Relevance AI vs n8n: Which AI Agent Platform in 2026
Relevance AI sells ready made agent workforces for sales teams. n8n is an open source workflow engine you can self host for free. Here is who should pick which.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Pick Relevance AI if you run a sales or go to market team and want ready made agents, like a BDR prospector or meeting prep agent, chained into workforces without building them; Pro starts at $29 a month. Pick n8n if you have someone technical and want the cheapest, most flexible engine: free to self host, or about $27 a month in the cloud for 2,500 executions.
Side by side
| Spec | Relevance AI | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| BestBots Score | 3.9 | 4.3 |
| Starting price | $29 per month | €24 per month billed monthly (about $27) |
| Pricing model | per action | per workflow execution |
| Free trial | None listed | 14 day free cloud trial with Pro features, 1,000 executions, no credit card |
| Free tier | None (Free plan retired) | Self hosted Community Edition free; 14 day cloud trial with 1,000 executions |
| Paid from | $29 per month (2,500 Actions) | €24 per month billed monthly, €20 billed annually (about $27 and $22.51) for 2,500 executions |
| Models | Gemini, GPT, Claude, Kimi, GLM; bring your own keys | Any model, cloud or local; AI models without API keys on cloud plans |
| Integrations count | 2,000+ apps and 1,000+ triggers | 500+ built in integrations plus any HTTP API |
| Code option | Python and JavaScript steps, API, SDK and MCP | JavaScript and Python |
| Self host | No | Yes, Docker, on premises or air gapped |
The short answer
Relevance AI is an agent product. You start from specialist agents built for revenue teams, give them tools (step by step automations) and connect them into Workforces that hand work to each other with AI handoffs or fixed next steps. It is cloud only and aimed at business users.
n8n is a workflow engine with agents inside. You build visual workflows with triggers, app nodes, code steps and AI agent nodes, and run them in n8n's cloud or on your own servers. It is open source, billed per workflow execution, and aimed at technical teams.
- Choose Relevance AI for prebuilt go to market agents, the larger integration list and an easier start.
- Choose n8n for the lowest cost at volume, self hosting, any model including local ones, and full control in code.
Pricing
| Line item | Relevance AI | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | None; Free plan retired | Community Edition free to self host; 14 day cloud trial with 1,000 executions |
| Entry plan, monthly | Pro $29 | Starter €24, about $27 |
| Entry plan, annual | $19 a month | €20, about $22.51 |
| What the entry plan includes | 2,500 Actions, $20 Vendor Credits, 2 builders, 1 project | 2,500 executions, unlimited steps and users, 5 concurrent |
| Mid tier | Team $349 monthly, $234 annually (7,000 Actions, $70 Vendor Credits, 5 builders, 45 end users) | Pro €60 monthly, about $67.52 (10,000 executions); €145 for 50,000 |
| Upper tier | Enterprise, quote only | Business €800 monthly, about $900 (40,000 executions, self hosted, SSO) |
| Billing unit | Action, one per tool run however many steps | Execution, one per workflow run, unlimited steps |
| Model costs | Vendor Credits at wholesale, or bring your own keys | Your own keys, or AI models included on cloud plans |
| Overage | $80 per 1,000 Actions; $20 per 10,000 Vendor Credits | €4,000 per extra 300,000 executions on Business |
n8n lists prices in euros only; USD figures use the ECB reference rate of 1.1253 on October 16, 2026. Relevance AI's Pro and Team prices are in its help center; its public pricing page shows Enterprise only.
Worked comparisons.
- A small team running 2,000 agent jobs a month. Relevance AI Pro: $29, if Vendor Credits cover model use. n8n Starter: about $27 plus your model API bill, or $0 plus a server if you self host.
- 20,000 jobs a month. Relevance AI needs Team ($349) plus extra Actions, since Team includes 7,000; 13,000 extra Actions at $80 per 1,000 adds $1,040. n8n Pro at €145 (about $163) covers 50,000 executions.
- Long agent chains. A 30 step n8n workflow still counts as one execution. A Relevance AI tool counts as one Action however many steps it has, but every agent and tool call in a workforce is metered.
At volume, n8n is the cheaper engine by a wide margin. Relevance AI's price buys prebuilt agents and less build time. More in the AI Price Index.
Models and features
| Feature | Relevance AI | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| How you build | Configure specialist agents and tools, chain into Workforces | Visual workflows with agent nodes, code steps and sub workflows |
| Prebuilt agents | BDR prospector, enricher, meeting prepper, post call actioner, deal reviewer, forecaster | Templates, not packaged agents |
| Multi agent | Workforces with AI handoffs or fixed next steps | Multi agent workflows and RAG |
| Models | Gemini, GPT, Claude, Kimi, GLM; bring your own keys | Any cloud or local model (OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama) |
| Integrations | 2,000+ apps and 1,000+ triggers | 500+ built in plus any HTTP API |
| Code | Python and JavaScript steps, API, SDK, MCP | JavaScript and Python nodes, full source code |
| Phone and meetings | Calling and meeting agents on Team | Through telephony and meeting APIs you connect |
| Self host | No | Yes: Docker, on premises, air gapped |
| Users | 2 builders on Pro, 5 builders and 45 end users on Team | Unlimited users on every plan |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR; SSO, RBAC, audit logs, PII masking on Enterprise | SSO, SAML and LDAP on Business; your own infrastructure if self hosted |
Specific head to head scenarios
An SDR team that wants outbound agents this month
Winner: Relevance AI. The prospecting, research, enrichment and meeting scheduling agents map straight onto the BDR workflow, and a Workforce can qualify, enrich and route leads in sequence. On n8n you would design all of it.
A startup with one engineer automating operations
Winner: n8n. Unlimited users, unlimited steps per execution, code nodes and a free self hosted option let one engineer build a lot for very little. The n8n review covers the Start-up Plan, 50% off Business for small funded companies.
A regulated company that cannot send data to a vendor cloud
Winner: n8n. It runs on premises or air gapped with local models through Ollama. Relevance AI is cloud only, though its Enterprise plan adds PII masking and audit logs.
A marketing team with no developers
Winner: Relevance AI. Agents are configured, not coded, and the larger integration list covers the usual stack (Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, LinkedIn, Notion, Google Drive). n8n's learning curve is the most common complaint about it.
High volume background jobs
Winner: n8n. Per execution billing with unlimited steps, and 50,000 executions for about $163 a month on Pro. Relevance AI's $80 per 1,000 overage gets expensive fast.
Privacy
Relevance AI lists SOC 2 Type II and GDPR, with SSO, role based access at the asset level, audit logs, retention policies and PII masking on Enterprise. It passes model costs through Vendor Credits or your own keys. n8n's cloud plans run on n8n's infrastructure; self hosting keeps workflows, credentials and data on your own servers, and you choose which model provider sees your prompts, including local models that send data nowhere. If data residency matters, n8n gives you more control; if you want a vendor to own security, Relevance AI's Enterprise controls are more complete out of the box.
Verdict
Relevance AI wins for revenue teams that want working agents quickly and are happy to pay for packaged agents and a hosted platform. n8n wins for technical teams, high volumes and anyone who needs self hosting, and it is the cheaper engine at almost every size. If you are unsure, start with n8n's free trial and Relevance AI's Pro plan for a month each on the same job and compare the bill. Both are ranked in best AI agent builders, and how to build an AI agent walks through the build itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n cheaper than Relevance AI?
Usually, yes. n8n's Community Edition is free if you host it, and cloud Starter is about $27 a month for 2,500 executions with unlimited steps. Relevance AI Pro is $29 a month for 2,500 Actions plus $20 in Vendor Credits, and extra Actions cost $80 per 1,000.
Which is easier to use?
Relevance AI for business users, because it ships specialist agents such as a BDR prospector, meeting prepper and post call actioner that you configure rather than build. n8n has a steeper learning curve and rewards people comfortable with APIs, JSON and some JavaScript or Python.
Can I self host Relevance AI?
No. Relevance AI is cloud only. n8n can run on Docker, on premises or air gapped, which is why regulated and security minded teams often choose it.
Which is better for sales teams?
Relevance AI. Its agent library is aimed at go to market work, including prospecting, enrichment, meeting prep, follow up, deal reviews and forecasting, and Workforces chain those agents together. You can build the same in n8n, but you build it.
Which models do they support?
Relevance AI lists Gemini, GPT, Claude, Kimi and GLM, with bring your own keys on every plan. n8n works with any cloud or local model, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Ollama, and cloud plans include AI models without your own API keys.
Do they have free trials?
n8n cloud has a 14 day trial with 1,000 executions, and the self hosted edition is free indefinitely. Relevance AI retired its Free plan, so you start on Pro.