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Software · head to head

Airbase vs n8n

Airbase logo

Airbase

Software

The first all-in-one spend management platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
n8n logo

n8n

Software

The fair-code workflow automation tool

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only n8n has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Airbase airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.; n8n starter tier limited to 1 project and 5 concurrent executions
  • They diverge on capability: Airbase covers Corporate cards, n8n covers Workflow automation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Airbase and n8n actually diverge.

Attributes where Airbase and n8n differ
AttributeAirbasen8n
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Docker, Self-hosted
Founded20172019

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Airbase

  • Corporate cards
  • Bill payments
  • Expense management
  • Procurement
  • Approvals
  • NetSuite
  • Sage Intacct
  • QuickBooks

Only in n8n

  • Workflow automation
  • Visual editor
  • Conditional execution
  • Looping
  • Error handling
  • Scheduling
  • Webhooks
  • REST API

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Airbase

  • Spend managementnot n8n
  • Expense reportingnot n8n
  • Vendor paymentsnot n8n

n8n

  • Building AI agents and workflow automation for technical teamsnot Airbase
  • Visual workflow design with capability to write custom JavaScript or Python codenot Airbase
  • Enterprise deployments with self-hosted or cloud optionsnot Airbase
  • Integrating 500+ pre-built applications with custom API connectionsnot Airbase

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Airbase

  • Airbase was acquired by Paylocity; its pricing page now redirects to paylocity.com/pricing and the product is marketed as 'Airbase, a Paylocity Company' within Paylocity's HCM platform rather than as a standalone product.

n8n

  • Starter tier limited to 1 project and 5 concurrent executions
  • Starter and Pro tiers restricted to Cloud hosting only, not self-hosted
  • Business tier requires 6 months minimum commitment at €667/month
  • SSO/SAML/LDAP authentication requires Business or Enterprise tier
  • Dedicated support with SLA available only on Enterprise plan

Pricing, plan by plan

Airbase

$29/month
  • StandardFree
    • Corporate cards
    • Expense reports
    • Bill pay
  • Premium$10/month
    • Advanced approvals
    • NetSuite sync
    • Procurement
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom workflows
    • API access
    • Dedicated support

n8n

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the n8n review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Airbase if

  • You need corporate cards.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want bill payments.
Airbase review

Choose n8n if

  • You need workflow automation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Docker, Self-hosted.
  • You also want visual editor.
n8n review

Questions people ask

Is Airbase or n8n better?
Neither clearly leads. Airbase starts at $29/month and n8n at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Airbase or n8n?
n8n has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for Airbase and Free for n8n.
Does Airbase or n8n run on more platforms?
Airbase runs on Web, Ios, Android. n8n runs on Web, Docker, Self-hosted.
Can I use n8n for free?
Yes. n8n has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Airbase starts at $29/month.
What is Airbase best used for?
Airbase is most often used for spend management, expense reporting, vendor payments. Of those, spend management and expense reporting are not what n8n is typically brought in for.
What can Airbase do that n8n cannot?
Airbase covers Corporate cards, Bill payments, Expense management, Procurement. n8n covers Workflow automation, Visual editor, Conditional execution, Looping. Both handle Slack.
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