rather than as an installable third-party skill package, so the supply-chain trust boundary is Sim's codebase review, not an open registry.
n8n
First-party nodes plus an open, lightly-vetted npm community marketplacePartial: n8n ships built-in first-party nodes plus an open community-node ecosystem published to public npm, where only a subset carry an official "verified" review. Beyond its built-in nodes, n8n lets any developer publish a community node as a public npm package that other users install by name; only nodes n8n manually reviews for quality and security (and which forgo runtime dependencies) earn the verified shield icon and are installable/discoverable from n8n Cloud, while unverified community nodes can still be installed on self-hosted instances (or disabled via N8N_COMMUNITY_PACKAGES_ENABLED). n8n's docs warn that community nodes run with the same level of access as n8n itself, including decrypted credentials during execution. In January 2026, researchers documented a supply-chain attack in which malicious npm packages posing as n8n community nodes (one mimicking a Google Ads integration) stole OAuth tokens from the credential store; the primary malicious package had 4,241 downloads listed before removal.
PII redaction
Sim
n8n
No: n8n has no built-in, native PII detection/redaction feature. PII masking is achieved only via community-built nodes or user-assembled workflows (regex/AI-based detection, tokenization) placed before an LLM call; a community feature request to scrub PII from execution logs remains open/unimplemented.. Execution log saving is documented as all-or-nothing today; a community request to add PII/secret scrubbing to logs is still open.
Custom data retention
Sim
n8n
Yes: n8n lets self-hosted instances configure execution-data retention via environment variables (EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE, EXECUTIONS_DATA_PRUNE_MAX_COUNT), and n8n Cloud Enterprise plans support up to 50,000 executions with unlimited retention versus fixed limits on lower tiers.. Default self-hosted retention is 336 hours (14 days) or 10,000 executions, both adjustable; Cloud tiers vary retention window by plan.
White-labeling
Sim
n8n
No: n8n's OEM/embed documentation states n8n branding stays visible in the editor when embedded, and full white-labeling is not supported through their OEM offering; only self-hosted customers doing manual source-code modification (editing design-system CSS/Vue components and i18n text) can rebrand it themselves.. n8n's docs say: "If full white-labeling is a hard requirement for your product, OEM isn't the right fit." A full rebrand is only possible via unsupported self-hosted source modification.
AI capabilities
Multi-LLM support
Sim
21 providers incl. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Bedrock21 provider integrations (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google/Gemini, Azure OpenAI, Azure Anthropic, Groq, Cerebras, Mistral, xAI, Bedrock, Vertex, Ollama, OpenRouter, and more). apps/sim/providers/models.ts defines 21 provider entries; openrouter/litellm/vllm/ollama resolve models dynamically at runtime rather than from a hardcoded model list.
n8n
Yes: many providers via dedicated Chat Model nodes. Documented first-party Chat Model nodes include OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini, Google Vertex, Azure OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, Mistral Cloud, Cohere, DeepSeek, Groq, xAI Grok, OpenRouter, Ollama (local models), Alibaba Cloud, MiniMax, Moonshot Kimi, NVIDIA Nemotron, Vercel AI Gateway, and Lemonade.
Agent reasoning blocks
Sim
n8n
Yes: dedicated AI Agent / Tools Agent node distinct from plain data-routing nodes. The AI Agent node (implemented as a "Tools Agent" since v1.82.0) is an autonomous decision-making node: based on the LLM's reasoning, it selects and calls tools such as other n8n workflows, the Custom Code tool, the HTTP Request tool, MCP tools, or a vector store used as a tool. This is distinct from n8n's standard, deterministic data-transform/routing nodes.
Natural-language building
n8n
Yes: beta AI Workflow Builder, Cloud only currently. Users describe a workflow in plain text and the beta AI Workflow Builder generates a draft, editable node-based workflow with iterative multi-turn refinement. Available in beta on Cloud (Trial, Starter, Pro plans), with Enterprise and self-hosted support planned for later.
Knowledge base / RAG
Sim
n8n
Yes: native RAG pipeline with multiple vector-store integrations. n8n documents a full RAG pipeline (document loaders, Text Splitter, Embeddings node, Vector Store node) with supported vector stores including Pinecone, Qdrant, Supabase Vector Store, PGVector (Postgres), and an in-memory vector store for testing; vector stores can be retrieved as a tool for an AI Agent.
MCP support
Sim
Evaluation & guardrails
Sim
LLM-judge Evaluator plus Guardrails validation blockEvaluator block (LLM-judge scoring against user-defined named metrics) and Guardrails block (JSON validity, regex, RAG/hallucination scoring, PII detection/masking). These are per-call scoring/validation primitives, not a batch golden-dataset eval-suite runner or A/B prompt-testing harness.
n8n
Yes: dedicated Evaluations feature (Light + Metric-based). n8n provides an Evaluation node/trigger and an Evaluations tab supporting 'Light evaluations' (manual test cases during development) and 'Metric-based evaluations' (scoring at scale for production), with built-in metrics (AI-judged Helpfulness, string similarity, categorization, tools-used) plus custom metrics. n8n's own 2026 AI Agent Development Tools report scores n8n 0 out of 2 on both "JSON validity" and "Format check" evaluation types, versus Sim's 2 out of 2 on both, via Sim's Guardrails block.
Human-in-the-loop
Sim
n8n
Yes: dedicated Human-in-the-Loop node built on Wait. n8n has a dedicated Human-in-the-Loop node (a higher-level abstraction built on the underlying Wait node) that pauses an active workflow mid-run and waits on human approval or input, distinct from a plain delay. The approver is notified via a configurable channel, Gmail, Slack, Telegram, Discord, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, or n8n's built-in Chat, with 'Approve Only' or 'Approve and Disapprove' options. The run resumes when the reviewer responds via a button or webhook callback, and an optional timeout triggers a fallback path if no response arrives within the configured window (minutes up to a day).
Generative media
Sim
n8n
Via OpenAI/MiniMax nodes, no dedicated nodesPartial: via AI/LLM provider nodes, not dedicated media-gen nodes. No standalone image-generation or video-generation core node family exists. Image, video, TTS, and STT are reached by calling LLM provider nodes inside the LangChain-based AI nodes: the OpenAI node's Image and Audio operations (image generation via DALL-E/gpt-image, TTS, and transcription/translation via Whisper), and the MiniMax node (image generation, video generation from text or a first-frame image, and text-to-speech). Broader coverage such as text-to-3D, faceswap, or upscaling exists only via unofficial community nodes like PiAPI, not built by n8n itself.
Dynamic tool use
Sim
No: an Agent block calls tools the workflow author explicitly added to it at build time, rather than browsing and picking from a broader pool (e.g. an entire MCP server catalog) at inference time. Runtime MCP "discovery" exists to resolve/refresh the schema of an already-configured tool. The model does not browse or choose from the server's full tool list.
n8n
Not publicly documentedUnknown. Not publicly documented by n8n.
Automatic model fallback
Sim
No: a failed or rate-limited LLM call is retried using Sim's own hosted API keys for the same model, rather than automatically switching to a different model or provider. A "fallback" comment in the provider layer refers to rotating among Sim's own hosted API keys for the same model, not switching models.
n8n
Not publicly documentedUnknown. Not publicly documented by n8n.
Agent skills
Sim
Yes: named, reusable "Agent Skills" (built on the open Agent Skills / SKILL.md format) that agents load on demand via progressive disclosure, editable in-app or imported from a SKILL.md file or GitHub URL. Only the skill name and description sit in the agent's system prompt (~50-100 tokens each); the full instructions load into context only when the agent calls load_skill.
n8n
No: n8n has no first-class, named reusable prompt/knowledge-snippet object that agents reference. Reuse is achieved informally by exporting/importing workflow JSON or calling a sub-workflow (e.g. a "Tool (Workflow)" node) as a reusable scratchpad, not by a dedicated skills library.. System prompts are configured per AI Agent node; the closest analog is reusable sub-workflows or exported JSON, not a named, invokable skill library. n8n's own 2026 AI Agent Development Tools report independently scores n8n 0 out of 2 on "Agent skills directory," versus Sim's 2 out of 2.
Native chat deployment
Sim
n8n
Yes: n8n's Chat Trigger node provides a fully styled, publicly deployable chat window that connects to an AI Agent node, with a configurable public URL, CORS allowed-origins, and streaming responses; Chat Hub additionally offers a centralized multi-model chat interface with a restricted "Chat user" role.. Distinct from form/webhook/API deployment; supports streaming and a dedicated non-builder chat-user role via Chat Hub.
Parallel execution
Sim
Yes: a native Parallel block fans a run out into concurrent branches (fixed count or one per list item) and joins their results back into the workflow automatically. Contained blocks run concurrently instead of sequentially, either a fixed number of times or once per item in a list/collection, and each branch's output aggregates for downstream blocks.
n8n
No: in the current (v1) execution order, n8n executes each branch in turn, completing one before starting another, rather than running them concurrently.. n8n does offer a Merge node to recombine split branches, and community workaround patterns exist (e.g. triggering sub-workflows asynchronously and waiting for all to finish), but no native fan-out/fan-in node runs branches concurrently.
Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol
Sim
Loop / iteration block
Sim
n8n
Yes: the Loop Over Items (Split in Batches) node iterates a list in fixed-size batches, running each batch sequentially through a 'loop' output and combining results through a 'done' output once all batches complete.. Loop Over Items processes a configurable batch size per iteration and re-enters the loop until every input item has passed through, rather than fanning items out concurrently. n8n's docs note this is the primary built-in mechanism for iterative processing, distinct from the Parallel-style concurrent fan-out other flow-logic nodes provide.
Integrations
Integrations
Sim
302 blocks, ~3,900 tool actions302 first-party blocks, ~3,900 underlying tool actions. Sim's landing page cites "1,000+ integrations," a broader figure counting individual API actions rather than top-level blocks. Both numbers describe the same integration surface.
n8n
1,921 listed integrations1,921 integrations (per n8n.io/integrations). The n8n.io integrations directory page lists 1,921 integrations. n8n's GitHub repo description separately advertises a rounder '400+ integrations,' so the two vendor sources disagree slightly.
Trigger types
Sim
Webhook, cron, chat, REST API, triggers for 61 appsWebhook, schedule/cron, chat, REST API, and event-based triggers for 61 apps (Slack, Gmail, GitHub, Stripe, etc.)
n8n
Webhook, cron, chat, MCP, app-specific eventsWebhook, schedule/cron, chat, manual, MCP server, evaluation, and app-specific event triggers. n8n has dedicated trigger node types including a generic Webhook trigger, Schedule/Cron trigger, Chat trigger, Manual trigger, Evaluation trigger, MCP Server trigger (exposing workflows as MCP tools), and hundreds of app-specific triggers (e.g. Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets) that fire on native platform events.
Custom code steps
n8n
Yes: JavaScript and Python via Code node, plus a Custom Code Tool for AI agents. n8n's Code node supports both JavaScript and Python for custom logic inside a workflow. A separate Custom Code Tool node lets an AI Agent call arbitrary code as one of its tools. n8n's own 2026 AI Agent Development Tools report scores n8n 1 out of 2 on "Sandboxing," versus Sim's 2 out of 2, backed by Sim's isolated-vm (V8 isolate) sandbox running in a separate child process.
API publishing
Sim
n8n
Yes: workflows can be triggered/exposed via Webhook trigger as a REST-style endpoint, and via MCP Server Trigger as MCP tools. A workflow's Webhook trigger node gives it a callable HTTP endpoint that functions as a REST API surface for that workflow. Separately, the MCP Server Trigger node lets a workflow (or its component tools) be published for external AI agents to call over MCP. No distinct SDK-generation feature is documented.
SDKs & extensibility
Sim
n8n
No broad multi-language official SDK; extensibility is via the public REST API, the official n8n CLI, and a node-development toolkit. There is no first-party Python/Go/Java client. Instead, extensibility centers on four things: an official TypeScript package (@n8n/rest-api-client) that wraps n8n's public REST API; an n8n CLI for scripting, CI/CD, or agent use; a node-development kit (the n8n-node CLI plus scaffolding and code-standards docs) for building custom or community nodes in TypeScript, with an official verification program for submission; and a large community-nodes ecosystem, installable per self-hosted instance, alongside 400+ built-in integrations. n8n's own 2026 AI Agent Development Tools report scores n8n 0 out of 2 on "A2A protocol" (Agent2Agent interop), versus Sim's 2 out of 2, backed by Sim's dedicated A2A block.
Publish as MCP server
Sim
n8n
Yes: n8n has an MCP Server Trigger node that turns a workflow into a callable MCP server, exposing a stable production URL that external MCP clients can call to list and invoke the workflow's connected tool nodes (SSE and streamable HTTP supported).. n8n also offers an instance-level MCP server that lets an AI client create/validate/publish whole workflows, in addition to the per-workflow MCP Server Trigger.
Observability & durability
Tracing & observability
Sim
Yes: execution logs include a per-block/per-span trace view (duration, cost, token counts, and latency stats like TTFT/TPS) with expandable nested iteration groups, plus a "View Snapshot" frozen copy of the workflow structure and block states at run time for debugging. This trace view is built directly into Sim rather than a raw export browsable in an external tool like Jaeger, and does not expose aggregate latency-percentile charts (p50/p95/p99). The run snapshot serves as a log-detail/debugging artifact rather than a resumable mid-run checkpoint.
n8n
Dashboard metrics, not span-level tracingCustomer-facing Insights dashboard with per-workflow/per-node metrics, not span-level distributed tracing. n8n ships a native, customer-facing 'Insights' dashboard (Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans) showing per-workflow tables of total production executions, failed executions, failure rate, time saved, and time-series trends including P95 execution duration, workflow error rate, and node error rate. This is dashboard/metrics-level observability, not fine-grained span/trace-level tracing of internal node execution. That requires exporting to external tools like OpenTelemetry, SigNoz, or Grafana, which n8n supports feeding but doesn't natively render as spans.
Durability & retries
Sim
Tool-call retries (up to 10x); single-attempt job orchestrationIndividual tool/API calls have configurable exponential-backoff retry (up to 10 attempts). The background job-orchestration layer itself retries only once by design. Durability instead comes from consecutive-failure tracking on schedules and the human-in-the-loop snapshot pause/resume mechanism. Sim does not offer guaranteed-once-only block execution, a failed-run holding queue for manual recovery, or a "replay a past execution with its original inputs" feature. The per-execution debugging snapshot serves as a log-detail artifact rather than a resumable mid-run checkpoint.
n8n
Per-node retry and manual replay, no checkpointingPer-node retry-on-fail, workflow-level error workflow fallback, and manual/debug replay of past executions with original data; no automatic mid-run checkpoint/resume. Each node can be configured with 'Retry on Fail' (a configurable retry count and wait time between retries). Workflows can also define an Error Workflow, triggered by an Error Trigger node, that runs automatically on failure. For replay, n8n stores past execution data and offers 'Retry with original workflow' (re-runs using the original input data and workflow version from that run) or 'Retry with currently saved workflow' (re-runs that data against the current, edited workflow). Executions can also be opened via 'Debug in editor' to pin prior input data into the canvas. All of this is retry and replay from stored execution data, not automatic mid-workflow checkpointing that resumes from an arbitrary internal breakpoint after a crash.
Failure alerting
Sim
n8n
Yes: proactive push notifications via an Error Workflow, not just execution-log lookup. Every workflow can be configured (in Workflow Settings) with a designated Error Workflow, which must start with an Error Trigger node. This fires automatically whenever the parent workflow's execution fails, and the Error Workflow can then push notifications through any channel node (Slack, email/Gmail, Teams, etc.) carrying the execution ID, workflow name, error message, and stack trace. This is proactive push alerting, distinct from passively browsing the executions list. N8n does not natively define cost- or latency-threshold alerting as a first-class feature; the Insights dashboard's P95 duration is queryable, not push-alerted, though teams can build threshold alerting on top via the Error Workflow/API plus external monitoring.
Data drains
Sim
Yes: Enterprise orgs can continuously export workflow logs, job logs, or audit logs on a schedule to a customer-owned S3 bucket, GCS bucket, Azure Blob container, BigQuery table, Snowflake table, Datadog logs intake, or an HTTPS webhook. Each drain exports exactly one data source; multiple drains are created to export multiple sources. Viewing drain config/run history is restricted to org owners/admins.
n8n
Yes: n8n Enterprise plans include Log Streaming, which continuously sends workflow and audit events (n8n.workflow, n8n.audit, etc.) to external destinations configured as webhook, syslog, or Sentry.. No native built-in S3/BigQuery/Datadog connector type is documented; webhook/syslog/Sentry are the three destination types, with webhook usable to relay onward.
Async execution
Sim
Yes: a workflow can be triggered in fire-and-forget async mode, returning HTTP 202 with a job ID immediately, then polled via a dedicated jobs endpoint through queued/processing/completed/failed states. Async jobs are tracked via polling the job endpoint rather than a completion webhook/callback option.
n8n
Yes: n8n supports async execution. The Webhook node's "Respond" setting can be set to "Immediately," which sends back an HTTP response (with the message "Workflow got started") right away while the workflow keeps running in the background; n8n's Wait node can also pause a running execution (persisting its state to the database) and resume later on a time interval or an incoming webhook call.. This is a workflow-level pattern (respond-then-continue, or pause-and-resume), not a single unified async job-polling API documented as a first-class feature; callers needing a result must build their own callback or a second polling endpoint.
Execution limits
Sim
5-50 min sync timeout, 90 min async, 15-300 concurrentPlan-gated: synchronous API calls time out at 5 minutes on the free plan and 50 minutes on paid plans, async calls at 90 minutes on every plan, with 15 to 300 concurrent executions per billing entity depending on plan. These limits are not published in docs; request bodies are separately capped at 10 MB.
n8n
Configurable timeout (max 3600s) and concurrency limitsn8n publishes concrete configurable limits: EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT (default -1, disabled) sets a default per-workflow timeout in seconds and EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT_MAX (default 3600 seconds, i.e. 1 hour) caps how long any individual workflow's timeout override can be set to; concurrency is capped by N8N_CONCURRENCY_PRODUCTION_LIMIT for production (webhook/trigger-started) executions, with excess runs queued and processed FIFO once capacity frees up. In queue mode, each worker's parallel job count is configurable via a --concurrency flag.. These are self-hosted environment-variable defaults from n8n's own docs; n8n Cloud plans may impose their own separate execution/concurrency caps, which are not published. The worker --concurrency flag's default value is also not documented.
Partial-failure handling
Sim
n8n
Yes: n8n lets you set a per-node "On Error" behavior of "Continue (using error output)," which routes that node's error down a separate error output branch while the rest of the workflow keeps running, in addition to "Continue" (proceed using last valid data) and "Stop Workflow" (halt entirely); separately, an entire workflow can have a designated Error Workflow (built from an Error Trigger node) that fires when the main workflow fails, for alerting/cleanup.. Community bug reports (e.g. on the Sort and HTTP Request nodes) show the error-output routing does not always behave consistently across every node type.
Support
Support channels
Sim
Community support plus Enterprise 'Dedicated Support'Community (open source, GitHub) plus an unquantified "Dedicated Support" flag on the Enterprise plan. Enterprise and pricing pages do not include CSM, onboarding/enablement, or professional-services details beyond a plan-comparison-table "Dedicated Support" flag.
n8n
Forum on all tiers, dedicated on paidCommunity forum (all tiers), plus direct/dedicated support on paid tiers. n8n's pricing page lists 'forum support' for Starter, escalating access on Pro/Business, and 'dedicated SLA support' at Enterprise; a separate n8n Help Center / Support Center and Discord/GitHub serve as community channels.
SLA
Sim
n8n
Yes: SLA-backed support only on the Enterprise plan. n8n's community support materials state there are no SLAs or severity-based prioritization for non-Enterprise customers. A documented SLA with response-time guarantees (contractually defined; community sources describe P1 targets in the 1-4 hour range) is only available to Enterprise customers.
Community
Sim
100,000+ buildersOver 100,000 builders use Sim
n8n
~195k GitHub stars, ~82k Discord membersLarge community: ~195k GitHub stars, ~82k Discord members, 30k+ forum members. The n8n-io/n8n GitHub repository shows about 194,939 stargazers (via GitHub API). The n8n Discord server is cited by third-party community trackers at roughly 82,422 members. The official n8n Community Forum is described as having 30k+ members.
Academy / training
Sim
n8n
Yes: n8n runs an official n8n Academy (learn.n8n.io) with structured, hands-on courses (e.g. N8N101 Essentials, N8N102 Integrations) offering badges and certificates of completion, plus a free beginner certification course.. Includes N8N101/N8N102 learning paths, quizzes, badges, and certificates; separate from ad hoc docs/blog content.
Sim standout features
AI Copilot / Chat agent-building surface
Chat and in-editor Copilot suggest and build workflow changes directly.
A natural-language surface (Chat) and in-editor Copilot that can explain, suggest, and build workflow changes directly, backed by a dedicated copilot module with its own tool registry.Hybrid semantic + keyword knowledge base
Combines vector and full-text search with configurable chunking across 11 file formats.
Built-in RAG with pgvector embeddings and a generated tsvector column for combined vector + full-text search, plus a token-based chunker with configurable chunk size/overlap and 11 supported file formats (csv, doc, docx, html, json, md, pdf, pptx, txt, xlsx, yaml).Native MCP client and server
Call external MCP servers as tools, or expose Sim workflows as an MCP server.
A dedicated MCP block lets any workflow call external MCP servers as a tool, and a serve/workflow-servers API surface lets Sim expose its own workflows as MCP servers.Fork a workspace into dev, qa, and prod environments
Fork, diff, and promote environments with mandatory credential remapping.
Fork a whole workspace into a dev/qa/prod-style child environment, preview a diff, and promote changes bidirectionally. Credential and env-var remapping is required on every promote, so secrets never cross environments silently.Human-in-the-loop approvals with durable resume
Pause a run for human approval and resume later via a durable snapshot link.
A dedicated block pauses a run and waits for a human-submitted approval form, backed by persisted execution snapshots so the run can resume later via a link, even after a server restart.Self-hostable under Apache 2.0
Fully open source with Docker Compose and Helm deployment options.
Fully open source (Apache 2.0), with Docker Compose files and a Helm chart for Kubernetes deployment, alongside a managed cloud-hosted option.Documented n8n limitations
AI Workflow Builder not yet available self-hosted or on Enterprise
Beta AI builder is Cloud-only today; self-hosters can't use it.
The natural-language-to-workflow AI Workflow Builder is in beta and limited to Cloud Trial/Starter/Pro plans. Enterprise and self-hosted support is listed as planned for a future release, so self-hosters cannot use it today.No public SOC 2 report; only 'aligned to' SOC 2
SOC 2 report is available only on request to enterprise customers.
n8n's security program is 'aligned to' the SOC 2 framework with annual independent audits, and the SOC 2 report is available to enterprise customers via the Trust Center, not published publicly.SSO/SAML/LDAP, audit logging, and dedicated SLA support gated to paid/Enterprise tiers
Governance features require Business or Enterprise, not the free tier.
SSO/SAML/LDAP, custom project roles, audit log export/SIEM streaming, and dedicated SLA-backed support are not available on the Community (free, self-hosted) edition; they require the Business or Enterprise plans.MCP tool access control is coarse, not a distinct governance layer
MCP tool access control is coarse, without fine-grained per-tool policy.
MCP nodes are first-party, but tool access control is limited to simple 'all tools / selected tools / excluded tools' modes on the MCP Client Tool node. There's no finer-grained, per-tool policy or guardrail tooling like the product's evaluation features offer elsewhere.Bottom line
Choose Sim if you want an open-source, self-hostable AI workspace that treats AI agents as first-class citizens: native multi-LLM support, real-time multiplayer editing, environment promotion (dev/qa/prod), human-in-the-loop approvals, and enterprise governance (SSO, credential-level permissions, audit logs) built in rather than bolted on.
Choose n8n if you specifically need execution-based pricing, not per-step or per-seat: n8n bills by monthly workflow executions, not by operation, step, or user seat. A full run start-to-finish counts once, no matter how many nodes it contains, and unlimited users are included even on the Starter plan.
Frequently asked questions
Sim is an open-source AI workspace where teams build, deploy, and manage AI agents visually, conversationally, or with code. n8n is a fair-code workflow automation platform combining a visual, node-based builder with custom code and built-in AI/agent nodes, available as a self-hosted or cloud-hosted product. Teams considering a switch typically weigh licensing (Sim is Apache 2.0 and self-hostable), pricing model, and how AI-native the platform's agent-building experience is.