n8n vs LangGraph
Updated
Which AI tool should I use? Three questions, then a pick from the ranked lists.
Some tool links may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. Rankings are never paid for or changed by that. Disclosure.
n8n and LangGraph are the two names that show up when the demo is over and someone still has to choose between a process a team can edit and software an engineer has to own. They are not the same tool. On Best Agent Builder the editorial order is n8n, then LangGraph, then Dust, then CrewAI, then Relevance AI. This page is the head-to-head of the first two ranks. Dust, CrewAI, and Relevance AI stay on the list for a company assistant, a role-metaphor demo, and a hosted ops pilot.
The verdict: open n8n (opens in a new tab) when the team already thinks in workflows. Triggers, branches, and a human approval step are first-class, and you can self-host. Open LangGraph (opens in a new tab) when engineers need explicit state, retries, and a graph they can test. Check current pricing. We are not quoting a plan. LangGraph has no price recorded on this page. n8n's free Community edition, for software you host, is on Best free AI tools. That is not a promise about a cloud bill.
The full five-tool walk is Best AI agent builder. The business-workflow framing is Best AI tool for automating business workflows. The page that starts from n8n is n8n alternatives. The page that starts from LangGraph is LangGraph alternatives. The three-way that also includes the demo is n8n vs CrewAI vs LangGraph. The company-assistant pairs are Dust vs n8n and Dust vs LangGraph. The hosted pair is n8n vs Relevance AI.
n8n, when the process already has a shape
n8n is first. The tagline is workflow automation you can self-host, with agent steps. It is the one to hand a team that already thinks in workflows. Triggers, branches, and a human approval step are first-class, and you can self-host. It is a workflow tool that grew agents, which is what most business tasks actually need.
If the work is "when this happens, do these steps, and stop for a person before the risky one," n8n matches. You are not writing a graph. You are drawing the process. Self-hosting is in the verdict. This page does not turn it into a price. Leave n8n when the people who will maintain the agent want explicit state, retries, and a graph they can test. That is the next rank, not a failure of rank 1.
LangGraph, when you are writing software
LangGraph is second. The tagline is a code library for agents with explicit state. It is the right pick when engineers need explicit state, retries, and a graph they can test. You are writing software, not dragging boxes. Skip it if nobody on the team wants to own that code.
That skip is the whole decision. A graph you can test is the reason to leave n8n. A graph nobody will own is the reason to stay. Use LangGraph when the control flow is the product and someone will maintain the graph. Do not use it because the boxes felt ordinary. Ordinary is the point of the first pick, when the team already thinks in workflows.
What this page is not
Dust is third. The tagline is company assistants over internal docs and tools. It is a calmer product for that job. It is less flexible than a code framework, and more something a non-platform team will actually keep running. Use Dust (opens in a new tab) when the source is internal docs and the operators are not a platform team. The pages are Dust vs n8n and Dust vs LangGraph.
CrewAI is fourth. The tagline is a multi-agent framework built around roles. It is approachable for multi-agent demos, and the role metaphor is easy to teach. The abstraction leaks once the task needs strict control flow. Treat it as a starting point unless you have already outgrown the demo. The three-way that includes the demo is n8n vs CrewAI vs LangGraph. The page is CrewAI alternatives.
Relevance AI is fifth. The tagline is a hosted agent builder for ops teams. It is a hosted builder for ops teams who want agents on top of spreadsheets and tools without standing up infrastructure. You trade control for speed, and the bill climbs once the workforce is real. This page does not publish that bill. The head-to-head with the workflow is n8n vs Relevance AI.
Which sentence you are in
"Triggers, branches, a human approval step, and we may self-host" is n8n. "Engineers will own a graph they can test" is LangGraph. "A company assistant over internal docs, kept by a non-platform team" is Dust, third on Best Agent Builder. "We are teaching a role-based demo" is CrewAI. "Ops wants hosting and will trade control for speed" is Relevance AI.
If you cannot name who edits it later, you do not have a comparison yet. The profiles are n8n and LangGraph. The order is the list. Check current pricing before you buy. The rank will not tell you the invoice.
The Ranked By Task team
Questions people ask
- Should I use n8n or LangGraph?
- On Best Agent Builder, n8n is first for a team that already thinks in workflows. Triggers, branches, and a human approval step are first-class, and you can self-host. LangGraph is second when engineers need explicit state, retries, and a graph they can test. Skip LangGraph if nobody on the team wants to own that code.
- Which one is the workflow tool?
- n8n. The tagline is workflow automation you can self-host, with agent steps. It is a workflow tool that grew agents, which is what most business tasks actually need. LangGraph is not that canvas. You are writing software, not dragging boxes.
- Which one is the graph engineers can test?
- LangGraph. It is the right pick when engineers need explicit state, retries, and a graph they can test. Skip it if nobody wants to own that code. A graph nobody will own is the reason to stay with n8n.
- What do n8n and LangGraph cost?
- This page does not quote a price. n8n is marked as having a free plan for software you host. That is not a cloud bill. LangGraph has no price recorded here.