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n8n

General SaaS

n8n GmbH · General SaaS app marketplaces

Best for: Developers building open, self-hostable automation nodes with full code control.

Overview

n8n is a fair-code, source-available workflow automation platform whose integration ecosystem is delivered as community nodes — npm packages that each wrap a single third-party service with its trigger and action nodes. Thousands of community nodes have been published. A developer scaffolds a node in TypeScript with the n8n-node CLI, publishes to npm, and can submit it for verification; verified nodes are vetted against technical and UX guidelines, must avoid run-time dependencies, and (from 2026) must be published via GitHub Actions with a provenance statement.

Because n8n is source-available and self-hostable, its distribution model is unusually open: anyone can install any community node on their own instance, while verification is the trust/discovery gate for cloud and mainstream users. There is no listing fee and no revenue share; n8n monetizes cloud executions and enterprise licensing, and it is not a merchant of record. It is heavily positioned for AI, with native agent/LangChain nodes and MCP integration. Choose n8n when you want an open, self-hostable target with a code-first contribution model, when data-residency matters to your users, or when you are building AI-agent automations.

How to build & ship

  1. 1Scaffold a node project with the n8n-node CLI (@n8n/create-node), which starts from the nodes-starter template
  2. 2Implement the node (declarative or programmatic) plus its credentials, naming the package n8n-nodes-* or @scope/n8n-nodes-*
  3. 3Run and test the node locally with the CLI's dev/build commands
  4. 4Ensure it follows the verification technical and UX guidelines (e.g., no runtime dependencies for verified nodes) and add a README
  5. 5Publish the package to npm (from 2026, via GitHub Actions with a provenance statement)
  6. 6Submit it through the n8n Creator Portal for verification

Key APIs & SDKs

n8n-node CLI (@n8n/node-cli)
@n8n/create-node initializer
n8n-nodes-starter template
Declarative and programmatic node styles
npm publishing (with provenance)
n8n Creator Portal

Integration types

Connector
Workflow action

Authentication & security

  • Primary auth: OAuth 2.0
  • Also supports: API key, PAT
  • Security review: Required
  • n8n vets verified community nodes against technical/UX guidelines (single-service scope, no run-time dependencies, provenance-signed publishing) before listing.
  • Unverified community nodes install from npm freely; to become verified and discoverable in the nodes panel, n8n vets the node against technical (no runtime deps) and UX guidelines via the Creator Portal (no publicly fixed timeline).
  • Self-hosted has no platform limit (bound by the target API); n8n Cloud meters executions per plan.
Auth docs Store policies

Monetization

Free
Onboarding
$0 (free to list)
Commission
None (n8n Cloud monetizes executions; self-hosting is free)
Merchant of Record
Not applicable

Pros & cons for builders

Pros

  • Open-source, self-hostable platform with a fair-code license
  • Any npm package can be installed as a community node without gatekeeping
  • Official CLI enforces conventions and speeds scaffolding
  • Verification unlocks in-app discovery for quality nodes

Cons

  • Verified status has stricter rules (no runtime dependencies, provenance publishing)
  • Requires TypeScript/Node.js and npm publishing know-how
  • Unverified nodes get less discovery than verified ones