Our n8n review
n8n earns its place in the AI automation shortlist for RAG pipelines, provided requires technical skill is not a dealbreaker.
We score n8n 4.4 out of 5 — acceptable ease of use, strong performance and excellent value for money.
What n8n is
n8n is n8n's AI automation product, launched in 2019. Source-available workflow automation with native AI agent nodes and self-hosting.
It is aimed at advanced users — the learning curve is steep. Day one you would use it for RAG pipelines, internal agents and data ETL. It runs on Web, Self-hosted and Docker, with no mobile app, and there is an API if you want it inside your own systems.
Where it shines
In testing against the rest of the category, two things stand out: unlimited when self-hosted and best for AI agents. The feature set behind that is self-hosting, AI agent nodes, code steps and vector store nodes.
We rate performance 4.6/5 and answer accuracy around 91% for the tasks in this category, which is why it holds up for RAG pipelines and internal agents.
Where it falls short
Where it frustrated us: requires technical skill.
Expect a real ramp-up — we rate the learning curve steep. Budget time for it before judging the tool.
Pricing and value for money
Pricing is Self-host free · Cloud from €24/mo. At $24 a month that is $288 a year per person, in line with the rest of the category (the category median is about $30). A free tier exists, so you can test it properly before paying.
If budget is the constraint, Make at $9/mo does much of the same work. Our cost calculator will show what adding n8n does to your monthly stack before you commit.
Who should use n8n
n8n is the right call for RAG pipelines, internal agents and data ETL. Skip it if requires technical skill is a bigger problem for you than unlimited when self-hosted is a benefit.
The alternatives worth comparing are Make ($9/mo) and Zapier ($30/mo). Put them side by side before you buy.
Worth a trial: n8n at $24/mo is best used for RAG pipelines and internal agents, and it earns 4.4/5 from us.