Is Hive or n8n better?

Neither clearly leads. Hive starts at On request and n8n at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Hive or n8n?

n8n has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Hive and Free for n8n.

Does Hive or n8n run on more platforms?

Hive runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop. 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. Hive starts at On request.

What is Hive best used for?

Hive is most often used for project and task management with multiple project views, coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams. Of those, project and task management with multiple project views and coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams are not what n8n is typically brought in for.

What can Hive do that n8n cannot?

Hive covers Tasks, Gantt view, Kanban, Time tracking. n8n covers Workflow automation, Visual editor, Conditional execution, Looping. Both handle Slack.

Software · head to head

Hive vs n8n

Hive

Software

Project management built for speed

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

n8n

Software

The fair-code workflow automation tool

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only n8n has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Hive the free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage; n8n starter tier limited to 1 project and 5 concurrent executions
They diverge on capability: Hive covers Tasks, n8n covers Workflow automation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hive and n8n actually diverge.

Attributes where Hive and n8n differ
Attribute	Hive	n8n
Starting price	On request	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Desktop	Web, Docker, Self-hosted
Founded	2015	2019

Identical on both: pricing model (freemium), 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 Hive

Tasks
Gantt view
Kanban
Time tracking
Forms
Zoom
Google Drive
Dropbox

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.

Hive

Project and task management with multiple project viewsnot n8n
Coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teamsnot n8n

n8n

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

Where each one falls short

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

Hive

The free plan is capped at 200 MB of storage
The Starter plan at $5 per user per month is limited to 10 projects
Eight capabilities are sold as $5 per user add ons on the Teams plan, including CRM, timesheets, proofing, resourcing, advanced dashboards, external users and SSO
Buying SSO plus a few of those add ons therefore costs more than the $12 base seat itself
AI credits are metered monthly at 1,000, 3,000 and 5,000 by plan

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

Hive

On request

FreeFree
- Basic features
- 10 users
Teams$12/month
- Unlimited users
- Time tracking
- Automations

n8n

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the n8n review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Hive if

You need tasks.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
You also want gantt view.

Hive 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 Hive or n8n better?: Neither clearly leads. Hive starts at On request and n8n at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hive or n8n?: n8n has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Hive and Free for n8n.
Does Hive or n8n run on more platforms?: Hive runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop. 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. Hive starts at On request.
What is Hive best used for?: Hive is most often used for project and task management with multiple project views, coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams. Of those, project and task management with multiple project views and coordinating work, proofing and resourcing for teams are not what n8n is typically brought in for.
What can Hive do that n8n cannot?: Hive covers Tasks, Gantt view, Kanban, Time tracking. n8n covers Workflow automation, Visual editor, Conditional execution, Looping. Both handle Slack.

Hive vs n8n

Hive

n8n

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Hive

Only in n8n

Both cover

What people use each for

Hive

n8n

Where each one falls short

Hive

n8n

Pricing, plan by plan

Hive

n8n

Which should you pick?

Choose Hive if

Choose n8n if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Hive

More on n8n

Keep looking

Other head to heads