Relay.app vs n8n

Tagline

A workflow automation platform that is currently winding down and shutting down in 2026.

Fair-code workflow automation with native AI nodes

Category

Pricing

Rating

Platforms

API

Open source

Description

Relay.app is a workflow automation tool that is winding down its services. It will fully shut down on August 15, 2026 for free users and September 14, 2026 for paid customers. Existing users can export their workspaces, workflows, sequences, tables, and AI prompts during the wind-down period.

n8n is a source-available automation platform with 400+ integrations and LangChain-powered AI nodes.

Key features

• Workflows
• Sequences
• MCP servers
• AI prompts
• Tables
• Run history

• Cited synthesis
• Custom source allow-lists
• Team workspaces

Pros

• Existing users can keep using Relay.app and running workflows through the end of the wind-down window.
• Users can export their workflows, sequences, and MCP servers as JSON files.
• Tables data can be exported as CSV files for seamless transition.
• Paid workspaces receive an additional 25,000 steps and 10,000 AI credits per month for free during the transition.
• Automatic prorated refunds are initiated for annual customers for the unused remainder of their billing period.
• Prorated refunds for annual customers are processed quickly within 5 business days.
• Paying customers get extended access for free for 60 days through September 14, 2026.
• Past invoices remain accessible to existing users via a dedicated link.

• Self-hostable and source-available
• 400+ integrations
• Native LangChain and AI nodes
• Visual workflow builder
• JavaScript and Python code nodes
• Fair-code license
• Active open community
• Powerful branching and error handling

Cons

• The service is permanently shutting down in August/September 2026.
• New signups for the platform are now turned off.
• Free-to-paid upgrades are no longer available for existing free accounts.
• All associated user data will be permanently deleted after the respective shutdown deadlines.
• No mobile application is referenced on the main page.
• No open-source code version or self-hosting options were listed.

• Steeper learning curve than Zapier
• Self-hosting takes ops effort
• Community edition has feature limits
• Debugging complex flows is hard
• UI less polished than paid rivals
• Docs gaps in advanced features
• Enterprise features gated
• Slower than raw code at scale

Pricing plans

• Starter—
  • • Unlimited users
  • • Unlimited workflows
  • • Every integration
  • • Forum support
• Pro—
  • • Everything in Starter plan
  • • Unlimited users
  • • Unlimited workflows
  • • Every integration
• Business—
  • • Everything in Pro plan
  • • For companies with < 100 employees
  • • Custom nodes available in self-hosted
  • • Custom actions when workflow fails
• Enterprise—
  • • Everything in Business plan
  • • Custom number of workflow executions
  • • For strict compliance and governance needs
  • • Dedicated support
• Start-up Plan—
  • • 50% off the Business plan
  • • All features from the Business plan
  • • Forum support
  • • Available for self-hosted deployments
• Community Edition—
  • • Standard self-hosted version
  • • Available on GitHub

Website