n8n

n8n was founded in Berlin by Jan Oberhauser, a former visual-effects and pipeline engineer, and launched publicly in October 2019. The platform's node-based canvas lets users connect hundreds of applications and services into automated workflows without needing to write full custom integrations, while still supporting custom code for advanced users.

The company describes its licensing approach as 'fair-code': it launched under Apache License 2.0 with the Commons Clause, then moved to its own Sustainable Use License in March 2022. This permits self-hosting and modification but restricts offering n8n itself as a competing hosted service — a model that sits outside the Open Source Initiative's formal definition and has drawn some community debate.

Starting around 2022, n8n pivoted its roadmap toward AI, adding AI-agent building blocks, LangChain framework integration, and natural-language workflow assistance, positioning the product as infrastructure for enterprises to put AI models to work inside real business processes rather than just chat interfaces.

That AI-orchestration positioning drove a rapid run of funding and commercial validation through 2025 and 2026: a $180 million Series C led by Accel at a $2.5 billion valuation in October 2025, followed just seven months later by a strategic investment from SAP that roughly doubled the valuation to about $5.2 billion alongside a multi-year plan to embed n8n's canvas inside SAP's Joule Studio agent-building environment.