Project Management · Germany (DE)
n8n
German open-source Zapier — self-host for full data sovereignty.
The switch
Zapier→n8n
About
Open-source workflow automation tool built in Berlin. 400+ integrations, code-friendly nodes, and full self-hosting so your data never leaves your infrastructure. EU cloud also available.
Why we recommend it
- Open source (fair-code licence) — full self-host
- 400+ integrations including all major EU tools
- Code nodes: write JS/Python inside workflows
- AI agent workflows built in
- API payloads never leave your server
EU vs USA
n8n vs Zapier
Side-by-side on jurisdiction, data residency, and the rules that decide who can actually read your data.
Criteria
🇪🇺 n8n
🇺🇸 Zapier
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Jurisdiction
Germany (GDPR)
USA (CLOUD Act, FISA 702)
Data location
Self-hosted (your EU infra) or EU cloud (Germany)
Global, US-controlled (AWS)
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
No
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
Yes
No
Ownership
n8n GmbH (private, founder-led — Sequoia-backed)
Zapier Inc. (private)
Founded
2019
2011
Compare head-to-head
n8n vs the US incumbents
See all European alternatives to Zapier.