n8n vs LangFlow: Comprehensive Comparison Guide (2025)

Introduction

As organizations increasingly adopt large language models (LLMs) for various applications, the tools for building and deploying these applications have become critical. Among these tools, n8n and LangFlow have emerged as popular options for creating LLM-powered workflows and applications.

This comprehensive comparison will help you understand the key differences between n8n and LangFlow, enabling you to make an informed decision about which tool better suits your specific needs for building LLM applications.

Key Differences at a Glance

The table above highlights some of the fundamental differences between n8n and LangFlow. While n8n offers a general-purpose workflow automation platform with a wide range of integrations, LangFlow is specifically designed for building LLM applications with a visual interface based on the LangChain framework.

Pricing Comparison

n8n Pricing

• Self-hosted (open-source): Free, with limitations on commercial use
• n8n Cloud: Starts at $20/month for 10,000 executions
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

LangFlow Pricing

• Open-source: Free to use, Apache 2.0 license
• Self-hosted: No direct costs beyond infrastructure
• Enterprise Support: Not officially offered, community support available

From a pricing perspective, both tools offer open-source options that are free to use. n8n provides a commercial cloud offering with predictable pricing based on execution volume, while LangFlow is currently fully open-source without commercial offerings. When using either tool, you'll need to consider the additional costs of the LLM services you integrate with, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or other providers.

Feature Comparison

n8n Features

• Visual Workflow Editor: Flowchart-style editor for creating workflows
• 200+ Integrations: Pre-built nodes for popular services and APIs
• Code Nodes: JavaScript functions for custom logic
• Error Handling: Sophisticated error workflows and retry mechanisms
• Webhooks: Create and manage webhooks easily
• LLM Support: Nodes for OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI services

LangFlow Features

• Visual LangChain Builder: Drag-and-drop interface for LangChain components
• Component Library: Pre-built components for LLM applications
• Flow Export/Import: Share and reuse LLM application flows
• Chat Interface: Built-in interface for testing LLM applications
• API Generation: Automatically create APIs for LLM flows
• Custom Components: Create and integrate custom LangChain components

n8n excels as a general-purpose automation platform with a visual interface and broad integration capabilities that can include LLMs. LangFlow, on the other hand, is purpose-built for LLM applications, offering specialized features for working with LangChain components and creating sophisticated LLM workflows with a visual interface.

Ease of Use

n8n User Experience

n8n offers a visual, no-code/low-code approach to workflow automation. Its node-based editor allows users to create workflows by connecting nodes representing different services and actions. This visual approach makes it accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise, though complex workflows may still require JavaScript knowledge for custom logic.

LangFlow User Experience

LangFlow provides a visual interface specifically designed for building LLM applications using LangChain components. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible to users who understand LLM concepts but may not be proficient in Python programming. The built-in chat interface allows for immediate testing and iteration of LLM applications.

Both tools offer visual interfaces that reduce the need for coding, but they cater to different audiences. n8n is more general-purpose and may require more configuration to set up LLM workflows, while LangFlow is specifically designed for LLM applications and provides a more streamlined experience for this use case.

Integration Capabilities

n8n offers over 200 pre-built integrations with popular services and APIs, making it easy to connect with a wide range of business tools and platforms. Its HTTP Request nodes also allow for custom integrations with any API. For LLM-specific integrations, n8n provides nodes for services like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Hugging Face.

LangFlow, being built on LangChain, provides access to all the integrations available in the LangChain ecosystem. This includes various LLM providers, vector stores, document loaders, and other AI-related services. While its focus is narrower than n8n's, its integrations are deeply optimized for LLM applications.

For organizations that need to integrate LLMs with a wide variety of business systems, n8n's broader integration capabilities may be advantageous. For teams focused specifically on building LLM applications using the LangChain framework, LangFlow's specialized integrations provide a more streamlined experience.

Best Use Cases

When to Choose n8n

• For general business process automation that includes some LLM components
• When you need to integrate LLMs with a wide variety of business systems
• For teams that require both cloud and self-hosted deployment options
• When you need advanced error handling and workflow management
• For organizations that want a single platform for all automation needs

When to Choose LangFlow

• When building dedicated LLM applications is your primary goal
• For teams already using or planning to use the LangChain framework
• When you need a visual interface specifically designed for LLM components
• For rapid prototyping and testing of LLM applications
• When you want to leverage the full capabilities of LangChain without coding

Conclusion

Both n8n and LangFlow are powerful tools for building automated workflows, but they serve different needs and audiences. Your choice between them should be guided by your specific requirements, technical capabilities, and the nature of your LLM projects.

n8n offers a more general-purpose, visual approach to workflow automation that can incorporate LLMs alongside many other business systems. Its strength lies in its versatility, broad integration capabilities, and mature workflow management features.

LangFlow provides a specialized, visual interface for building LLM applications using the LangChain framework. Its strength lies in its focus on LLM-specific workflows, seamless integration with LangChain components, and streamlined experience for LLM application development.

For many organizations, the ideal approach may involve using both tools for their respective strengthsu2014n8n for general business automation and integration with various systems, and LangFlow for dedicated LLM application development using the LangChain framework.