Alternatives / Relay.app
Looking for an open source Relay.app alternative? We compared 7 open source workflow automation tools by license, AI features, and maintenance. n8n, Activepieces, and Kestra are the leading choices, while Flowise, Automa, and ByteChef emphasize agents or RPA.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| n8n | 500+ apps with code and approvals | Sustainable Use License + enterprise (.ee) files |
| Flowise | AI agents and RAG (archived) | Apache-2.0 (archived) |
| Kestra | YAML orchestration with 1,400+ plugins | Apache-2.0 (Enterprise Edition is paid) |
| ActivePieces | No-code automation | MIT (Community Edition) |
| Automa | AI agents with RPA | AGPL-3.0 or Automa Commercial License |
| Automatisch | Simple self-hosted connector | AGPL-3.0 (Community Edition) |
| ByteChef | AI agents plus workflows | Apache-2.0 (Community Edition) |
We looked for open-source tools that automate work across apps with approvals and AI like Relay.app. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository. See our methodology for the full criteria.
n8n connects 500+ apps with custom code, visible AI reasoning steps, and human approvals, and can be self-hosted. Activepieces is a no-code, drag-and-drop platform, and ByteChef combines AI agents with workflow automation and a visual builder.
Kestra is a YAML-based orchestration platform with 1,400+ plugins. Flowise builds AI agents and RAG systems with human review, and Automa pairs AI agents with RPA for business tasks. Automatisch is a simple self-hosted app connector.
n8n uses the Sustainable Use License, so it is fair-code. Automa is AGPL-3.0 or a commercial license. Kestra's SSO and multi-tenancy need the Enterprise Edition, and Flowise's repository is archived, so its future is uncertain. Automatisch's last commit was in February 2026.
n8n: Sustainable Use License. Activepieces Community Edition is MIT. Kestra and Flowise are Apache-2.0. ByteChef Community Edition is Apache-2.0. Automatisch is AGPL-3.0.
Most had commits within weeks of this update.
Relay.app is a proprietary hosted automation service priced per run. Open-source tools remove run limits and keep credentials on your server, but you maintain the platform.
n8n is a fair-code platform to build and deploy workflows and AI agents with a visual canvas plus optional JavaScript or Python code, 500+ integrations, and self-hosting as a first-class option. It uses the Sustainable Use License, which is source available rather than standard open source, and files marked .ee need an enterprise license. SSO, RBAC, and audit logs are in the on-premises enterprise path.
Pricing: Free to self-host under the license terms; cloud and enterprise plans are paid.
Flowise is an open-source visual platform for building AI agents, chatbots, and multi-agent systems with a drag-and-drop interface, 100+ LLMs, and RAG. The source code is Apache-2.0, but the GitHub repository is archived and its README refers to a discussion about the project's future. It builds AI workflows rather than business apps.
Pricing: Apache-2.0 code; the hosted cloud has a free tier and paid plans.
Kestra is an Apache-2.0 orchestration platform where workflows are defined in YAML and version-controlled, with over 1,400 plugins and 250 blueprints. SSO, multi-tenancy, and air-gapped support are limited to the Enterprise Edition.
Pricing: Free open-source edition; Enterprise Edition is paid.
ActivePieces is an open-source automation platform for building no-code workflows and AI agents. The Community Edition is MIT-licensed and self-hostable via Docker; enterprise features (SSO, advanced permissions) sit behind a separate paid tier.
Pricing: Community Edition free and self-hosted; Cloud and enterprise features (SSO, advanced permissions) are paid.
Automa is a no-code platform that combines AI agents with robotic process automation, running in the browser for tasks such as invoices and reconciliation. Its source is variously licensed under the AGPL or the Automa Commercial License, and it is aimed at business users rather than developer pipelines. Its last commit was in March 2026.
Pricing: Free under the AGPL; commercial use and enterprise features need a commercial license.
Automatisch is an open-source, self-hosted workflow automation tool positioned as a lightweight Zapier alternative. The Community Edition is AGPL-3.0 licensed, with enterprise-only features under a separate license.
Pricing: Community Edition free and self-hosted; paid Cloud and enterprise tiers available.
ByteChef is an open-source, low-code platform for API orchestration, workflow automation, and AI agent integration. The core platform is Apache-2.0 licensed, with enterprise-only features under a separate license.
Pricing: Community Edition free and self-hosted; enterprise features under a separate commercial license.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Workflow automation | Sustainable Use License | Yes | Closest replacement |
| Flowise | Agent builder | Apache-2.0 (archived) | Yes | Not recommended for new projects |
| Kestra | Orchestration | Apache-2.0 (Enterprise paid) | Yes | Data and infrastructure workflows |
| ActivePieces | Workflow automation | MIT (Community) + ee | Yes | Non-technical teams |
| Automa | RPA and agents | AGPL-3.0 or commercial | Yes | Business tasks |
| Automatisch | Workflow automation | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Light automations |
| ByteChef | Workflow automation | Apache-2.0 (Community) | Yes | Agent workflows |
Want visual workflows with approvals
n8n shows AI reasoning steps and supports human approvals, under a fair-code license.
Want no-code automation
Activepieces offers drag-and-drop automations under an MIT community edition.
Want workflows as YAML
Kestra versions workflows in YAML with 1,400+ plugins.