n8n, with the governance layer you were going to build anyway.
n8n is a good product with a large community. Teams usually leave it when they need budgets per tenant, approvals in the engine, a health check before the first run, or one control plane for many customers. This page compares both honestly, including the places where n8n is ahead.
n8n facts as published on n8n.io in September 2026. OCNORA numbers are counted from the running catalog on 2026-09-14. Tell us if something is out of date.
What each one has today.
| Capability | OCNORA | n8n | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual builder | |||
| Code node | partial | OCNORA: Python. n8n: JavaScript and Python. | |
| Integrations | 1,000+ providers · 8,200+ node types | 2,174 integrations | Different units: OCNORA counts providers and node types; n8n counts integrations. |
| AI agent node | |||
| AI budgets per tenant (tokens + USD, circuit breakers) | |||
| Human-in-the-loop | |||
| Workflow Health before the first run | |||
| Auto Fix | |||
| Multi-tenant control plane | n8n runs one instance per customer or environment. | ||
| Embed inside your product | partial | n8n: Enterprise embed licence only. | |
| MCP server and client | |||
| Evaluations | OCNORA: via the API and builder panel. | ||
| SSO (SAML) | OCNORA: on the roadmap; JIT SSO for embedded hosts today. | ||
| Git-backed environments | |||
| External secret stores | partial | OCNORA: Google Cloud KMS; AWS, Azure and Vault adapters on the roadmap. | |
| SOC 2 | |||
| Self-host with Helm | |||
| Business ROI reports per workflow | partial | n8n: execution insights. | |
| UI languages | 21 | 1 | n8n ships an English UI; community translations exist. |
| Import n8n workflows | — |
- 2,174 integrations; 204k GitHub stars; community edition under a fair-code licence.
- Per-execution pricing, unlimited users.
- SOC 2; SSO with SAML and LDAP; external secret stores; Git environments; workflow diff.
- Evaluations, MCP server and client, AI agent node.
- Starter
- €20 / month · 2,500 executions
- Pro
- €50 / month · 10,000 executions
- Business
- €667 / month · self-hosted
- Enterprise
- custom
- 8,200+ node types across 1,000+ providers; 85 trigger types; 21 UI languages.
- Multi-tenant control plane with per-tenant AI budgets, plugins and secrets; embed with JIT SSO.
- Human-in-the-loop as a node; Workflow Health before the first run; Auto Fix; ops center; business ROI reports.
- Envelope-encrypted secrets, PII crypto-shred, audit log on every mutation and run step, offline signed licence.
- Python code node, 6 model vendors plus local models, MCP server and client, evaluations via the API.
Pricing follows executions and AI spend; see pricing.
Drop the JSON file in. Three steps.
The importer reads n8n workflow JSON and produces an OCNORA workflow that goes straight through Workflow Health. You see what mapped, what was rewritten, and what needs a decision before anything runs.
- STEP 1
Export from n8n
Download the workflow as JSON from n8n (one file per workflow, or the whole folder).
- STEP 2
Import into OCNORA
Drop the file on the Workflows page. The importer maps the nodes and shows a report: mapped, rewritten, stand-in.
- STEP 3
Connect and run Health
Fill the connection requests the importer created, then let Workflow Health validate, pre-flight and dry-run the result.
| In the n8n file | What the importer does |
|---|---|
| ~45 n8n node types | Mapped one-to-one onto OCNORA node types, with parameters carried across. |
| IF nodes | Become control.branch rules with the same conditions. |
| Expressions | Rewritten from n8n syntax to OCNORA expressions ({{ $json.x }} style) and checked by the validator. |
| Sticky notes | Dropped. The workflow description keeps their text. |
| Unknown node types | Become stand-in nodes that keep the original configuration. You can request the app from inside the builder, and the team sees the demand. |
| Credentials | Never in the file, never imported. The importer creates a connection request per credential the workflow needs. |
When n8n is the better choice.
We would rather you pick the right tool than pick us and regret it.
You need SAML today
n8n ships SSO with SAML and LDAP. OCNORA has JIT SSO for embedded hosts; SAML and OIDC for the dashboard are on the roadmap.
You want Git-backed environments
n8n’s source control and environments are mature. OCNORA has versions with restore and diff, but not Git-backed promotion between environments.
You rely on a large community
n8n has a large community, forum, thousands of templates and a fair-code community edition. OCNORA ships a curated template set and a design-partner programme.
Procurement requires a SOC 2 report
n8n has one. OCNORA documents its controls and shares them under NDA, and does not claim an attestation it does not hold.
If none of those are blockers and you need per-tenant budgets, approvals in the engine, a health check before the first run, or one control plane for many customers, OCNORA is the shorter path. See the product or enterprise pages.
Import your n8n workflows in an afternoon.
Export the JSON, drop it in, fill the connection requests, and let Workflow Health tell you what will run before it does.