# directus vs n8n

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

| | directus | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 92/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 13 in Headless CMS | #1 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 38 721 | 208 978 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +760 | +3 087 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 208 ✓ |
| Latest release | v12.6.0 · 27 Oct 2026 | n8n@1.123.90 · 29 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

n8n scores 92/100 against 79/100 for directus, so it is the safer default.

n8n ships more often: 208 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for directus.

n8n is growing faster right now (+3 087 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

- [directus vs Ghost](https://selfhost.directory/compare/directus-vs-ghost)
- [directus vs nocodb](https://selfhost.directory/compare/directus-vs-nocodb)
- [directus vs Payload CMS](https://selfhost.directory/compare/directus-vs-payload-cms)

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