{
 "sym": "Wf",
 "updated": "2026-08-06",
 "verdict": "n8n, and it isn't close anymore \u2014 the fair-code platform doubled its valuation to $5.2B in seven months (SAP strategic investment, May 12, 2026), runs ~198k GitHub stars, 1.7M monthly active builders, and pairs deterministic workflows with agent nodes in one canvas you can self-host. Zapier is the pick when integration breadth decides \u2014 9,000+ apps and one MCP connection for whatever agent harness you run; Make when you want deep visual control at the lowest price; Gumloop when an ops team wants AI-native automation with enterprise security; Activepieces when you need MIT-licensed, embeddable, no-strings open source. The category consolidated hard this year: Workday bought Pipedream, Relay.app is shutting down in September.",
 "top5": [
  {
   "rank": 1,
   "name": "n8n",
   "maker": "n8n GmbH",
   "url": "https://n8n.io",
   "docs": "https://docs.n8n.io",
   "pricing": "Free self-host (Community Edition) \u00b7 Starter \u20ac20/mo (2.5k executions) \u00b7 Pro \u20ac50/mo \u00b7 Business \u20ac667/mo \u00b7 Enterprise custom",
   "best_for": "Technical founders who want workflows and AI agents on one self-hostable canvas \u2014 visual building plus real code (JS/Python) when nodes run out.",
   "why": "The breakout of the category: $2.5B Series C (Accel, Oct 2025) to $5.2B when SAP invested and embedded n8n into Joule Studio (May 12, 2026) \u2014 a valuation double in seven months. 1.7M monthly active builders, 1,400+ enterprise customers, ~198k GitHub stars, and native agent nodes that made it the default substrate for AI automation content everywhere.",
   "watch": "Fair-code (Sustainable Use License), not OSI open source \u2014 no reselling the self-hosted edition. Per-execution cloud pricing jumps steeply from Pro (\u20ac50) to Business (\u20ac667). Verified ARR trails the hype: $40M as of Jul 2025 (Sacra); the '$100M+' figures circulating in 2026 are single-source.",
   "evidence": [
    {
     "stat": "$5.2B valuation on SAP strategic investment, more than double in ~7 months (May 12, 2026)",
     "src": "https://blog.n8n.io/n8n-sap/"
    },
    {
     "stat": "$180M Series C led by Accel at $2.5B, Nvidia-backed (Oct 9, 2025)",
     "src": "https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-09/ai-agent-startup-n8n-nets-2-5-billion-valuation-with-backing-from-nvidia"
    },
    {
     "stat": "~198k GitHub stars, 59.7k forks; 1.7M monthly active builders, 1,400+ enterprise customers (Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n"
    }
   ],
   "tile_note": "self-hostable, agent-ready"
  },
  {
   "rank": 2,
   "name": "Zapier",
   "maker": "Zapier",
   "url": "https://zapier.com",
   "docs": "https://help.zapier.com",
   "pricing": "Free 100 tasks/mo \u00b7 Professional from $19.99/mo \u00b7 Team from $69/mo \u00b7 Enterprise custom \u00b7 Agents add-on free\u2013$33.33/mo",
   "best_for": "Non-technical teams whose bottleneck is the SaaS long tail \u2014 if an app has an API, Zapier almost certainly already connects it.",
   "why": "The integration standard, repositioned for the agent era: 9,000+ apps behind one MCP connection ('the automation layer for agentic AI', Aug 2026), 3M+ businesses, profitable since 2014 on just $1.4M raised \u2014 $310M ARR by 2023 (Sacra). Tables, Interfaces, Canvas, Chatbots, and Agents now bundle into a full ops platform, not just Zaps.",
   "watch": "Task-based pricing punishes scale \u2014 high-volume workflows cost multiples of Make or self-hosted n8n. Closed source, no self-hosting, and the Agents product is a metered add-on. Last verified revenue is 2023; 2026 figures in circulation are aggregator projections.",
   "evidence": [
    {
     "stat": "9,000+ app integrations; 'one MCP connection\u2026 any model, surface, or agent harness' (homepage, Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://zapier.com/"
    },
    {
     "stat": "$310M ARR (2023, +35% YoY); profitable since 2014 on $1.4M total funding; ~$5B valuation (2021)",
     "src": "https://sacra.com/c/zapier/"
    },
    {
     "stat": "3M+ businesses; 3.1B+ monthly tasks processed",
     "src": "https://sacra.com/c/zapier/"
    }
   ],
   "tile_note": "the integration standard"
  },
  {
   "rank": 3,
   "name": "Make",
   "maker": "Make (Celonis)",
   "url": "https://www.make.com",
   "docs": "https://help.make.com",
   "pricing": "Free 1,000 credits/mo \u00b7 Core $12/mo (10k credits) \u00b7 Pro $21/mo \u00b7 Teams $38/mo \u00b7 Enterprise custom",
   "best_for": "Visual power users who want branching, iterators, and data-mapping depth Zapier hides \u2014 at roughly half Zapier's price per unit of work.",
   "why": "The visual-power veteran (ex-Integromat, Celonis-owned since 2020): 400,000+ organizations in 200+ countries, 3,000+ apps, and a scenario builder that remains the most expressive pure no-code canvas in the category. Make AI Agents (beta, all plans, BYO-LLM) and the Make Grid landscape view arrived through 2025\u201326 to keep it in the agent conversation.",
   "watch": "The 2025\u201326 shift from 'operations' to credit-based pricing reset what a dollar buys \u2014 recheck your math before migrating. AI-agent features trail n8n and Gumloop in depth, and there is no self-hosted option; Celonis ownership means enterprise roadmap gravity.",
   "evidence": [
    {
     "stat": "Trusted by 400,000+ organizations across 200+ countries; 3,000+ apps (Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://www.make.com/en"
    },
    {
     "stat": "Free 1k credits/mo, paid from $12/mo \u2014 cheapest paid entry of the big three (pricing page, Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://www.make.com/en/pricing"
    },
    {
     "stat": "Make AI Agents (beta) on all plans with own-LLM-key support (Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://www.make.com/en/pricing"
    }
   ],
   "tile_note": "visual power, lowest price"
  },
  {
   "rank": 4,
   "name": "Gumloop",
   "maker": "Gumloop (YC W24)",
   "url": "https://www.gumloop.com",
   "docs": "https://docs.gumloop.com/getting-started/introduction",
   "pricing": "Pro $37/mo (20k credits, unlimited seats) \u00b7 Enterprise custom \u00b7 14-day trial \u2014 no permanent free tier",
   "best_for": "Ops and GTM teams at AI-forward companies who want agentic workflows (scraping, enrichment, LLM steps) without engineering time.",
   "why": "The AI-native challenger with the strongest 2026 signal: $50M Series B led by Benchmark (Mar 12, 2026) with Shopify Ventures, First Round, Nexus and YC in, and Shopify, Ramp, Gusto, Samsara, Instacart, and Opendoor as named customers. Built agent-first rather than retrofitted \u2014 flows, agents, and its Gumstack enterprise-security layer in one product with unlimited seats per workspace.",
   "watch": "No free tier anymore \u2014 trial only \u2014 and credit burn on LLM-heavy flows adds up. Far fewer native integrations than the incumbents; no self-hosting (VPC on Enterprise only); valuation and revenue undisclosed.",
   "evidence": [
    {
     "stat": "$50M Series B led by Benchmark; customers incl. Shopify, Ramp, Gusto, Instacart (Mar 12, 2026)",
     "src": "https://www.gumloop.com/blog/series-b"
    },
    {
     "stat": "Pro $37/mo with 20k credits and unlimited seats; 14-day trial, no free plan (pricing page, Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://www.gumloop.com/pricing"
    }
   ],
   "tile_note": "ai-native, benchmark-backed"
  },
  {
   "rank": 5,
   "name": "Activepieces",
   "maker": "Activepieces (MIT community edition)",
   "url": "https://www.activepieces.com",
   "docs": "https://www.activepieces.com/docs",
   "pricing": "Free (cloud or self-host, MIT community edition) \u00b7 Plus $16/mo \u00b7 Team $166/mo \u00b7 Ultimate custom \u00b7 Embed from $36k/yr",
   "best_for": "Lock-in-averse builders and SaaS companies embedding automation in their own product \u2014 the only true-MIT option in the top tier.",
   "why": "The genuinely open-source counterweight to n8n's fair-code: MIT-licensed community edition with no cap on runs, users, or flows, 23.4k GitHub stars, a type-safe TypeScript pieces framework, and ~400 MCP servers for AI agents. The $36k/yr Embed line \u2014 white-labeling automation inside other SaaS \u2014 is a wedge none of the leaders sell at that price.",
   "watch": "A fraction of the incumbents' integration catalog (200+ native pieces vs thousands), and the useful enterprise features \u2014 agents, SSO, audit logs \u2014 need a paid license even self-hosted. Community is an order of magnitude smaller than n8n's.",
   "evidence": [
    {
     "stat": "23.4k GitHub stars, MIT community edition, ~400 MCP servers for AI agents (Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://github.com/activepieces/activepieces"
    },
    {
     "stat": "Self-hosted community edition 'free forever, no cap on runs, users, or flows'; Embed from $36k/yr (pricing page, Aug 2026)",
     "src": "https://www.activepieces.com/pricing"
    }
   ],
   "tile_note": "mit-licensed, embeddable"
  }
 ],
 "matrix": {
  "cols": [
   "Pricing model",
   "Free tier",
   "Open source",
   "Self-host",
   "Integrations",
   "AI agents",
   "Enterprise"
  ],
  "rows": [
   [
    "n8n",
    "Per-execution",
    "Self-host only",
    "Fair-code (SUL)",
    "Yes",
    "~1,500 (+community)",
    "Native agent nodes",
    "SSO \u00b7 Git \u00b7 log streaming"
   ],
   [
    "Zapier",
    "Per-task",
    "100 tasks/mo",
    "No",
    "No",
    "9,000+",
    "Agents add-on + MCP",
    "SAML \u00b7 admin \u00b7 TAM"
   ],
   [
    "Make",
    "Credits",
    "1k credits/mo",
    "No",
    "No",
    "3,000+",
    "AI Agents (beta)",
    "SSO \u00b7 overage protection"
   ],
   [
    "Gumloop",
    "Credits",
    "Trial only",
    "No",
    "VPC (Ent.)",
    "Growing (AI-first)",
    "Agent-first",
    "SCIM/SAML \u00b7 audit \u00b7 RBAC"
   ],
   [
    "Activepieces",
    "Credits",
    "Yes",
    "Yes (MIT core)",
    "Yes",
    "200+ pieces \u00b7 400 MCP",
    "Agents (paid tier)",
    "SSO \u00b7 SCIM (paid)"
   ],
   [
    "Pipedream",
    "Credits",
    "Yes",
    "Partially (components)",
    "No",
    "3,000+ connectors",
    "Connect for agents",
    "Being folded into Workday"
   ],
   [
    "Workato",
    "Custom quote",
    "No",
    "No",
    "No",
    "14,000+ connections",
    "Genies \u00b7 MCP Gateway",
    "Strongest iPaaS governance"
   ],
   [
    "Power Automate",
    "Per-user sub",
    "With M365",
    "No",
    "No",
    "1,000+ (MS-centric)",
    "Copilot Studio adjacent",
    "The Microsoft-shop default"
   ]
  ]
 },
 "rules": [
  {
   "if": "The task is repeated and deterministic \u2014 a trigger, some transforms, an output",
   "then": "Use a workflow, not an agent. It never hallucinates, costs cents, and every tool here handles it; reach for agent nodes only where judgment is genuinely required."
  },
  {
   "if": "You're technical, want data on your own boxes, or want workflows and agents in one canvas",
   "then": "n8n \u2014 free self-hosted forever, real code when nodes run out, accepting fair-code license limits and steep cloud tier jumps."
  },
  {
   "if": "Your bottleneck is the long tail of SaaS apps, or wiring an agent harness to your stack",
   "then": "Zapier \u2014 9,000+ apps and one MCP connection beats everyone; budget for task-based pricing at scale."
  },
  {
   "if": "You want maximum visual control per dollar and no engineer in the loop",
   "then": "Make \u2014 Core at $12/mo with the deepest no-code scenario builder; just re-run the math after the credits repricing."
  },
  {
   "if": "You're embedding automation inside your own SaaS, or refuse non-OSI licenses",
   "then": "Activepieces \u2014 MIT core with uncapped self-hosting, or the $36k/yr Embed tier instead of building an integration engine yourself."
  }
 ],
 "field": [
  {
   "name": "Pipedream",
   "maker": "Pipedream \u2192 Workday",
   "note": "Code-level workflows + 3,000+ connectors for AI agents; definitive agreement with Workday Nov 19, 2025, closing by Jan 31, 2026 \u2014 being folded into Workday's agent platform",
   "url": "https://pipedream.com",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free tier",
   "status": "acquired"
  },
  {
   "name": "Relay.app",
   "maker": "Relay",
   "note": "The human-in-the-loop pioneer with per-step approvals; shutting down \u2014 free accounts Aug 15, paid Sep 14, 2026, no acquirer named",
   "url": "https://www.relay.app",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "\u2014",
   "status": "dead"
  },
  {
   "name": "Lindy",
   "maker": "Lindy (Flo Crivello)",
   "note": "Pivoted from agent-builder to 'the ultimate AI executive assistant' ($49.99\u2013$199.99/mo, per-inbox); ~$49.9M raised (Series B led by Battery) \u2014 now closer to an AI-assistant element than Wf",
   "url": "https://www.lindy.ai",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "$49.99/mo",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Workato",
   "maker": "Workato",
   "note": "Enterprise iPaaS heavyweight \u2014 14,000+ app connections, Genies pre-built agents, MCP Gateway; 8x Gartner iPaaS MQ Leader (2026). Procurement-grade, quote-only pricing",
   "url": "https://www.workato.com",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "custom quote",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Tray.ai",
   "maker": "Tray (ex-Tray.io)",
   "note": "Enterprise iPaaS rebranded around AI in 2024; Merlin agent builder on a composable integration core",
   "url": "https://tray.ai",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "custom quote",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Power Automate",
   "maker": "Microsoft",
   "note": "The Microsoft-shop default \u2014 cloud flows + RPA, Copilot-assisted building, bundled reach via M365; clunky outside the Microsoft graph",
   "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "from ~$15/user/mo",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "IFTTT",
   "maker": "IFTTT",
   "note": "The consumer original (2011) \u2014 applets for smart-home and personal automation; not a serious business tool anymore",
   "url": "https://ifttt.com",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "free \u00b7 Pro ~$3.5/mo",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Windmill",
   "maker": "Windmill Labs",
   "note": "Open-source (AGPL) developer workflow engine \u2014 scripts in Python/TS/Go become flows and UIs; the code-first self-host alternative to n8n",
   "url": "https://www.windmill.dev",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free self-host",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Node-RED",
   "maker": "OpenJS Foundation",
   "note": "The OSS flow-based veteran (ex-IBM, 2013) \u2014 still everywhere in IoT/edge automation, not built for the SaaS/AI era",
   "url": "https://nodered.org",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Huginn",
   "maker": "community (MIT)",
   "note": "The self-hosted 'agents' pioneer (2013, Ruby) \u2014 conceptually ahead of its time, development long quiet",
   "url": "https://github.com/huginn/huginn",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free",
   "status": "fading"
  },
  {
   "name": "Parabola",
   "maker": "Parabola",
   "note": "Spreadsheet-shaped data workflows for ops teams (e-commerce, logistics); AI steps added, niche but loved",
   "url": "https://parabola.io",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "free tier",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Bardeen",
   "maker": "Bardeen",
   "note": "Pivoted from general browser-extension automation to agentic GTM scraping/enrichment for sales teams \u2014 its old turf now belongs to element Bu \u00b7 Browser Agent",
   "url": "https://www.bardeen.ai",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "free tier",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Trigger.dev",
   "maker": "Trigger.dev",
   "note": "Open-source code-first background jobs and AI workflows for TypeScript devs \u2014 workflows as code, not canvas",
   "url": "https://trigger.dev",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free tier + usage",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Inngest",
   "maker": "Inngest",
   "note": "Durable functions and event-driven workflow orchestration for developers; AgentKit extends it to agents",
   "url": "https://www.inngest.com",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free tier + usage",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Temporal",
   "maker": "Temporal Technologies",
   "note": "Durable-execution engine underpinning many agent products \u2014 infrastructure one layer below this element, included for orientation",
   "url": "https://temporal.io",
   "oss": true,
   "entry": "free self-host \u00b7 cloud usage",
   "status": "active"
  },
  {
   "name": "Zapier Agents / Copilot",
   "maker": "Zapier",
   "note": "Zapier's own agent layer, listed for clarity: an add-on product line (free\u2013$33.33/mo) atop the platform ranked #2 above, not a separate company",
   "url": "https://zapier.com/agents",
   "oss": false,
   "entry": "free tier",
   "status": "active"
  }
 ],
 "signals": [
  {
   "fact": "Workflow automation market: $23.77B (2025) \u2192 $26.01B (2026) \u2192 $40.77B by 2031, 9.41% CAGR \u2014 genAI integration named a primary driver",
   "src": "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/workflow-automation-market"
  },
  {
   "fact": "n8n: $2.5B (Accel Series C, Oct 2025) \u2192 $5.2B (SAP strategic investment, May 12, 2026) \u2014 valuation doubled in ~7 months; SAP embeds n8n in Joule Studio",
   "src": "https://blog.n8n.io/n8n-sap/"
  },
  {
   "fact": "Workday signed a definitive agreement to acquire Pipedream (Nov 19, 2025) \u2014 enterprise incumbents buying the integration layer for their AI agents",
   "src": "https://newsroom.workday.com/2025-11-19-Workday-Signs-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-Pipedream"
  },
  {
   "fact": "Consolidation squeeze: Relay.app announced full shutdown (free Aug 15, paid Sep 14, 2026); Gumloop dropped its free tier \u2014 the mid-market between Zapier and n8n is thinning",
   "src": "https://www.relay.app/"
  },
  {
   "fact": "Zapier repositioned as 'the automation layer for agentic AI' \u2014 one MCP connection to 9,000+ apps across any model or agent harness (Aug 2026)",
   "src": "https://zapier.com/"
  },
  {
   "fact": "Gumloop raised a $50M Series B led by Benchmark (Mar 12, 2026) with Shopify Ventures \u2014 first major VC bet that AI-native workflow tools displace the incumbents",
   "src": "https://www.gumloop.com/blog/series-b"
  }
 ],
 "notes": "Ranking criteria: verified traction + agent-readiness + pricing honesty + survivability, editorial only. Conflicts resolved: n8n ARR \u2014 we cite $40M (Jul 2025, Sacra) as the last verified figure and flag the '$100M+ ARR' claim (StartupRiders, Jun 2026) as single-source; n8n's valuation history ($2.5B Oct 2025 \u2192 $5.2B May 2026) is confirmed by Bloomberg and n8n's own blog, so ignore aggregators still showing $2.5B as current. Zapier's last audited-ish revenue is $310M (2023, Sacra); 2026 revenue figures in circulation are aggregator projections \u2014 treat as directional. Lindy's round dates are garbled across aggregators (Clay lists all three rounds as Jan 2023); the ~$49.9M total is consistent, the dates are not. Make's ops\u2192credits repricing makes historical price comparisons misleading. Scope pointers: agent frameworks (LangGraph, CrewAI, OpenAI Agents SDK) \u2192 Ag; browser automation (Bardeen's new focus) \u2192 Bu; LLM-app builders (Dify, Flowise) \u2192 Ag/Vb; Temporal/Inngest/Trigger.dev are developer workflow infrastructure included in field for orientation only. Enterprise iPaaS (Workato, Tray, Boomi, MuleSoft) is procurement-led and priced above startup reach \u2014 field, not top5.",
 "sources": [
  "https://blog.n8n.io/n8n-sap/",
  "https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-09/ai-agent-startup-n8n-nets-2-5-billion-valuation-with-backing-from-nvidia",
  "https://blog.n8n.io/series-c/",
  "https://sacra.com/c/n8n/",
  "https://n8n.io/pricing/",
  "https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n",
  "https://sacra.com/c/zapier/",
  "https://zapier.com/pricing",
  "https://zapier.com/",
  "https://www.make.com/en/pricing",
  "https://www.make.com/en",
  "https://www.gumloop.com/blog/series-b",
  "https://www.gumloop.com/pricing",
  "https://www.activepieces.com/pricing",
  "https://github.com/activepieces/activepieces",
  "https://newsroom.workday.com/2025-11-19-Workday-Signs-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-Pipedream",
  "https://www.relay.app/",
  "https://www.lindy.ai/pricing",
  "https://www.startupriders.com/p/n8n-growth-playbook",
  "https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/workflow-automation-market",
  "https://www.workato.com/"
 ],
 "element": {
  "number": 10,
  "name": "Workflow Automation",
  "group": "Agents & Automation",
  "essential": true,
  "edition": "v2026.Q3",
  "revision": "r7",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 \u2014 cite elems.ai",
  "url": "https://elems.ai/e/wf.html"
 }
}