Modulo vs n8n

One is built for governing AI agents across your SDLC. The other is built for connecting everything to everything. Both are self-hostable. Here is how they compare.

Dimension	Modulo	n8n
Primary use case	SDLC agent orchestration with governance. Composes AI agents into pipelines that automate pull requests, code review, testing, and deployment, with human-in-the-loop gates on the steps you choose.	General workflow automation across business and engineering processes. 400+ integrations connect SaaS tools, databases, and APIs into visual workflows.
Hosting and data residency	Self-hosted only. Runs on your infrastructure, whether cloud, air-gapped, or behind a VPN. No telemetry by default. Every tier, including the free Community edition, runs entirely under your control.	Self-hostable (Community Edition, free) or cloud-hosted (Starter, Pro, Business). Cloud plans run on n8n infrastructure in Frankfurt, Germany. Self-hosted instances run wherever you deploy them.
Licensing model	Source-available under BUSL. The farnalabs/modulo repository is public and inspectable. The license restricts the field of use but does not restrict internal use. Not OSI-approved open-source.	Source-available under the Sustainable Use License (fair-code). Permits internal business use and modification. Not OSI-approved open source. GitHub classifies the license as NOASSERTION.
Governance features	SSO/SAML, SCIM provisioning, team RBAC, immutable audit log with hash-chaining, HITL gates, bounded autonomy with per-pipeline autonomy levels, and capability scopes, all in the Team tier. Token budgets, the pipeline spend circuit breaker, and the org-wide pause are in every tier; Team adds organization and team spend limits, a budget overview, and a cost breakdown.	SSO/SAML/LDAP, Git version control, multiple environments, and 30-day execution logs. These features require the self-hosted Business plan at 667 euros/month, not available on the free Community Edition.
Pricing model	$12,000/year flat. Per organization, per deployment. No per-seat, no per-run, no usage metering. The cost does not grow when you add engineers, reviewers, security stakeholders, or QA.	Per-workflow-execution billing on cloud plans. Starter 20 euros/month (2,500 executions), Pro 50 euros/month (10,000), Business 667 euros/month (40,000). Community Edition is free with unlimited executions.
AI and agent capabilities	Agent nodes compose AI models (Claude, Copilot, Cursor, your own) into typed pipelines. Typed schemas define inputs and outputs. You set each pipeline's autonomy level, with eval scores as the evidence for raising it. Agents run on your infrastructure, your prompts, your models.	AI workflow nodes and an AI Assistant (preview). Connects to LLMs via API keys. AI capabilities are available across all plans, with AI credits included on cloud tiers. BYOK on self-hosted.
Support model	Direct, asynchronous support from the team on the Team tier: response within 24 hours, seven days a week. No sales calls, no account managers. No uptime SLA and no contractual SLA - Modulo is self-hosted and you operate the infrastructure. Self-service purchase with an offline signed license key.	Community forum on all plans. Business plan adds forum support. Enterprise plan includes dedicated support with an SLA.

Different tools for different jobs

n8n is a general-purpose workflow automation platform. It connects over 400 integrations, runs on a visual builder, and handles everything from syncing a CRM to triggering Slack notifications to orchestrating multi-step business processes. That breadth is its strength.

Modulo is narrower and deeper. It composes AI agents into typed pipelines that automate specific parts of the SDLC: pulling request handling, code review, testing, deployment, and the governance gates between them. It does not try to connect your CRM to your invoicing tool. It does not need to.

If you need a Swiss Army knife that connects everything, n8n is the right tool. If you need governed AI agents that automate your software delivery pipeline with human approval wherever you place it, Modulo is the right tool. The overlap is small, and teams can run both.

Where the governance gap sits

n8n's free Community Edition includes unlimited executions and all 400+ integrations. What it does not include is SSO, audit logging, RBAC, role-based access control, or separate production environments. Those features require the Business plan at 667 euros/month, and even then the governance layer is limited compared to what Modulo provides out of the box.

Governance is the core of Modulo's product. Agent actions pass through typed schemas and HITL gates. Evals measure whether an agent has earned the right to run autonomously. The audit trail is hash-chained and immutable. These controls are built into the architecture.

The structural difference: n8n charges you more to unlock governance. Modulo includes governance in every tier, because governance is the whole point.

When Modulo is the better fit

SDLC-specific agent orchestration. Pipelines compose agents that automate pull requests, code review, testing, and deployment.
Governance at a predictable cost. SSO, SCIM, RBAC, audit logging, HITL gates, bounded autonomy, and cost controls for $12,000/year flat.
Self-hosted or air-gapped at every tier, including the free Community edition. No telemetry by default.
Cost that does not grow with headcount. Adding reviewers, security stakeholders, legal, and QA costs nothing extra.
Typed agent schemas with bounded autonomy. You raise each pipeline's autonomy level when eval scores and gate history support it, and per-agent token budgets hard-stop any run that overspends.

When n8n is the better fit

400+ pre-built integrations covering SaaS tools, databases, APIs, and developer platforms. The broadest integration library in the workflow automation space.
A mature visual workflow builder with years of community contributions and production use.
Free Community Edition with unlimited executions and unlimited active workflows. No execution cap on self-hosted.
Per-execution billing makes complex, multi-step workflows cheaper than per-step competitors like Zapier or Make.
Active open community with 200k+ GitHub stars and extensive community-contributed nodes and templates.

Try Modulo

Modulo is self-hosted. You can evaluate it without talking to anyone.

Community edition (free) Team tier ($12,000/year)

Questions? Open a discussion on GitHub.