A n8n alternative that runs on your own accounts.
If you're outgrowing n8n, here's why teams switch to Writ - and exactly how to move without losing what's working.
n8n runs on self-hosted or n8n cloud. Writ runs on your accounts, and makes every workflow a REST API and an MCP tool.
A source-available workflow-automation tool you can self-host, with a node-based editor and broad API connectors.
What sends people looking for a n8n alternative
These are the reasons teams tell us they move. We name where n8n is still the better tool further down - switching should be an honest decision.
- ✓You need reliable in-browser actions on sites and internal tools that have no API.
- ✓You want authenticated workflows callable as a REST endpoint and an MCP tool, run on your own machine or metered cloud.
What Writ adds on top
The synthesis position: the four things that most often make the switch worth it.
Writ and n8n, side by side
The structural differences: billing unit, where runs execute, auth, MCP, marketplace. Reviewed June 2026.
| Criterion | Writ | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Works on sites with no API | Built for it: record a workflow on any site, no API required | Needs an HTTP/API node or a browser-automation node you wire up |
| Login + 2FA on the hard web | Personas with built-in TOTP + mailbox OTP | DIY per workflow |
| MCP-native | Every workflow is an MCP tool out of the box | Community nodes |
| Self-host / BYO | BYO/local agent on your machine (not a self-hostable server) | Yes: self-hostable server |
| Marketplace | Recipe marketplace, every listing free to install | Shared community workflows |
Moving from n8n, step by step
Start small, prove it, then port the rest. You never have to switch everything at once.
- 1
Pick one n8n job to move
Start with a single workflow - the one that costs the most or breaks the most on n8n. A small first move de-risks the switch.
- 2
Rebuild it once in Writ
Record the flow in the browser recorder, describe it to an AI session, or discover the site's own API - whichever fits. You get a real, replayable workflow.
- 3
Call it as an API and MCP tool
Publish the workflow to get a REST endpoint at /v1/{slug}/{path} and an MCP tool, authenticated with a wt_ key.
- 4
Run it your way and compare
Run it free on your own machine or on metered cloud, watch the success rate, then port the rest of your n8n work at your own pace.
Keep what works. You can run Writ alongside n8n. Use n8n where it shines and add Writ for the parts it can't reach - sites with no API, authenticated in-browser actions, and any-site MCP tools. See the full comparison ▸
When n8n is still the right call
n8n is genuinely good at this.
- —Genuinely flexible, node-based automation with a large connector library.
- —Source-available and self-hostable, which appeals to teams that want full control.
- —A strong developer community sharing reusable workflows.
Stay on n8n if
- —You want a general self-hostable automation engine and the sites you touch already have APIs.
- —You prefer a node-graph editor and want to host the whole platform yourself.
Switching from n8n - questions
Is Writ a good n8n alternative?
How do I migrate from n8n to Writ?
What does Writ cost compared to n8n?
Can Writ work on sites and accounts behind a login?
Do I have to give up n8n entirely?
Try Writ as your n8n alternative
Move one workflow first. Run it free on your own machine, see the success rate, then switch the rest at your own pace.