Temporal vs n8n: Which Should You Self-Host?

Quick Verdict

n8n is the right choice for most self-hosters. It gives you a visual workflow builder, 400+ pre-built integrations, and runs in a single container with minimal resources. Temporal is a code-first workflow orchestration engine designed for developers building mission-critical distributed systems — powerful, but massive overkill for connecting apps and automating tasks.

Overview

n8n is a visual workflow automation platform that competes directly with Zapier and Make. You build workflows by connecting nodes in a browser-based editor, trigger them on schedules or webhooks, and integrate with hundreds of third-party services. It runs as a single Node.js container with SQLite or PostgreSQL.

Temporal is a durable execution platform for building reliable distributed applications. Developers write workflow logic in Go, Java, Python, TypeScript, or .NET, and Temporal guarantees those workflows complete even through failures, restarts, and infrastructure outages. It requires a server cluster (Temporal Server + database + optional Elasticsearch) plus worker processes that run your application code.

These tools solve fundamentally different problems. n8n automates tasks between services. Temporal orchestrates complex, long-running business processes in code.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Temporal	n8n
Interface	Code-only (SDKs in Go, Java, Python, TypeScript, .NET)	Visual drag-and-drop editor + code nodes
Pre-built integrations	None — you write all connectors	400+ nodes (Slack, GitHub, Google, databases, etc.)
Workflow definition	Code in your preferred language	Visual canvas or JSON
Durability	Built-in — survives crashes, restarts, infrastructure failures	Basic retry/error handling per node
Scheduling	Timer-based, cron, signal-driven	Cron, webhook, polling, manual
Minimum containers	4+ (server, database, worker, optional UI + Elasticsearch)	1 (n8n + optional PostgreSQL)
Minimum RAM	4+ GB	256 MB (SQLite) to 512 MB (PostgreSQL)
Target user	Software engineers building distributed systems	Teams automating business processes and integrations
Learning curve	Steep — requires SDK knowledge, workflow patterns, activity design	Low — visual builder, no code required for most workflows
Web UI	Workflow visibility, debugging, search (read-only — cannot build workflows)	Full workflow builder, execution history, credential management
Versioning	Built-in workflow versioning with deterministic replay	Manual version management
License	MIT	Sustainable Use License (source-available, free for self-hosting)

Installation Complexity

n8n installs in under a minute. A single docker compose up -d with one container (or two, if you add PostgreSQL) gets you a fully functional automation platform. Configuration is done through environment variables and the web UI.

Temporal requires significant setup. The server needs PostgreSQL (or MySQL/Cassandra), optional Elasticsearch for advanced visibility, and you must deploy worker processes that contain your actual workflow code. The official temporalio/auto-setup Docker image simplifies development setups, but production deployments need careful capacity planning. A minimal Temporal stack is 4-6 containers before you’ve written a single workflow.

# n8n — minimal setup
services:
  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:2.9.1
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    restart: unless-stopped

# Temporal — minimal development setup
services:
  temporal:
    image: temporalio/auto-setup:1.29.3
    ports:
      - "7233:7233"
    depends_on:
      - postgresql
    environment:
      - DB=postgresql
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - POSTGRES_USER=temporal
      - POSTGRES_PWD=temporal
      - POSTGRES_SEEDS=postgresql
    restart: unless-stopped

  postgresql:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: temporal
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: temporal
    volumes:
      - temporal_db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

  temporal-ui:
    image: temporalio/ui:2.36.2
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - TEMPORAL_ADDRESS=temporal:7233
    depends_on:
      - temporal
    restart: unless-stopped

  # You still need to build and deploy your own worker

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Temporal	n8n
Idle RAM	~2 GB (server + database + UI)	~150-250 MB
Disk	5+ GB (database grows with workflow history)	500 MB - 2 GB
CPU	Low idle, scales with workflow throughput	Low for most workloads
Throughput	Thousands of workflows per second	Hundreds of workflows per minute
Long-running workflows	Native — workflows can run for months/years	Limited — long polls time out, webhooks have TTLs

Temporal is designed for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads. n8n handles typical automation volumes without breaking a sweat but is not built for thousands of concurrent workflows.

Community and Support

Aspect	Temporal	n8n
GitHub stars	13,000+	65,000+
License	MIT	Sustainable Use License
Backing	Temporal Technologies (VC-funded)	n8n GmbH (VC-funded)
Community	Slack community, enterprise-focused	Active forum, Discord, community nodes
Documentation	Excellent — detailed SDK docs, tutorials, patterns	Good — workflow examples, node docs
Update cadence	Regular releases	Frequent releases (weekly)

Use Cases

Choose Temporal If…

• You’re building a distributed application with complex, long-running business logic
• You need guaranteed workflow completion across failures and restarts
• Your team writes code and wants workflow orchestration as infrastructure
• You’re running microservices and need reliable saga patterns or compensation logic
• You need to process thousands of workflows per second
• You want built-in workflow versioning and deterministic replay

Choose n8n If…

• You want to automate tasks between SaaS tools and self-hosted services
• You need a visual builder that non-developers can use
• You’re replacing Zapier, Make, or IFTTT
• You want 400+ pre-built integrations without writing code
• You need something running in 5 minutes, not 5 hours
• Your automation needs are typical business workflows, not distributed systems

Final Verdict

n8n wins for self-hosters. If you’re reading a self-hosting comparison, you almost certainly want n8n. It does what Zapier does — connect services, automate workflows, react to events — but runs on your own infrastructure with no per-execution fees.

Temporal is an exceptional piece of engineering, but it’s infrastructure for software teams building distributed applications. It’s not a Zapier replacement. It’s closer to a message queue with workflow semantics. If you’re building a fintech payment processing pipeline or an e-commerce order fulfillment system, Temporal is worth evaluating. If you want to automatically save email attachments to Nextcloud when they match a filter, use n8n.

FAQ

Can Temporal replace n8n?

Not practically. Temporal has no pre-built integrations — you write all connector code yourself. Building a “save Gmail attachment to Google Drive” workflow in Temporal means writing a Go or Python program. In n8n, it’s dragging three nodes onto a canvas.

Can n8n handle complex workflows?

Yes, for typical automation complexity. n8n supports branching, loops, error handling, sub-workflows, and code nodes for custom logic. It cannot match Temporal’s durability guarantees for multi-day workflows or its throughput for high-volume distributed processing.

Which uses less resources?

n8n by a wide margin. It runs comfortably in 256 MB of RAM. A minimal Temporal setup needs 2+ GB before you deploy any workers.

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