n8n is a workflow automation tool you can self-host, with AI agent nodes and hundreds of integrations. Orkeste is a no-code agent platform: you brief an agent in plain language instead of drawing a workflow.
Side by side
What it is: Orkeste: No-code platform for AI agents that work in your tools, with human approval. n8n: Workflow automation tool with AI agent nodes.
Who builds the agents: Orkeste: Ops, sales or support leads, in plain language, from 29 role templates or a blank briefing. n8n: Technical users, node by node, with code where needed.
Multiple agents: Orkeste: Swarms of agents run in sequence, in parallel, on conditions, or led by a manager agent that plans, delegates and writes the final answer (from the Starter plan). n8n: AI agent nodes combined in workflows.
Human approval: Orkeste: Validations queue: for each agent, you choose which actions wait for a person. n8n: Send-and-wait and wait steps, including review of AI tool calls.
How agents start: Orkeste: Manual runs, schedules, events (a signed webhook or a Stripe event at once; a new Gmail or Outlook email or a new Zendesk or Jira ticket, checked every 5 minutes), or the API (Pro plan and above). n8n: Webhooks, app events and schedules.
Integrations: Orkeste: 26 native connectors (Gmail, Outlook, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zendesk, Jira, Slack...), an outgoing webhook, and remote MCP servers in agentic mode (5 on Pro, unlimited on Business). n8n: Hundreds of nodes, plus HTTP requests to any API.
Hosting: Orkeste: Managed cloud hosted in the EU; not self-hostable. An EU-only setting keeps every model call on EU-hosted models. n8n: Self-hosted Community Edition, or n8n Cloud hosted in Frankfurt.
Pricing: Orkeste: Monthly credits: Free (500), Starter €9.99 (5,000), Pro €39.99 (25,000), Business on quote. n8n: Community Edition free to self-host; cloud plans billed by workflow execution.
Where Orkeste is different
Brief, don't wire
You describe the job in plain language and pick the connectors. There is no diagram to maintain when the process changes.
Approvals in one place
Every agent's pending actions wait in one Validations queue, with the full draft to edit before approving.
Nothing to host
A managed service hosted in the EU. No server, no updates, no queue workers to run.
The longer answer
What is n8n?
n8n is a workflow automation tool with a visual editor, hundreds of integration nodes and the option to self-host. It added AI agent nodes that can call tools, MCP client and server nodes, evaluations, and human approval of AI tool calls on every plan.
Where n8n is stronger
Control and reach. Self-hosting, triggers on webhooks and app events, code where you need it, and an HTTP node that reaches any API. For deterministic automation it is hard to beat.
Where Orkeste is different
Orkeste starts from the job, not the diagram. An operations or support lead writes the briefing, picks connectors and sets which actions wait for approval. Runs and pending actions are visible to the whole team, and the service is managed and hosted in the EU. Agents also start on events: a signed webhook, a Stripe event, or a new email or ticket checked every 5 minutes. The limits are real: 26 native connectors plus MCP servers, no self-hosting, and no step-by-step control of the logic.
Honest bottom line
Keep n8n for data plumbing and workflows you want to control step by step. Use Orkeste for agents that read, draft and update records in your business tools, owned by the people who run the process.
When to choose which
Choose Orkeste if
The people who own the process are not technical
The work needs judgement on text: emails, tickets, notes
You want approvals and run history without building them
You do not want to run servers
Choose n8n if
You need deterministic data pipelines and app-to-app syncs
You want to design every step of the workflow yourself
Self-hosting is a requirement
You need integrations beyond Orkeste's 26 connectors
Frequently asked questions
Is Orkeste an alternative to n8n?
For AI agents run by business teams, yes. For deterministic automation, data syncs and self-hosting, n8n is the better tool, and many teams keep it for that.
Can I migrate an n8n workflow?
There is no import. An AI step in n8n usually becomes an Orkeste agent with a briefing; the plumbing around it often stays in n8n.
How does pricing compare?
Orkeste plans include a monthly credit allowance: Free with 500 credits, Starter at €9.99 with 5,000, Pro at €39.99 with 25,000 and Business on quote. A run uses from 2 credits with Claude Haiku 5.5 to 235 with Claude Fable 5.1. n8n's Community Edition is free to self-host, and its cloud plans are billed by workflow execution; check n8n.io for current figures.
Can the two work together?
Yes. n8n can call an Orkeste agent through the API (Pro plan and above), and an Orkeste agent can send each run's result to an n8n webhook.