Superstep vs n8n, Dify, Langflow and Flowise¶

n8n, Dify, Langflow and Flowise are the closest alternatives to Superstep: like Superstep, they let you build AI workflows on a visual canvas instead of writing code. They differ in what sits under the canvas, in their licenses and in how runs pause, resume and get traced. This page compares them fairly so you can pick the right one. Facts about the other products come from their own documentation and license files (listed under Sources) as checked on 25 October 2026; features, plans and licenses can change, so check those pages before you decide. If you would rather write agents in code, see Superstep vs CrewAI and PydanticAI; for LangSmith, see Superstep vs LangSmith.

In one sentence each¶

Product	What it is
Superstep	A visual, self-hosted studio for LangGraph workflows (MIT license), with code export, a LangGraph-compatible API, human-in-the-loop channels and a Vietnamese UI.
n8n	A workflow automation platform with a visual editor, a large library of app integrations and AI nodes (agents, tools, memory) built on LangChain concepts.
Dify	An open-source platform for LLM applications: agents, agentic workflows and chatbots on your own data, published as web apps, APIs or MCP servers.
Langflow	An open-source (MIT) low-code platform for building and deploying AI agents and workflows with a visual builder, an API and an MCP server.
Flowise	An open-source visual builder for AI agents and LLM flows (Chatflow and Agentflow), self-hosted or on Flowise Cloud.

Summary comparison¶

What runs the workflow, under which license, and where:

Product	Under the canvas	License	Hosting
Superstep	Compiles to a LangGraph `StateGraph`	MIT	Self-hosted (Docker, PaaS); free
n8n	n8n's own engine; AI nodes implement LangChain concepts	Sustainable Use License (source-available; internal and non-commercial use limits); `.ee` files need an Enterprise license	n8n Cloud or self-hosted Community edition; paid enterprise plans
Dify	Dify's own workflow engine	Apache 2.0 with conditions (no multi-tenant service without permission; keep logo and copyright)	Dify Cloud or self-hosted Community Edition (Docker Compose)
Langflow	Langflow components; LangChain components are an opt-in bundle	MIT	Self-hosted (Docker, Kubernetes, cloud platforms) or Langflow Desktop
Flowise	Agentflow V2: native Flowise nodes; the older Agentflow V1 Multi-Agents and Sequential Agents are built on LangGraph	Apache 2.0, except the enterprise directory and files with their own notice	Flowise Cloud or self-hosted (npm, Docker, cloud guides)

How runs pause, resume and get checked:

Product	Human in the loop	Durable runs	Tests, evals, observability
Superstep	Human nodes, and approval before an Agent node's tool calls; approve in the studio, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, email or Teams, with deadlines	Checkpoints in its database (SQLite or Postgres): paused and running queue runs continue after a restart or a worker crash; time travel: fork a finished run from a checkpoint	Workflow tests, LangSmith evals, OpenTelemetry traces
n8n	Human review of AI Agent tool calls; Slack "send and wait" approvals	Queue mode with workers	Evaluations (test cases, metrics); OpenTelemetry for self-hosted
Dify	Human Input node	Not covered by the sources	Logs, dashboard, annotations; LangSmith, Langfuse, Opik, Phoenix and others
Langflow	Human Input component; approval of agent tool calls	HITL pauses at a checkpoint and resumes from it; otherwise not covered by the sources	Playground; LangSmith, Langfuse, Opik, Arize integrations
Flowise	Human Input node; "Require Human Input" on agent tools	Agentflow V2 saves checkpoints so a paused run resumes after a restart	Evaluations; Langfuse, LangWatch, Lunary, Opik, Arize, Phoenix

How you call it and take it elsewhere:

Product	API, SDK, MCP	Code export
Superstep	Public run API, Python `superstep` and TypeScript `@superstep/sdk` SDKs, Agent Server API subset at `/api/lg`, workflows as MCP tools at `/mcp`	Runnable LangGraph Python or LangGraph.js project
n8n	REST API and webhooks	No (workflows export as JSON)
Dify	REST API, `difyctl` CLI, publish apps as MCP servers	No
Langflow	Run API, webhooks, MCP server and client, Flow DevOps Toolkit SDK	No (flows export as JSON)
Flowise	REST API (Prediction and others)	Not covered by the sources

Superstep¶

Visual LangGraph. Graphs are drawn on a canvas (14 node types, a typed state with reducers, loops, parallel branches, subgraphs, Human nodes) and compile to a LangGraph StateGraph. Python and TypeScript Code nodes run in a locked Docker sandbox (on the host on managed platforms) when you need code. See Nodes.
An Agent node inside the graph. A model picks and calls the tools you list (MCP server tools, HTTP requests, built-in functions, knowledge base search) for up to a set number of rounds; any tool can need an approval before each call. Each model and tool call is a checkpointed step, so it shows in the trace and is not repeated after a restart (see Agent node). An Agent can call another workflow as a tool, so a supervisor agent hands work to specialist agents, and the specialist's steps show under the call.
Code export and LangGraph interop. Any workflow exports as a runnable LangGraph project (langgraph.json, served by langgraph dev, see Export to Python), and a subset of the Agent Server API at /api/lg lets the official langgraph-sdk clients run workflows (see LangGraph-compatible API).
Human in the loop where people already are. Human nodes pause a run from a checkpoint; approve in the studio, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, email or Teams, with reminders, escalation and expiry (see Human approval).
Reliability and debugging. Checkpoints in the database, leased worker jobs, effectively-once side effects, step-by-step runs and time travel: inspect a finished run's checkpoints, edit a state and fork a new run.
Tests and traces. Workflow tests with checks (see Workflow tests), optional LangSmith datasets and experiments, OpenTelemetry traces (see Traces).
Services, not only a studio. API tokens, signed webhooks, cron schedules, chat triggers, a public chat page with an embeddable chat bubble (see Chat), and a public API with Python and TypeScript SDKs (see Public API and SDKs).
Self-hosted, MIT. SQLite by default or Postgres with pgvector, optional Redis and worker, Docker images on GHCR and one-click PaaS deploys (see Deploy). Vietnamese and English UI and handbook.

What Superstep does not try to be: it has far fewer ready integrations than the other four (it connects through HTTP, MCP servers, email and its chat channels), no hosted cloud service and no marketplace. Several agents work together only as a supervisor calling other workflows as tools: there are no hand-offs between agents and no agents that talk freely to each other.

n8n¶

n8n is a workflow automation platform: a visual editor that connects apps and services through integration nodes, triggers and flow logic, with code where needed. Its AI section lets you connect LLM providers, add agents, tools, memory, vector stores and MCP servers, and describes how n8n implements LangChain concepts. AI Agent tools can require human approval (the workflow pauses and sends the request to Slack, Telegram or n8n Chat), and Evaluations check AI workflows against test cases and metrics. n8n runs as n8n Cloud or self-hosted (npm, Docker, Docker Compose, cloud providers), with queue mode for scaling.

Its license is the Sustainable Use License: you may use or modify the software "only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use", and files marked .ee need an n8n Enterprise license. It is source-available, not an OSI open-source license.

Where n8n is strong: the breadth of ready integrations and triggers, mature business automation, and a template library.

Dify¶

Dify is an open-source platform for building AI applications: agents, agentic workflows and chatbots that draw on your own data (knowledge bases with retrieval), published as web apps, embeds, REST APIs or MCP servers. Workflows have nodes such as LLM, knowledge retrieval, HTTP request, tools and Human Input, which pauses a workflow to ask a person. Plugins add models, tools and triggers, and a Marketplace shares them. Monitoring covers logs, a dashboard, annotations and integrations with LangSmith, Langfuse, Opik, W&B Weave, Arize and Phoenix. It runs on Dify Cloud or as the self-hosted Community Edition with Docker Compose.

Its license is Apache 2.0 with added conditions: operating a multi-tenant environment (one tenant is one workspace) needs written permission, and the logo and copyright in the console and apps must stay.

Where Dify is strong: an all-in-one LLM app platform with RAG, many model providers, an app front end out of the box and a plugin ecosystem.

Langflow¶

Langflow is an MIT-licensed, Python-based low-code platform for building and deploying agents and workflows with a visual builder. Flows are made of components; an Agent component can use any component as a tool, including other agents and MCP servers, and LangChain components are available as an opt-in bundle. Flows run through the Langflow API or webhooks, can be served through a Langflow MCP server, and are tested in the Playground. Human-in-the-Loop "pauses a flow, creates a checkpoint, and waits for a human decision", either at a Human Input component or when an agent tries to call a tool that needs approval. Traces can go to LangSmith, Langfuse, Opik or Arize. Flows export as JSON, and the Flow DevOps Toolkit SDK versions, tests and deploys them from the terminal. It runs locally, as Langflow Desktop, or deployed with Docker, Kubernetes or a cloud platform.

Where Langflow is strong: a large component library, an MIT license, MCP in both directions, and Python custom components.

Flowise¶

Flowise is a visual builder for AI agents and LLM flows. Chatflows build chatbots and RAG flows from LangChain-based nodes; Agentflow V2 builds multi-step and multi-agent workflows from native Flowise nodes with a shared flow state. The docs say Agentflow V1 (being deprecated) relied on external frameworks, and its Multi-Agents and Sequential Agents are built on LangGraph; V2 no longer is. In Agentflow V2, human-in-the-loop (a Human Input node, or "Require Human Input" on an agent's tools) pauses execution, and "each checkpoint is saved, allowing the workflow to resume from the same point even after an application restart". Flowise has Evaluations, analytics integrations (Langfuse, LangWatch, Lunary, Opik, Arize, Phoenix) and a REST API. It runs on Flowise Cloud or self-hosted with npm, Docker or one of many cloud guides.

Its license is Apache 2.0, except the packages/server/src/enterprise directory and files with their own copyright notice.

Where Flowise is strong: quick chatbot and RAG building, an approachable agent canvas with checkpointed human input, and many deployment guides.

Using them together¶

Call Superstep from them. n8n, Dify, Langflow or Flowise can start a Superstep workflow over HTTP through the public API, for example to put a reviewed, approval-gated step inside a larger automation.
Call them from Superstep. HTTP and MCP nodes, or an Agent node's HTTP and MCP tools, can reach an n8n webhook, a Dify app API, a Langflow MCP server or a Flowise prediction endpoint.

When to choose another tool¶

Choose n8n when the job is mostly connecting business apps (CRMs, spreadsheets, messaging) with some AI steps, you want a large library of ready integrations, and the Sustainable Use License fits your use.
Choose Dify when you want a complete LLM app platform with knowledge bases, a ready chat front end, a plugin marketplace and a hosted cloud, and its license conditions (no multi-tenant service, keep the branding) fit.
Choose Langflow when you want an MIT-licensed visual builder with a large component library, Python custom components and MCP serving.
Choose Flowise when you want to stand up chatbots, RAG and agent flows quickly, self-hosted or on Flowise Cloud.
Choose Superstep when you want LangGraph underneath (with code export and a LangGraph-compatible API), explicit approvals in Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, email or Teams, time travel over checkpoints, an MIT license and self-hosting without a contract, or a Vietnamese UI.