Compare Automation & agent frameworks
n8n vs CrewAI
Updated : the last week a score, rank or safety result on this page changed.
- Maintenance 30%8162
- Adoption 30%9645
- Docs 20%1669
- Community 20%, not measured yet––
n8n scores 13 points higher. n8n leads on maintenance and adoption; CrewAI leads on docs.
What this does not tell you
Scores are percentiles of public GitHub signals. Nobody here tested these tools hands-on, so the higher score is not a verdict on which suits your project. Yellow marks the higher value.
Which one fits you
From measured data and licences, not from testing.
Pick n8n if
- Recent activity and releases matter most to you (maintenance 81).
- You want the more widely adopted option (adoption 96).
Pick CrewAI if
- You rely on thorough README docs (docs 69 vs 16).
- You need a permissive open-source licence (MIT).
Safety side by side
Automated scan, 2 Nov 2026. Not a manual audit.
- Cautionn8n3 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
- CautionCrewAI8 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
Why different labels?
A label partly reflects how much of each tool is visible and scannable, not only how risky it is. A tool without a lockfile cannot get a dependency check.
- n8n: 3 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
- CrewAI: 8 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
Repo facts
Yellow = the higher value, where higher is better.
| Fact | n8n | CrewAI |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70 | 57 |
| Stars | 209,320 | 60,400 |
| Last push | 2 Nov | 1 Nov |
| Releases, 90 days | 10+ | 10+ |
| Licence | Sustainable Use License | MIT |
| Open source | Source-available (Sustainable Use License) | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Type | AI tool | Agent framework |
| Runs locally | yes | yes |
| Hosted option | unknown | unknown |
“Runs locally” and “Hosted option” are read from each README automatically (or from the official docs where noted); “unknown” means no evidence was found, not that it is absent.
Questions about n8n vs CrewAI
Answers use this week's StackGrade data.
n8n or CrewAI: which scores higher on StackGrade?
n8n scores 13 points higher in Week 45: n8n 70, CrewAI 57 out of 100. The score combines maintenance, adoption and docs (percentiles of public GitHub signals): n8n 81, 96 and 16; CrewAI 62, 45 and 69. Community (20% weight) is not measured yet. It is not a hands-on test, so a higher score does not say which tool suits your project.
Is n8n or CrewAI safer to use?
Safety labels from the automated scan of 2 Nov 2026: n8n: Caution, 3 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV); CrewAI: Caution, 8 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV). It is an automated scan, not a manual audit.
Which is more widely used, n8n or CrewAI?
By GitHub stars: n8n 209,320, CrewAI 60,400. Adoption score (percentile among all 52 tracked tools): n8n 96, CrewAI 45. Stars are one public signal and do not measure real-world use.
Which licences do n8n and CrewAI use?
n8n: Sustainable Use License; CrewAI: MIT. Read each licence text before commercial use.
Should I pick n8n or CrewAI?
Pick n8n if recent activity and releases matter most to you (maintenance 81); you want the more widely adopted option (adoption 96). Pick CrewAI if you rely on thorough README docs (docs 69 vs 16); you need a permissive open-source licence (MIT). This comes from measured public data and licences only, not from hands-on testing.
Full comparison table, every criterion
| n8nn8n-io/n8n | CrewAIcrewAIInc/crewAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70 | 57 |
| Rank | #3 overall · #1 in use case | #18 overall · #3 in use case |
| Maintenance (30%) | 81 | 62 |
| Adoption (30%) | 96 | 45 |
| Docs (20%) | 16 | 69 |
| Community (20%) | not measured | not measured |
| Safety | Caution
| Caution
|
| License | Sustainable Use License | MIT |
| Open source | Source-available (Sustainable Use License) | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Stars | 209,320 | 60,400 |
| Last push | ||
| Type | AI tool | Agent framework |
| Runs locally | yes (README: "curl -fsSL https://get.n8n.io | sh") | yes (README: "uv tool install") |
| Hosted option | unknown | unknown |
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