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Thrum and n8n, side by side.

n8n is a general workflow automation tool with hundreds of integrations, code steps and a free self-hosted edition. Thrum is built for running a client’s business: forms, a CRM, an inbox, booking, email and payments with the workflows between them, each client in a workspace of their own, and a portal that shows them the results.

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Choose n8n if

You need an integration Thrum does not have, custom code in a step, or to run everything on your own servers.

Choose Thrum if

You run several clients’ businesses and want the forms, records, conversations and payments in the same system as the workflows, each client kept apart, and each client shown their results under their own brand.

Feature by feature

n8n’s side as of 1 October 2026, with sources below.

Yes
Partly
No, or not found in their docs

n8n and Thrum, compared. Checked 1 October 2026.
Topic	n8n	Thrum
Building
Code in a step	Yes. The Code node runs JavaScript or Python.⁷	No. Reads values by name. Runs no code.
Apps	Yes. More than 400 integrations, by its docs.⁶	Yes. 32 apps with actions and triggers, texts and email built in, and any API by web request.
Loops	Yes. Nodes run once for each item they are given.⁸	Yes. For each item of a list, up to 500, one or two at a time.
Schedules	Yes. The Schedule Trigger runs workflows at fixed intervals and times.⁹	Yes. Every few minutes, hourly, daily, weekdays or chosen days, in the client’s time zone. Every 5 minutes at most on Agency and Scale, daily on Solo.
Webhooks in	Yes. The Webhook node starts a workflow when a service posts to it.¹⁰	Partly. Starts from forms, bookings, chats, records, payments and email events inside the product. App triggers from 24 apps, by webhook or by checking, are in beta. No general inbound address yet.
AI agent	Yes. The AI Agent node: a chat model and tools; the agent decides which to call.¹¹	Partly. An agent step with app actions as tools. In beta.
Files	Yes. Binary data: files such as images and documents move through a workflow.¹²	Yes. Files kept through a run: a PDF made from text, attached to an email.
Knowing it works
A run that fails	Partly. An error workflow you build, started by the Error Trigger.²	Yes. Degraded after 3 failures in a row or 20% of recent runs, with an email, a daily reminder and a recovery email.
A workflow that goes quiet	No. We found no built-in check. “The Error Trigger only runs when an automatic workflow errors.”³	Yes. Learns each workflow’s usual gap and calls it Stopped after 3 times that gap of silence.
Client delivery
Forms, CRM, inbox, booking, email, payments	Partly. A form trigger is built in; the rest are reached through integrations with other tools.	Yes. Forms, CRM, inbox, booking, email campaigns, a blog, a newsletter and payments, built in. Several are in beta.
One workspace per client	Partly. Projects and sharing on paid editions.⁴	Yes. Each client is its own workspace, with its own keys, forms, workflows, CRM and portal.
A portal for the client	No. We found no client portal in its docs.	Yes. A portal per client in their colours: leads, their month, inbox, bookings, email, content and revenue. White-label on Agency and Scale.
A monthly report to the client	No.	Yes. Emailed to each client on the 1st, in their time zone, and kept in their portal.
One build, many clients	Partly. Workflow templates to copy from.⁴	Yes. Templates with per-client fields, rolled out to the clients you pick, keeping their edits.
Install a set of workflows into a client	No.	Yes. A pack installs several workflows and forms into one client, switched off until each is set up.
Proposal to a running client	No.	Yes. A proposal the client accepts with an emailed code; their workspace, pack and portal set themselves up.
Bill the client for what they used	No.	Partly. Each client invoiced monthly for their texts and emails, from your own Stripe, with no cut. In beta.
Hosting and price
Self-hosting	Yes. The Community edition is free to run on your own servers.⁴	No. Hosted only.
Priced by	Executions: “Paid plans, whether cloud or self-hosted, have an execution limit quota.”¹	Per seat: each seat carries a number of clients, workflow runs, forms, responses, records and emails.
Client work under the licence	Partly. Allowed “as long as your clients do not have the possibility to create or edit them”.⁵	Yes. Built for it, including a portal your clients sign in to.

Building

Code in a step: n8n
Yes. The Code node runs JavaScript or Python.⁷
Thrum
No. Reads values by name. Runs no code.
Apps: n8n
Yes. More than 400 integrations, by its docs.⁶
Thrum
Yes. 32 apps with actions and triggers, texts and email built in, and any API by web request.
Loops: n8n
Yes. Nodes run once for each item they are given.⁸
Thrum
Yes. For each item of a list, up to 500, one or two at a time.
Schedules: n8n
Yes. The Schedule Trigger runs workflows at fixed intervals and times.⁹
Thrum
Yes. Every few minutes, hourly, daily, weekdays or chosen days, in the client’s time zone. Every 5 minutes at most on Agency and Scale, daily on Solo.
Webhooks in: n8n
Yes. The Webhook node starts a workflow when a service posts to it.¹⁰
Thrum
Partly. Starts from forms, bookings, chats, records, payments and email events inside the product. App triggers from 24 apps, by webhook or by checking, are in beta. No general inbound address yet.
AI agent: n8n
Yes. The AI Agent node: a chat model and tools; the agent decides which to call.¹¹
Thrum
Partly. An agent step with app actions as tools. In beta.
Files: n8n
Yes. Binary data: files such as images and documents move through a workflow.¹²
Thrum
Yes. Files kept through a run: a PDF made from text, attached to an email.

Knowing it works

A run that fails: n8n
Partly. An error workflow you build, started by the Error Trigger.²
Thrum
Yes. Degraded after 3 failures in a row or 20% of recent runs, with an email, a daily reminder and a recovery email.
A workflow that goes quiet: n8n
No. We found no built-in check. “The Error Trigger only runs when an automatic workflow errors.”³
Thrum
Yes. Learns each workflow’s usual gap and calls it Stopped after 3 times that gap of silence.

Client delivery

Forms, CRM, inbox, booking, email, payments: n8n
Partly. A form trigger is built in; the rest are reached through integrations with other tools.
Thrum
Yes. Forms, CRM, inbox, booking, email campaigns, a blog, a newsletter and payments, built in. Several are in beta.
One workspace per client: n8n
Partly. Projects and sharing on paid editions.⁴
Thrum
Yes. Each client is its own workspace, with its own keys, forms, workflows, CRM and portal.
A portal for the client: n8n
No. We found no client portal in its docs.
Thrum
Yes. A portal per client in their colours: leads, their month, inbox, bookings, email, content and revenue. White-label on Agency and Scale.
A monthly report to the client: n8n
No.
Thrum
Yes. Emailed to each client on the 1st, in their time zone, and kept in their portal.
One build, many clients: n8n
Partly. Workflow templates to copy from.⁴
Thrum
Yes. Templates with per-client fields, rolled out to the clients you pick, keeping their edits.
Install a set of workflows into a client: n8n
No.
Thrum
Yes. A pack installs several workflows and forms into one client, switched off until each is set up.
Proposal to a running client: n8n
No.
Thrum
Yes. A proposal the client accepts with an emailed code; their workspace, pack and portal set themselves up.
Bill the client for what they used: n8n
No.
Thrum
Partly. Each client invoiced monthly for their texts and emails, from your own Stripe, with no cut. In beta.

Hosting and price

Self-hosting: n8n
Yes. The Community edition is free to run on your own servers.⁴
Thrum
No. Hosted only.
Priced by: n8n
Executions: “Paid plans, whether cloud or self-hosted, have an execution limit quota.”¹
Thrum
Per seat: each seat carries a number of clients, workflow runs, forms, responses, records and emails.
Client work under the licence: n8n
Partly. Allowed “as long as your clients do not have the possibility to create or edit them”.⁵
Thrum
Yes. Built for it, including a portal your clients sign in to.

Using both

A Thrum web request step can call an n8n webhook, so a client’s workflow can hand a step to n8n and still be watched, reported on and shown in the client’s portal.

Moving over starts with a paste: most exported n8n workflows come across as Thrum steps, switched off, with a list of what each still needs. See the importer.

Sources, checked 1 October 2026

n8n’s licence FAQ is its own reading of the Sustainable Use License, not legal advice, and neither is this page.

If anything here about n8n is out of date, write to hello@thrum.run and it will be corrected.

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