Comparison · March 2026
Rills vs n8n
Two approaches to workflow automation. See how they compare on features, pricing, and philosophy.
Pick Rills if you want fully managed AI automation with mobile approvals, no servers to run, and workflows that pause at $0.
Pick n8n if you need self-hosting, open source, or full control over data residency and the runtime.
Full comparison
Pricing model
- Rills
- Base subscription from $29/month plus included workflow & AI credits; logic & approvals free
- n8n
- Cloud: Starter from 20€/mo billed annually (2.5K executions/mo on Starter). Self-hosted: Community edition + optional paid license for scale/features
Free / entry
- Rills
- Free trial; paid plans from Hobby tier (see rills.ai/pricing for tiers and included credits)
- n8n
- Self-hosted Community edition available; n8n Cloud offers trials (see n8n.io/pricing)
AI capabilities
- Rills
- Native AI agents with confidence scoring that learns from approvals
- n8n
- AI Workflow Builder credits on cloud tiers; LLM nodes / AI tooling in workflows
Human oversight
- Rills
- Built-in mobile approval queue; $0 while paused for review
- n8n
- Manual steps possible in flows; not the same as Rills mobile approval + confidence learning loop
Integrations
- Rills
- Growing catalog (focused on common business tools)
- n8n
- Large node library via community and built-ins (see n8n integrations)
Mobile experience
- Rills
- Approval queue designed for mobile review
- n8n
- Primarily desktop builder; not mobile-first approvals
Best for
- Rills
- Teams that want AI to propose actions but humans to stay in the loop
- n8n
- Technical teams wanting self-hosting, open source, or per-execution cloud pricing
| Compare | RillsAI automation with human oversight | n8nOpen-source workflow automation |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Base subscription from $29/month plus included workflow & AI credits; logic & approvals free | Cloud: Starter from 20€/mo billed annually (2.5K executions/mo on Starter). Self-hosted: Community edition + optional paid license for scale/features |
| Free / entry | Free trial; paid plans from Hobby tier (see rills.ai/pricing for tiers and included credits) | Self-hosted Community edition available; n8n Cloud offers trials (see n8n.io/pricing) |
| AI capabilities | Native AI agents with confidence scoring that learns from approvals | AI Workflow Builder credits on cloud tiers; LLM nodes / AI tooling in workflows |
| Human oversight | Built-in mobile approval queue; $0 while paused for review | Manual steps possible in flows; not the same as Rills mobile approval + confidence learning loop |
| Integrations | Growing catalog (focused on common business tools) | Large node library via community and built-ins (see n8n integrations) |
| Mobile experience | Approval queue designed for mobile review | Primarily desktop builder; not mobile-first approvals |
| Best for | Teams that want AI to propose actions but humans to stay in the loop | Technical teams wanting self-hosting, open source, or per-execution cloud pricing |
When to choose Rills
- You want fully managed cloud, with no servers, upgrades, or infra to run
- You want AI agents plus a mobile approval queue, with $0 cost while paused
- You prefer a base plan with included workflow + AI credits, free logic and approvals
- You want workflows that learn from your approval patterns, reducing reviews over time
When to choose n8n
- You want self-hosting or need full control over data residency and the runtime
- You prefer open-source software you can extend with custom nodes and code
- You have the team to operate, secure, and upgrade your own n8n deployment
- You value n8n's per-execution cloud pricing model or unlimited self-hosted community use
Pricing comparison
Rills
Base subscription from $29/month plus included workflow & AI credits; logic & approvals free
- Hobby $29/month: 10,000 workflow credits & 1,000 AI credits/mo (included)
- Professional $99/month: 50,000 workflow & 5,000 AI credits/mo
- Business $349/month: 200,000 workflow & 20,000 AI credits/mo
- Human approvals and workflow logic never consume credits
- $0 while workflows are paused awaiting approval
- Enterprise: custom pricing and credit pools (see /pricing)
n8n
Cloud: Starter from 20€/mo billed annually (2.5K executions/mo on Starter). Self-hosted: Community edition + optional paid license for scale/features
- Cloud Starter: 20€/mo billed annually, 2.5K executions/mo (n8n.io/pricing)
- Cloud Pro & Enterprise: higher execution pools and collaboration (see site)
- Self-hosted Community edition available; Business/Enterprise licenses for scale & governance
- Executions are per workflow run (not per step) on n8n's model
Approve from your phone. Pause without paying.
14-day trial, no card. Plug in one workflow, watch it ask before it acts.
Automation products change tiers often. Confirm current limits and prices on each vendor's site before you buy.
Last updated: March 2026
n8n is a trademark of its respective owners. Rills is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these companies. Product information was accurate as of the date shown and may have changed. Visit each product's website for current pricing and features.