What Is Workflow Automation?
Mix (18 tools)
- License: 12 open source · 6 proprietary
- Hosting: 13 self-hosted · 1 SaaS · 4 both
Workflow automation connects applications, services, and APIs through structured sequences of steps. A workflow defines triggers (what starts it), actions (what happens), and logic (branching, error handling, retries). The goal is to eliminate manual glue between systems – data moves automatically, events propagate across tools, and humans intervene only on exceptions.
Workflows can be:
- Event-driven – triggered by webhooks, file uploads, or database changes
- Scheduled – run on a cron or interval basis
- Manual – started by an operator or API call
About this data & disclaimer
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. This catalogue serves as a reference for the resources, applications, devices, deployment payloads, and other components that the ResorsIT platform integrates, deploys, and manages. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. This information is compiled on a best-effort basis: it may be incomplete, contain errors, and become out of date as tools, vendors, licences, and features change. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and independently verify and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it.
Comparison
SSO / OIDC Comparison
OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol. The table below shows each tool’s SSO capabilities and Authentik compatibility.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | LDAP | Authentik Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Yes | Yes | Yes | OIDC provider (native) |
| Node-RED | No | No | No | Reverse-proxy (Authentik proxy) |
| ActivePieces | Yes | No | No | OIDC provider (native) |
| Automatisch | No | No | No | Reverse-proxy (Authentik proxy) |
| Huginn | No | No | No | Reverse-proxy (Authentik proxy) |
| Airflow | Yes | No | Yes | OIDC via Flask-OIDC / FAB |
| Kestra | Yes | No | Yes | OIDC provider (native EE) |
| Prefect | Yes | No | No | OIDC via Prefect Cloud only |
| Temporal | Yes | No | Yes | OIDC via Temporal Cloud or proxy |
| Windmill | Yes | No | Yes | OIDC provider (native) |
| StackStorm | No | No | Yes | LDAP backend or reverse-proxy |
| Corteza | Yes | Yes | No | OIDC provider (native) |
| Camunda | Yes | No | Yes | OIDC via Keycloak/Identity |
| Creatio | No | Yes | Yes | SAML IdP (OIDC not confirmed) |
| Zapier | Yes | Yes | No | OIDC or SAML (Team/Enterprise) |
| Make | Yes | Yes | No | OIDC or SAML (Enterprise) |
| Power Automate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Via Entra ID (M365 tenant) |
| Workato | Yes | Yes | No | OIDC or SAML (native) |
API Comparison
| Tool | API Type | Auth | Programmatic Workflows | SDKs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | REST | API key, OAuth2 | Yes (JSON import) | JS |
| Node-RED | REST | API key | Yes (flow JSON) | JS |
| ActivePieces | REST | API key | Yes (JSON import) | TS |
| Automatisch | GraphQL | API key | Limited | None |
| Huginn | REST | API key | Yes (JSON export) | Ruby |
| Airflow | REST | API key, OAuth2 | Yes (DAG files) | Python |
| Kestra | REST | API key, Basic | Yes (YAML flows) | Java, Python |
| Prefect | REST | API key | Yes (Python code) | Python |
| Temporal | gRPC | mTLS, API key | Yes (code-first) | Go, Java, Python, TS |
| Windmill | REST | Bearer token | Yes (scripts) | TS, Python, Go |
| StackStorm | REST | API key, token | Yes (YAML rules) | Python |
| Corteza | REST | OAuth2 (JWT) | Yes (API/session) | JS |
| Camunda | REST | OAuth2, Basic | Yes (BPMN XML) | Java, JS |
| Creatio | REST (OData) | OAuth2, Basic | Yes (RunProcess API) | None |
| Zapier | REST | OAuth2 | Limited (CLI) | JS |
| Make | REST | API token | Yes (JSON blueprints) | None |
| Power Automate | REST | OAuth2 (Entra) | Yes (JSON definitions) | .NET, JS |
| Workato | REST | OAuth2, API key | Yes (recipe JSON) | Ruby |
Workflow Capabilities
| Tool | Visual Editor | Code-First | Triggers | Connectors | Branching |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Yes (canvas) | JS/Python in nodes | Webhook, cron, event | 400+ | Yes (If/Switch) |
| Node-RED | Yes (flow) | JS in function nodes | HTTP, MQTT, event | 5,000+ (community) | Yes (Switch) |
| ActivePieces | Yes (canvas) | TS in code pieces | Webhook, cron, event | 200+ | Yes (Branch) |
| Automatisch | Yes (canvas) | No | Webhook, cron, event | 60+ | Limited |
| Huginn | Yes (graph) | Ruby agents | Schedule, webhook | 50+ (built-in) | Yes (agents) |
| Airflow | DAG view only | Python (DAGs) | Schedule, API, event | 80+ providers | Yes (branching) |
| Kestra | Yes (topology) | YAML + plugins | Cron, webhook, event | 500+ plugins | Yes (If/Switch) |
| Prefect | Dashboard only | Python (flows) | Schedule, event, API | 80+ integrations | Yes (Python) |
| Temporal | Dashboard only | Code (Go/Java/TS/Py) | Signal, schedule, API | Custom activities | Yes (code logic) |
| Windmill | Yes (canvas) | TS/Python/Go/SQL | Webhook, cron, event | 200+ | Yes (Branch) |
| StackStorm | Workflow editor | YAML (Orquesta) | Event rules, webhook | 160+ packs | Yes (tasks) |
| Corteza | Yes (BPMN) | No | Record, event, cron | Integration Gateway | Yes (If/Else) |
| Camunda | Yes (BPMN) | Java/JS | Message, timer, signal | BPMN connectors | Yes (gateways) |
| Creatio | Yes (BPMN) | C#/JS scripts | Signal, timer, record | Marketplace | Yes (gateways) |
| Zapier | Yes (steps) | JS in code steps | Webhook, schedule, app | 7,000+ | Yes (Paths) |
| Make | Yes (canvas) | No | Webhook, schedule, app | 1,800+ | Yes (Router) |
| Power Automate | Yes (canvas) | Expressions | Trigger, schedule, app | 1,000+ | Yes (Condition) |
| Workato | Yes (canvas) | Ruby/formula | Trigger, schedule, app | 1,200+ | Yes (If/Else) |
Execution Model
| Tool | Event-Driven | Scheduled | DAG | Durable | Error Handling | Retry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Yes | Yes | No | No | Per-node error | Yes (per-node) |
| Node-RED | Yes | Via inject | No | No | Catch nodes | Manual |
| ActivePieces | Yes | Yes | No | No | Per-step error | Yes (per-step) |
| Automatisch | Yes | Yes | No | No | Basic | Limited |
| Huginn | Yes | Yes | No | No | Per-agent retry | Yes (configurable) |
| Airflow | Limited | Yes | Yes | No | Task retry | Yes (per-task) |
| Kestra | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Retry, restart | Yes (per-task) |
| Prefect | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Retry, cache | Yes (per-task) |
| Temporal | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Automatic retry | Yes (built-in) |
| Windmill | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Per-step error | Yes (per-step) |
| StackStorm | Yes | Yes | No | No | Task retry | Yes (per-task) |
| Corteza | Yes | Yes | No | No | Try/catch | Unknown |
| Camunda | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | BPMN error events | Yes (per-job) |
| Creatio | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Unknown | Unknown |
| Zapier | Yes | Yes | No | No | Auto-replay | Yes (auto) |
| Make | Yes | Yes | No | No | Error handler | Yes (per-module) |
| Power Automate | Yes | Yes | No | No | Run-after config | Yes (per-action) |
| Workato | Yes | Yes | No | No | Error monitor | Yes (per-step) |
Deployment & Licensing
| Tool | License | Self-Hosted | Docker | ARM64 | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Sustainable Use | Yes | Yes | Yes | TypeScript |
| Node-RED | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | JavaScript |
| ActivePieces | MIT | Yes | Yes | Yes | TypeScript |
| Automatisch | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Yes | No | TypeScript |
| Huginn | MIT | Yes | Yes | No | Ruby |
| Airflow | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Python |
| Kestra | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Java |
| Prefect | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Python |
| Temporal | MIT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Go |
| Windmill | AGPLv3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Rust/TS |
| StackStorm | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Yes | No | Python |
| Corteza | Apache 2.0 | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | Go |
| Camunda | Apache 2.0* | Yes | Yes | No | Java |
| Creatio | Proprietary | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | C# / .NET |
| Zapier | Proprietary | No | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Make | Proprietary | No | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Power Automate | Proprietary | No | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Workato | Proprietary | No** | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* Camunda Community is Apache 2.0; Enterprise is proprietary. ** Workato offers On-Prem Agent (OPA) for hybrid connectivity, but the platform itself is SaaS.
Pricing Summary
| Tool | Self-Hosted Cost | Cloud / SaaS Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| n8n | Free (SUL) | From $24/mo (Starter) |
| Node-RED | Free (Apache) | FlowFuse from $15/mo |
| ActivePieces | Free (MIT) | From $0 (free tier) |
| Automatisch | Free (AGPL) | N/A |
| Huginn | Free (MIT) | N/A (self-hosted only) |
| Airflow | Free (Apache) | Astronomer from $300/mo |
| Kestra | Free (Apache) | Kestra Cloud pricing TBD |
| Prefect | Free (Apache) | Prefect Cloud from $0 |
| Temporal | Free (MIT) | Temporal Cloud from $200/mo |
| Windmill | Free (AGPL) | Windmill Cloud from $10/mo |
| StackStorm | Free (Apache) | N/A (self-hosted only) |
| Corteza | Free (Apache) | Commercial support available |
| Camunda | Free (Community) | Enterprise custom pricing |
| Creatio | Subscription (on-prem) | From $25/user/mo; min $10K/yr |
| Zapier | N/A | From $0 (free, 100 tasks) |
| Make | N/A | From $0 (free, 1,000 ops) |
| Power Automate | N/A | From $15/user/mo |
| Workato | N/A | Custom pricing |
Tools
20 tools.
ActivePieces
ActivePieces is a visual workflow automation platform positioned as the open-source alternative to n8n, Zapier, and Make.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
Apache Airflow
Apache Airflow is the industry standard for programmatic workflow orchestration, originally developed at Airbnb and now an Apache Software Foundation top-level project.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker, k8s · SSO: OIDC
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
Automatisch
Automatisch is an open-source alternative to Zapier, with over 7,000 GitHub stars and 60+ built-in integrations. It provides a canvas-based visual editor for building multi-step workflows that connect applications and APIs.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Camunda
Camunda is a BPMN 2.0 process automation engine built on the Zeebe workflow engine. The Community Edition (Zeebe) is Apache 2.0 licensed and provides the core workflow execution engine.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, k8s · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Corteza (Workflow / Low-Code)
Corteza is a low-code platform with a built-in BPMN 2.0 workflow builder. While primarily positioned as a CRM platform, its automation engine is a core component that supports visual workflow design, trigger-based process automation, and an…
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct · SSO: OIDC, SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on · Provisioned account
Corteza CRM
Low-code platform with CRM capabilities; build custom CRM apps visually; Go backend, Vue.js frontend, Postgres or MySQL.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: docker, direct, saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on · Directory / LDAP · Provisioned account
Evaluated under CRM / SFA.
Creatio
No-code platform with strong CRM capabilities; formerly bpm’online; .NET on SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or Oracle.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, saas · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on · Directory / LDAP
Evaluated under CRM / SFA.
Creatio (Workflow / BPM)
Creatio (formerly bpm’online) is a no-code platform built around a BPMN-based workflow engine. The workflow capabilities are not an add-on – they are the core of the platform.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on · Directory / LDAP
Huginn
Huginn is an agent-based event automation system named after one of Odin’s ravens in Norse mythology. With over 44,000 GitHub stars, it is historically one of the most popular open-source automation tools.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Kestra
Kestra is a declarative workflow orchestration platform with 15,000+ GitHub stars that bridges the visual and code-first paradigms. Workflows are defined in YAML and rendered as an interactive topology view in the web UI.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker, k8s · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Make
Make (formerly Integromat) is a visual scenario-based automation platform with 1,800+ app integrations. It uses a unique canvas editor where users build “scenarios” by connecting modules on a visual workspace.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
n8n
n8n is the most popular visual workflow automation platform, with over 64,000 GitHub stars and 400+ built-in integrations (called “nodes”).
License: LicenseRef-SustainableUse (source-available) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on · Directory / LDAP
Node-RED
Node-RED is a flow-based programming tool originally developed by IBM’s Emerging Technology Services team, now a project of the OpenJS Foundation.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Power Automate
Power Automate is Microsoft’s workflow automation platform and a core component of the Power Platform (alongside Power Apps, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Prefect
Prefect is a modern Python workflow orchestration framework with 18,000+ GitHub stars, positioned as the next-generation alternative to Apache Airflow.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
StackStorm
StackStorm is an event-driven IT automation platform with 6,000+ GitHub stars, often described as “IFTTT for ops.” It connects monitoring alerts, ChatOps commands, and system events to automated remediation and operational workflows.
License: Apache-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Temporal
Temporal is a durable execution engine with 13,000+ GitHub stars designed for building reliable distributed applications.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker, k8s · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Windmill
Windmill is a scripts-to-workflows platform with 12,000+ GitHub stars that turns scripts into production-grade workflows and internal tools.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, docker · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Workato
Workato is an enterprise integration platform as a service (iPaaS) with 1,200+ connectors. It uses a recipe-based approach where users build automated workflows called “recipes” through a visual editor.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Zapier
Zapier is the market-leading SaaS workflow automation platform with 7,000+ app integrations. It connects web applications through automated workflows called “Zaps” that move data between apps based on triggers and actions.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
