Lindy vs n8n: the open-source system you self-host

Lindy is a hosted AI teammate priced in credits, and n8n is a self-hostable workflow tool billed by executions. This comparison sorts both by what you actually own and run, next to Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System.

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Lindy vs n8n, sorted by what you own

Lindy rents the runtime; n8n and Kortix both self-host, and every rival cell quotes the project's own pages.

Our pick — open sourceKortix

Open source: Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it.
Self-hosting: Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-prem. Self-host is free.
Model choice: Any model provider with your own keys.
Where agents and memory live: One git repo you own.
Pricing model: Free tier with pooled credits; self-host is free.
Extensibility: Agents, skills, connectors, and tools as files in the repo.
Approvals: Approval gates you set. Off until you set them.

Hosted teammateLindy

Open source: No. A hosted service.
Self-hosting: Lindy's cloud only.
Model choice: A model per task from those Lindy hosts.
Where agents and memory live: In Lindy's cloud; it says memory sits in plain files.
Pricing model: Credits per active seat, refreshed monthly, no rollover.
Extensibility: 40+ skills and any MCP server.
Approvals: Anything with outside impact waits for approval.

Self-hostable workflow tooln8n

Open source: The code is public and self-hostable; n8n calls its model fair-code.
Self-hosting: Self-host the full tool; n8n Cloud is the managed option.
Model choice: Connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open-source models.
Where agents and memory live: In your own instance; n8n Cloud keeps data in the EU.
Pricing model: Executions per plan; one run of a whole workflow is one.
Extensibility: Custom code in JavaScript or Python, plus npm packages.
Approvals: Human approval steps inside a workflow.

Lindy vs n8n, and the one question that sorts them

The pair looks close until you ask who runs it. n8n is a workflow tool you download and run yourself. Lindy is a hosted teammate you reach over the web, and you rent its runtime by the credit. Kortix is a third option: the open-source AI Operating System, where agents, skills, memory, and connectors sit in one git repo you own and the same stack self-hosts.

What n8n is

n8n's own docs call it a fair-code workflow automation tool that combines AI features with business process automation. Its repository describes "a fair-code platform to build and deploy AI agents and workflows," with a visual canvas, custom code, 1,500+ integrations, and a self-hostable server (n8n on GitHub, checked October 2026). It bills n8n Cloud by executions, where one run of an entire workflow is one execution. Its model layer connects OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open-source models.

What Lindy is

Lindy is a hosted AI teammate: it plugs into your tools, learns how you work, and takes work off your plate, in its own words. You reach it over the web, Slack, email, and SMS, with 1,000+ integrations and 40+ skills. It bills in credits that refresh monthly and do not roll over, and every active seat draws from one shared pool (Lindy pricing, checked October 2026). The credit arithmetic is on the Lindy priced out page.

Where the system lives, and how to run it yourself

This is the line that sorts the three. n8n self-hosts on a server you control, and so does Kortix. Lindy does not: its own pages show no self-hosting option, so its runtime stays in Lindy's cloud. On Kortix the whole system is files. Each agent is agents/<name>.md plus an agents.<name> block in kortix.yaml, and company memory is plain files today in the same repo. Three commands install and start the stack on a Linux box you control:

curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bashkortix self-host init --domain kortix.example.com --admin-email you@example.comkortix self-host start

The steps are in the Kortix docs, and the self-hosting guide walks through the choices. Both self-hostable options hand you the runtime, and only Kortix hands you the configuration and the memory as files you can read, fork, and audit. The wider field is on Lindy alternatives, and if the other tool on your desk is Zapier, Lindy vs Zapier covers that pair.

FAQ

Lindy vs n8n, answered

Short answers about self-hosting, models, and where the memory lives.

Q01

Can I self-host both Lindy and n8n?

n8n self-hosts on a server you control, and Lindy does not: its own pages show no self-hosting option. Kortix self-hosts too, and the stack is free to run on your own machines.

Q02

Which models can each one use?

n8n connects OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or open-source models. Lindy offers a model per task from those it hosts. Kortix runs any model provider with your own keys.

Q03

Where do the agents and the memory live?

On n8n they live in your instance when self-hosted; on Lindy they stay in Lindy's cloud. On Kortix they are files in one git repo you own.

Q04

Is n8n open source?

n8n describes its own model as fair-code, with source you can read and self-host. Kortix is open source: you can read it, fork it, and audit it. For the wider set, see Lindy alternatives.

Run the stack on your own machines.

Self-host is free, and the configuration stays yours.

Try Kortix See the self-hosting guide

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem