Comparison
actionlake vs n8n
n8n alternative for AI agents
n8n is a workflow automation platform with 2,000+ integrations that you can self-host; its instance-level MCP server lets an AI client run the workflows you have built and exposed. actionlake is an MCP gateway an agent calls directly: 995 vendor connectors and 289,000+ actions with no workflow to build, billed per upstream call, with per-key caps, approvals and one-call answers across two systems.
Checked 22 October 2026 · every fact links its source
Which to choose
It depends on the job.
n8n builds workflows from nodes, with AI agent nodes, human review of AI tool calls, and an instance-level MCP server that exposes the workflows you mark as available. It runs on n8n Cloud or on your own servers under the Sustainable Use License.
Choose n8n if
- You want to self-host on your own servers, free under the Sustainable Use License.
- You want event-driven workflows that start on triggers and webhooks.
- You prefer to design each process as a visual workflow and expose it to agents as a tool.
- You need an integration from n8n's 2,000+ that actionlake does not have.
Choose actionlake if
- You want the agent to reach the systems directly, without building a workflow for each task.
- You want a spending cap per agent key, refused before the request is sent.
- You want a hash-chained record of each call on every plan; n8n lists audit logging on Enterprise.
- You ask a question across two systems and want the join done for you in one call.
Credit where due
Where n8n is stronger
- Self-hosting: the Community edition runs on your own servers; Business is self-hosted.
- Triggers and webhooks start workflows on events; actionlake has none, by design.
- Human review of AI tool calls, with approvals in Slack, email, Teams, chat and more.
- Breadth and control: 2,000+ integrations, a Merge node with inner, outer, left and right joins, and code steps.
The difference
Where actionlake differs
- Unit: n8n bills a whole workflow run as one execution; actionlake bills each upstream call. For a workflow with many steps n8n can cost less per action.
- Shape: with n8n you build the workflow first and the agent runs it; with actionlake the agent finds and calls the action itself, and a repeated task can be saved as a plan.
- Scope: n8n's MCP access is not scoped per client; actionlake scopes each key by action, service or verb.
Feature by feature
15 things we compared.
Each n8n cell links the page we read it on. Checked 22 October 2026.
| Feature | actionlake | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted MCP server | YesOne endpoint, https://connect.actionlake.com/mcp, over Streamable HTTP; a REST API with the same behavior. | YesInstance-level MCP server, URL ending /mcp-server/http; exposes workflows marked available in MCP. Cloud clients need a publicly reachable instance.Source: docs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/accessing-n8n-mcp-server |
| How a client signs in | YesOAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration and PKCE, or an actionlake key. The agent holds an actionlake key, never a vendor token. | YesOAuth (recommended) or a personal access token tied to a user.Source: docs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/accessing-n8n-mcp-server |
| Apps and actions | Yes995 vendor connectors and 289,000+ actions behind eight tools. An agent can draft, test and sign a connector for an API that is missing. | Yes2,000+ integrations (2,367 listed) and an HTTP Request node. Agents run workflows, not raw app actions.Source: n8n.io/integrations |
| What is billed | YesOne upstream call: a request actionlake sent to a vendor that returned a definitive response. Searching, checking, planning, cached answers and failures you did not cause (a vendor's 401, 403, 429, 5xx or a timeout) are free. | YesWorkflow execution: one run of a whole workflow, however many steps.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
| Free allowance | Yes100,000 upstream calls a month, no card. | YesCommunity edition, self-hosted, from GitHub. Cloud plans are paid.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
| Limit which actions an agent can use | YesPer key: by action, by service, by verb, or read-only. A key can mint narrower keys, never wider ones. | PartlyEach workflow is enabled for MCP one by one, but access is not scoped per MCP client.Source: docs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/accessing-n8n-mcp-server |
| Spending cap per agent key | YesA cap in upstream calls per key. A child key's calls count against each parent. Refused before the request is sent. | Not statedPlans set execution and concurrency limits; no per-client spending cap was described.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
| A person approves a write before it runs | YesDestructive actions need an explicit confirmation, and under the key's `human` policy the agent cannot give it, so a person approves. Approval rules make chosen actions, or every write, wait for a named person, who decides in the console or from an emailed signed link. | YesHuman review before an AI agent runs a chosen tool, through chat, Slack, email, Teams and other channels.Source: docs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/human-in-the-loop-tools |
| Record of each call | YesOne ledger row per run, hash-chained and sealed daily, with the agent's stated reason (kept 90 days). Request and response traces are kept for the plan's window. | PartlyAudit logging and log streaming are Enterprise features.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
| Scan call data for sensitive content | NoSecrets are removed from traces. Call data is not scanned or redacted for personal data. | PartlyExecution data redaction on Enterprise.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
| One question across two systems | YesThe ask tool fetches from two or more systems, joins on a shared entity such as the customer, and returns the answer, not the rows. | YesThe Merge node joins two inputs by matching fields or SQL, inside a workflow you build.Source: docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.merge |
| Event triggers and webhooks | NoBy design. Agents and schedules start the work; a scheduled plan can ask what changed since the last run. | YesTrigger nodes such as the Webhook node start a workflow when an event occurs.Source: docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.webhook |
| Self-host | NoHosted service only: actionlake runs in one region in Sydney, Australia, and no self-hosted edition is offered. | YesCommunity edition under the Sustainable Use License; Business is self-hosted with a licence key.Source: github.com/n8n-io/n8n |
| Security certifications | NoNone held yet. SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and a third-party penetration test are in progress. | Not statedNot checked for this page.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
| Where data is processed | YesOne region: Sydney, Australia (DigitalOcean syd1). Stored in Australia at rest; TLS terminates at Cloudflare's edge. | PartlySelf-hosted: wherever you run it. Cloud region not checked.Source: n8n.io/pricing |
"Not stated" means the vendor pages we read did not describe the feature. It is not a claim that the feature is missing. Checked 22 October 2026.
Pricing
What 100,000 and 1,000,000 calls a month cost.
n8n's unit: Workflow execution = one run of a whole workflow; counted here as 5 actions. Plan used: Cloud Pro at 100,000 actions; self-hosted Business at 1,000,000. actionlake's figure is the cheapest plan that fits the volume, from the published price book; one upstream call counts as one action.
| Calls a month | actionlake | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000 | US$0 a monthUS$0.00 per 1,000 callsFree: US$0 a month, 100,000 calls included. | €120 a month€1.20 per 1,000 callsestimatethird-party figure20,000 executions on Pro 50,000, about EUR 120 a month billed annually. The Pro 50,000 price comes from a third-party listing; n8n's page shows Pro 10,000 at EUR 50.Source: n8n.io/pricing, read 21 October 2026 |
| 1,000,000 | US$219 a monthUS$0.22 per 1,000 callsPro: US$149 a month for 750,000 calls, plus 250,000 calls at US$0.28 per 1,000. | €4,667 a month€4.67 per 1,000 calls200,000 executions on self-hosted Business: EUR 667 for 40,000, plus one EUR 4,000 bucket of 300,000. No public cloud price covers this volume.Source: n8n.io/pricing, read 22 October 2026 |
Caveats
- n8n counts a whole workflow run as one execution. At five steps a run, each step a vendor call, one execution is five actions; with fewer vendor calls per run, n8n costs more per action than shown.
- If an agent calls one n8n workflow per tool call, each tool call is one execution: 100,000 tool calls would be 100,000 executions.
- Self-hosted Community edition has no licence fee; you pay for the servers and their upkeep.
- n8n prices in euros; figures are shown in euros.
How we priced it
- List prices on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown, annual billing where the vendor offers it.
- The smallest plan or ladder step that covers the volume, plus published overage where that is cheaper.
- Each vendor bills a different unit. The unit is named on every row, and the conversion to one action or one tool call is stated.
- Where no public price covers the volume, the cell says so. Nothing is estimated from a sales quote.
actionlake's figures are the USD list. Searching the catalogue, checking a call, planning, cached answers and failed calls are not billed. See every plan on the pricing page.
Moving over
Migration notes
- Keep n8n workflows that start on triggers or webhooks; actionlake has none.
- For tasks an agent runs on request, connect the systems to actionlake and let the agent call the actions directly.
- Turn a workflow an agent repeats into an actionlake plan: saved, versioned and resumable, with approval steps.
- Move scheduled workflows that only read and report to actionlake schedules, run under a named key with a cap.
Questions
Asked about n8n and actionlake
Does n8n have an MCP server?
Yes. n8n's instance-level MCP server lets an AI client search, run and edit workflows you mark as available in MCP; it signs in with OAuth or a personal access token. Access is not scoped per MCP client (docs.n8n.io, checked 22 October 2026).
Is n8n cheaper than actionlake?
It can be. n8n bills a whole workflow run as one execution, so long workflows cost little per step, and the self-hosted Community edition has no licence fee. actionlake bills each upstream call and needs no workflow to be built.
Can actionlake run on my own servers like n8n?
No. actionlake is hosted in Sydney, Australia, and no self-hosted edition is offered.
Does actionlake have human approvals like n8n?
Yes. A key can require a person to approve writes or every action, and approval rules can name the approver. The run waits until the person decides in the console or from an emailed link.
Sources
- n8n pricingn8n.io/pricing · read 22 October 2026
- n8n instance-level MCP serverdocs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/accessing-n8n-mcp-server · read 22 October 2026
- n8n human review of AI tool callsdocs.n8n.io/advanced-ai/human-in-the-loop-tools · read 22 October 2026
- n8n Merge nodedocs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.merge · read 22 October 2026
- n8n integrationsn8n.io/integrations · read 22 October 2026
- n8n Webhook nodedocs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.webhook · read 22 October 2026
- n8n on GitHubgithub.com/n8n-io/n8n · read 22 October 2026
We wrote these pages, so read them with that in mind. Each competitor is stronger somewhere, and each page says where. If a fact here is out of date, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it.
Give your agent every system, with limits.
Start free - 100,000 calls/month, no card. No signup. Hard caps on every key. Cached answers are free.