Runflow and n8n: flow automation is not an agent.
Open source flow automation, billed per execution. When it is enough and when the case calls for an agent.
In one paragraph.
n8n solves flow. An agent solves decisions. As long as the process fits into if A, do B, n8n is the right tool and it costs less than we do. When the case requires interpreting what the customer asked, querying your systems and deciding the next step, the problem changes: it stops being about drawing the flow and becomes about sustaining an agent in production, with an audit trail and someone inside the tuning cycle.
n8n and Runflow.
The comparison is about the delivery model, not about a feature list. Features change month to month; who builds it, who sustains it and how it is billed is what decides the project.
| n8n | Runflow | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A flow automation platform for technical teams, in n8n's own description. | An AI agent orchestration platform, plus the Forward Deployed engineers who deploy it with your team. |
| Who builds what goes to production | Your team, drawing the flow node by node. | Our engineers, inside your operation, building alongside your team. |
| What happens after go-live | Your team maintains, tunes and scales it. | We stay in the tuning cycle after go-live, and your team takes over whenever it wants to. |
| Integration with the systems that run the business | A catalog of integrations, and an HTTP node for whatever is missing. | More than 150 connectors for ERP, CRM, APIs and channels. Whatever has no connector becomes an MCP server. |
| Governance for regulated sectors | Logging and audit features on the paid plans. The agent's governance is yours to design. | A per-decision trail with replay, human approval at the risk points and cost by team, ready to use. |
| How it is billed | By flow executions per month. Starter € 20, Pro € 50, Business € 667 on the annual plan, and Enterprise on request. | By scope, defined in the free assessment. No hidden setup fee. |
| Where the data runs | n8n's cloud or self-hosted, under a fair-code license. | Your cloud, with your own keys, or operated by Runflow. Per-client isolation and compliance with the LGPD, Brazil's data protection law. |
We are not always the answer.
When n8n is the right choice
- The process is deterministic. If A, do B, always. Automation solves it, and for less money than we cost.
- You already have a technical team with room to build and, above all, to maintain.
- The case is not critical and the cost has to be predictable and low.
- You want to self-host and run the operation yourself.
When Runflow is the right choice
- The case requires interpretation, not rules: understanding what the customer asked, querying the systems and deciding the next step.
- The process is regulated and needs an audit trail and human approval at the risk points.
- The deadline is short and there is no internal team to spare to build and sustain it.
- It is front-line revenue, and a mistake is expensive.
In practice the two coexist, and that is how we recommend it. The deterministic path stays in the tool you already use, and the agent takes on what requires interpretation. Runflow integrates with whatever is already running.
What changed in a real operation.
Osten Group
+30%
in contact-to-visit conversion, with the first-contact team going from 7 people to 2.
PX Ativos Judiciais
4% to 10%
conversion on first contact, roughly R$ 1.5 million converted over the year without growing the team.
Vero
R$ 2 million
saved on overtime.
You are evaluating more than one.
Information about n8n according to the public material at n8n.io, accessed on August 24, 2026.
Bring a real process and see what changes.
In a no-cost conversation with an expert, we look at the process you have today and tell you plainly whether the case calls for an agent or whether the tool you already use solves it.