They enumerate integrations · Magic generates them

The n8n Alternative for Teams That Need a Real Backend

n8n is the best workflow orchestrator in its category — and this page says so plainly. Magic Cloud is what you reach for when the workflow needs to become a product: real REST APIs, databases, auth and roles, frontends, and AI agents that generate new integrations on demand instead of waiting for a node. Honest comparison below, including the rows n8n wins.

Run It in Five Minutes See the Comparison

Integrations generated from plain language — unbounded, not a catalog

MIT-licensed — no fair-code restrictions, resell what you build

Real backends: APIs with OpenAPI specs, auth, RBAC, frontend hosting

The comparison

Magic Cloud vs n8n, honestly

Different categories that overlap at the edges. Rows n8n wins are marked as such — the full 18-row matrix has every detail.

Feature	n8n	Magic Cloud
Category	Workflow orchestrator	Backend platform AI agents build on
Pre-built integrations	n8n wins — 400+ core nodes, 1,000+ practical with community nodes	A handful of capability slots: HTTP, databases, email, files, browser, git, Python
Bespoke integrations	HTTP node and manual wiring, or a custom TypeScript node	Described in plain language, generated in seconds — live in production, no deploy
Database	External dependency — bring your own	Native: SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server with generated CRUD
API creation	Webhook-triggered workflows	Real REST endpoints with OpenAPI specs and role gating
Frontend hosting	None	Static sites and SPAs on the same cloudlet
Code execution safety	Code node runs arbitrary JavaScript	Whitelisted slots — generated code structurally cannot exceed its permissions
Visual debugging	n8n wins — per-node execution view a non-developer can read	None — you read code and logs
License	Fair-code (Sustainable Use License), enterprise features separate	MIT, all of it
Community	n8n wins — massive ecosystem, templates, hiring pool	Small

The decision rule

Which one, in three sentences

Choose n8n if you are gluing SaaS tools together, non-developers own the automations, and the connector catalog covers your stack. In that lane it is the best tool in its category.

Choose Magic if you need an actual backend — your own databases, custom APIs, auth, a frontend — or you expect AI agents to be building and operating it. No number of nodes moves n8n into that category.

Choose both when n8n already earns its keep: n8n workflows call Magic endpoints like any HTTP API. The products compose, and this is not a zero-sum page.

Proof, in writing

Read the receipts

The matrix

Magic vs n8n: an honest feature matrix

All 18 rows, including every one n8n wins — the full-length version of this page.

The provocation

I out-coded 1,100 n8n employees last year

The napkin arithmetic on productivity — measured with the yardstick they published themselves.

The demo

A complete CRM in one conversation

Sixty seconds of backend, six cents of tokens — the kind of build a workflow tool cannot express.

Frequently asked questions

Is Magic Cloud an n8n alternative?

Partially, and this page is honest about which part. Magic replaces n8n where n8n is being stretched into a backend — webhook APIs, database automations, anything needing auth and a UI. It does not replace n8n’s core lane of visual SaaS-to-SaaS automation owned by non-developers.

Does Magic have pre-built integrations like n8n’s nodes?

No, and it does not try to. Magic ships capability primitives — HTTP, databases, email, files, browser automation, Python — and the Hyperlambda Generator creates concrete integrations from plain-language descriptions on demand. The catalog is small; the reachable surface is any API you can describe.

Can n8n and Magic work together?

Yes. Magic exposes real REST endpoints with OpenAPI specs, and n8n calls HTTP APIs natively. Sensible architectures use n8n for SaaS orchestration and Magic as the backend those workflows talk to.

Is n8n open source? Is Magic?

n8n is fair-code — source-available under its Sustainable Use License, with commercial-use restrictions and separately licensed enterprise features. Magic is MIT-licensed with nothing gated: no field-of-use restrictions at all.

Try it

Five minutes to a running cloudlet

The whole platform — database, generated APIs, auth, frontend hosting, and the MCP server — on your own hardware, MIT-licensed.

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terminal

# When it’s up: log in at http://localhost:5555 with root/root.
$ curl -fsSL https://hyperlambda.dev/docker-compose.yaml | docker compose -f - up