What is Activepieces?
Activepieces is a workflow automation platform in the mould of Zapier: a visual builder with triggers, loops, branches, retries, code steps and human approval steps. Integrations, called pieces, are TypeScript npm packages, and every piece is also exposed as an MCP server, so the same Google Sheets or Slack connector can be used by Claude Desktop or Cursor.
The README counts 280+ pieces available as MCP servers, 60% contributed by the community; the pricing page advertises 770+ integrations. It adds agents, chat interfaces and tables on top of flows.
The Community Edition is MIT-licensed, with enterprise code under a separate commercial licence. The company sells a hosted cloud and self-hosted plans; the repository dates from December 2022 and 0.92.3 shipped on 23 October 2026.
Is Activepieces worth it?
Activepieces is a credible open-source alternative to n8n for teams that want automation non-developers can build. Its interface is simpler than n8n's, its core is MIT rather than n8n's Sustainable Use Licence, and its piece framework turns each integration into an MCP server, so the connectors you maintain for flows also serve your AI agents.
Pricing is per run rather than per step, which matters for long flows. A run costs one credit however many steps it has; AI steps cost 2, 10 or 20 credits depending on the model, or 1 credit if you bring your own keys on Plus and above. On Team, 100,000 runs a month is $200 plus 50,000 extra credits at $0.007, about $550.
The self-hosted free tier is thinner than the repository suggests. According to the pricing page, the free Community Edition is the automation core, and access control and agents and chat come with a paid plan. SSO starts at Team, while audit logs, SCIM, Git sync and custom roles are Ultimate-only, and the company says its SOC 2 programme is still in progress.
Counting integrations is harder than it should be: 200+, 280+ and 770+ all appear in official material. n8n remains stronger for developer-heavy, code-first workflows; Activepieces is the better fit when operations staff build the flows and engineers write the occasional custom piece.
Where it earns its place
A revenue-operations manager at a 40-person B2B SaaS company
Move Zapier zaps for lead routing and CRM updates to something cheaper
Rebuild the flows in the cloud builder; with per-run credits a 12-step lead flow costs the same as a two-step one. Plus at $20/month covers 10,000 runs.
A platform engineer at a healthcare startup
Run automations inside the company network
Self-host with the Docker Compose setup (PostgreSQL and Redis) or the one-line installer on port 8080; air-gapped deployment and audit logs need the Enterprise or Ultimate tier.
A developer giving Claude Desktop access to internal tools
Expose the same Slack, Sheets and HubSpot actions to an agent
Use pieces as MCP servers instead of maintaining separate MCP integrations; a custom piece written in TypeScript serves both flows and agents.
Before you commit
- Setup
- Cloud sign-up with no card, or self-host with curl -fsSL https://get.activepieces.com | sh (Docker Compose v2, port 8080), Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis, or a Helm chart.
- Integrations
- 280+ pieces exposed as MCP servers per the README, 770+ integrations per the pricing page; OpenAI and other AI pieces; HTTP and code steps with npm; chat and form triggers; API and SDK on every plan.
- Data and privacy
- Self-hosted deployments keep data on your servers; Enterprise supports fully air-gapped installs. SOC 2 is in progress, not certified. Community code is MIT; enterprise directories carry a commercial licence.
- Cost at scale
- Team is $200/month for 50,000 credits and 25 users, with overage at $0.007 a credit, so 100,000 runs a month costs about $550. Embedding the builder in your product starts at $36k a year.
- Limits
- 798 open issues and pull requests; free tier pauses runs when 1,000 monthly credits run out; Plus caps users at 5; AI steps cost up to 20 credits without your own keys.
What's good
- MIT-licensed Community Edition
- Every piece doubles as an MCP server
- Per-run credits, not per-step tasks
- Pieces are typed TypeScript npm packages with hot reload
What's not
- Agents, chat and access control need a paid plan when self-hosting
- Audit logs and SCIM only on Ultimate
- SOC 2 still in progress
- Inconsistent integration counts across official pages
Best for
Operations teams that want a self-hosted, no-code automation builder whose integrations also serve AI agents over MCP.
Activepieces alternatives
Activepieces: common questions
- Is Activepieces worth it?
- Activepieces is the easiest self-hosted Zapier replacement to hand to non-developers, and the cheapest way to turn its connectors into MCP tools. We rate it 4.1 out of 5.
- How much does Activepieces cost?
- Free: 1,000 credits/month; Plus $20/month for 10,000 credits; Team $200/month for 50,000 credits; extra credits $0.007; Ultimate custom; Embed from $36k a year.
- What are the downsides of Activepieces?
- Agents, chat and access control need a paid plan when self-hosting; audit logs and SCIM only on Ultimate; sOC 2 still in progress; inconsistent integration counts across official pages.
- Who is Activepieces best for?
- Operations teams that want a self-hosted, no-code automation builder whose integrations also serve AI agents over MCP.
- How much does Activepieces cost for a team or in production?
- Team is $200/month for 50,000 credits and 25 users, with overage at $0.007 a credit, so 100,000 runs a month costs about $550. Embedding the builder in your product starts at $36k a year.
- Is Activepieces safe for company data?
- Self-hosted deployments keep data on your servers; Enterprise supports fully air-gapped installs. SOC 2 is in progress, not certified. Community code is MIT; enterprise directories carry a commercial licence.
- What are the best Activepieces alternatives?
- The closest alternatives we have reviewed are n8n, Dify and Langflow.
Answers checked Oct 26, 2026.
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