Apache Kafkavsn8n
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 92/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #1 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 208 910 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +346 | +3 101 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 205 |
| Latest release | — | n8n@3.0.1 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
n8n scores 92/100 against 83/100 for Apache Kafka, so it is the safer default.
n8n ships more often: 205 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
If you want the quickest setup, n8n is easier to run; Apache Kafka needs more configuration.
n8n is growing faster right now (+3 101 stars in 30 days).
Apache Kafka details →n8n details →