The Free n8n Alternative

A free, open-source workflow automation tool with a powerful visual node-based interface.
Built for the community, by the community.

Try n9n instantly without installing anything.

No signup required.
Your workflows and data stay inside your browser.

• Visual Workflow Builder - Drag and drop nodes to create automated workflows
• AI Integration - Built-in AI nodes powered by OpenRouter (GPT-4, Claude, Llama, etc.)
• Social Media Automation - Post to X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram DMs
• Email Automation - Draft and send emails
• Web Scraping - Extract data from any website
• Community Nodes - Create and share custom nodes with the community
• Free & Open Source - No subscriptions, no limits

n9n/
├── index.html              # Main application file
├── js/
│   └── n9n.js              # Core node system and registry
├── nodes/
│   ├── core/               # Built-in core nodes
│   │   ├── manual-trigger.js
│   │   ├── ask-ai.js
│   │   ├── post-to-x.js
│   │   └── ... (18 core nodes)
│   └── community/          # Community-contributed nodes
│       └── (your custom nodes here)
├── css/                    # Styles (if needed)
└── README.md

• Manual Trigger - Start workflow with button click
• Static Data - Input CSV, JSON, or plain text
• Daily Trigger - Schedule daily runs

• Ask AI - Generic AI prompt with any model
• AI Writer - Structured content generation

• Split Text - Split strings by delimiter
• Loop Items - Iterate over arrays
• Loop JSON - Iterate over object arrays
• Delay - Add pauses between nodes
• Text Formatter - Find/replace text transformations

• Open URL - Open URLs in new tabs
• Web Scraper - Extract website data with CSS selectors

• Draft Email - Open email client with pre-filled content
• Auto Email - Send via webhook/API
• WordPress Draft - Create WordPress posts
• Post to X - Post to Twitter/X
• Post to LinkedIn - Share on LinkedIn
• Instagram DM - Open Instagram DM threads

1. Click Library in the top navbar

2. Switch to the Create Node tab

3. Fill in the details:

   • Node Name - Display name
   • Category - Where it appears in the sidebar
   • Icon Color - Visual identifier
   • SVG Icon - Find icons at heroicons.com
   • Description - Help users understand your node
   • GitHub Username - Get recognition!

4. Write your Execute Function:

// node - contains the node's config
// inputData - data from the previous node
// Return the output data for the next node

const text = inputData || '';
const result = text.toUpperCase();
n9n.addLog('Converted to uppercase: ' + result, 'success');
return result;

5. Click Create Node & Save Locally

Create a new .js file in the nodes/community/ folder:

/**
 * n9n Node: My Custom Node
 * Category: action
 * Description: What my node does
 * Author: your-github-username
 * Version: 1.0.0
 */

n9n.registerNode({
  id: 'my-custom-node',           // Unique identifier
  category: 'action',             // trigger | ai | logic | action | integration | community
  name: 'My Custom Node',         // Display name
  color: '#ec4899',               // Brand color
  icon: `<path stroke-linecap="round" ... />`,  // SVG icon path
  config: {                       // Default config
    option1: 'default value',
    option2: 42
  },
  suggests: ['next-node-id'],     // Suggested next nodes
  githubUsername: 'your-username', // For attribution
  
  documentation: {
    description: 'Detailed description of what this node does',
    input: 'What input it expects',
    output: 'What output it produces',
    example: 'Example usage scenario'
  },

  // Optional: Custom config form
  generateConfigForm: (node) => {
    return `
      <div>
        <label>Option 1</label>
        <input onchange="n9n.updateConfig('${node.id}', 'option1', this.value)" 
               value="${node.config.option1}">
      </div>
    `;
  },

  // Required: Execute function
  execute: async (node, inputData) => {
    // Your logic here
    const result = doSomething(inputData);
    n9n.addLog('Processing complete!', 'success');
    return result;
  }
});

1. Fork this repository on GitHub
2. Clone your fork locally
3. Create a new file in nodes/community/:

   touch nodes/community/my-awesome-node.js

4. Copy your node code into the file
5. Test your node locally
6. Commit with a descriptive message:

   git add nodes/community/my-awesome-node.js
   git commit -m "Add My Awesome Node - converts text to emoji"

7. Push to your fork:

   git push origin main

8. Create a Pull Request on GitHub

1. In n9n, go to Library → My Nodes
2. Click Share on your custom node
3. Click Create Issue
4. GitHub will open with a pre-filled template
5. Submit the issue with your node code

• Nodes should have clear, descriptive names
• Include documentation (description, input, output, example)
• Use consistent code style
• Test your node thoroughly
• Add your GitHub username for attribution
• Choose appropriate category
• ❌ No malicious code
• ❌ No hardcoded API keys (use config)

/**
 * n9n Node: [Node Name]
 * Category: [trigger|ai|logic|action|integration|community]
 * Description: [What it does]
 * Author: [Your GitHub username]
 * Version: 1.0.0
 */

n9n.registerNode({
  id: '[unique-node-id]',
  category: '[category]',
  name: '[Display Name]',
  color: '#hexcolor',
  icon: `<path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="..."/>`,
  config: {},
  suggests: [],
  githubUsername: '[your-username]',
  
  documentation: {
    description: 'What this node does',
    input: 'Expected input',
    output: 'Produced output',
    example: 'Usage example'
  },

  execute: async (node, inputData) => {
    // Implementation
    return outputData;
  }
});

Inside your node's execute function, you have access to:

// Logging
n9n.addLog('Message', 'info');     // info | success | error | warning

// Template rendering (handlebars-style)
const result = n9n.renderTemplate('Hello {{data}}', { name: 'World' });
// Result: "Hello World"

// JSON extraction from text
const json = n9n.extractJsonFromText(textWithJson);

// Access models for AI nodes
const models = n9n.models;
const options = n9n.getModelsOptions(selectedModel);

// User settings
const apiKey = n9n.userSettings.apiKey;

Click the ⚙️ Settings button to configure:

• Default OpenRouter API Key - For AI nodes
• Prompt Shortcuts - Create shortcuts like /intro that expand to full prompts

Settings are saved to browser localStorage.

n9n uses browser localStorage for:

• Workflow states
• Saved workflows
• User settings
• Custom nodes

Note: Clear your browser data will erase your workflows. Export important workflows!

• Check browser console for errors
• Verify the node file is loaded in index.html
• Ensure id is unique

• Check for JavaScript syntax errors
• Use n9n.addLog() to debug
• Verify inputData handling for null/undefined

• Update the repository URL in the code
• Ensure you're logged into GitHub

• Server-side execution
• Webhook triggers
• Database integrations
• More AI providers
• Node marketplace
• Workflow sharing
• Team collaboration

Want to improve n9n itself? We welcome contributions!

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Commit: git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
6. Push: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
7. Open a Pull Request

This project is source-available for learning and personal use only.

Commercial usage, resale, SaaS hosting, redistribution, or monetization is prohibited without written permission.

© 2026 Aditya Gupta

• Inspired by n8n
• Icons from Heroicons
• AI powered by OpenRouter

Built by the n9n community.

GitHub • Issues • Discussions