# Arcane vs n8n

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Arcane | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 92/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 44 in Container Management | #1 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 8 101 | 208 880 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +532 | +3 071 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 31 | 205 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.17.1 · 25 Oct 2026 | n8n@3.0.1 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Other |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

n8n scores 92/100 against 76/100 for Arcane, so it is the safer default.

n8n ships more often: 205 stable releases in the past year, against 31 for Arcane.

If you want the quickest setup, Arcane is easier to run; n8n needs more configuration.

n8n is growing faster right now (+3 071 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Arcane](https://selfhost.directory/project/arcane) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/arcane.md)
- [n8n](https://selfhost.directory/project/n8n) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/n8n.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/arcane-vs-n8n