Everything you would build in n8n — running where your files and logins already are.
Both give you a visual canvas, a credential store and a run history, and both can run on hardware you own. The real difference is not whether you can self-host — it is which machine the work executes on, and what that machine can already reach.
The short answer
Self-hosting n8n gets you off someone else’s servers. Cronable goes one step further and puts the automation on the computer you actually work on — the one with your SSH keys, your logged-in CLIs, your local files and your VPN already on it.
That is the whole difference. A containerised n8n is isolated from all of that by design, so reaching any of it becomes a mounting-and-credentials project. Cronable runs as you, on your box, and inherits that access on purpose — which is why a job can just open the file, just call the CLI, just reach the internal host.
And you do not draw it node by node. Describe the automation in a sentence and the built-in assistant builds the whole pipeline — steps, schedule, credentials, error handling — for you to review on the canvas.
Cronable vs n8n
Where Cronable and n8n actually differ, capability by capability.
| Capability | Cronable | n8n (self-hosted) | n8n Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on hardware you own | Yes | Yes | No — n8n hosts it |
| Default execution environment | Your own workstation or server, as your user | A server or container with its own isolated environment | n8n’s cloud |
| Can use your signed-in CLIs and SSH keys | Yes — it inherits the machine’s access | Only what you mount or configure in | No |
| Build a job by describing it in plain English | Built in on every plan — no model key, no AI credits | AI Assistant builds workflows — bring your own model key | AI Workflow Builder, metered in AI credits |
| Setup effort | A click to install, or one line on a server; a wizard does the rest | npx n8n to try it; Docker, Postgres and a proxy for a real deployment | None — sign up and go |
| Reach your install from outside the network | Built in — the machine dials out; no port opened | Expose a port, or run your own tunnel or reverse proxy | Yes — it is hosted |
| Inbound webhooks from SaaS apps | Hosted relay forwards them; no port opened | Expose the instance publicly, or tunnel to it | Yes |
| Desktop app | macOS and Windows apps | Server-first; no first-party desktop app | No — it is a web product |
| Where your job data lives | Your machine | Your server | n8n’s cloud |
| Integration library | 123 connectors, plus HTTP, shell, code and AI job types | 1,500+ (n8n’s own figure) | 1,500+ (n8n’s own figure) |
| Job definitions stored as | One YAML file per job in your git repo, on every plan | Workflow JSON in its database; file export, or Git source control on paid editions | Workflow JSON in your cloud workspace |
| SSO, roles, audit trail and change approvals | Roles and audit log on every plan; SSO and approvals on Business | Licensed Business or Enterprise editions (audit log Enterprise-only) | On its higher plans |
| Licence | Commercial, on-premises | Fair-code (Sustainable Use Licence), free to self-host | Commercial subscription |
| Pricing meter | Number of jobs you define; runs unmetered | Free to self-host | Metered by workflow executions |
| Community, templates and tutorials | New product, small community | Large, active, years of material | Large, active, years of material |
Runs on hardware you own
Cronable
Yesn8n (self-hosted)
Yesn8n Cloud
No — n8n hosts itDefault execution environment
Cronable
Your own workstation or server, as your usern8n (self-hosted)
A server or container with its own isolated environmentn8n Cloud
n8n’s cloudCan use your signed-in CLIs and SSH keys
Cronable
Yes — it inherits the machine’s accessn8n (self-hosted)
Only what you mount or configure inn8n Cloud
NoBuild a job by describing it in plain English
Cronable
Built in on every plan — no model key, no AI creditsn8n (self-hosted)
AI Assistant builds workflows — bring your own model keyn8n Cloud
AI Workflow Builder, metered in AI creditsSetup effort
Cronable
A click to install, or one line on a server; a wizard does the restn8n (self-hosted)
npx n8n to try it; Docker, Postgres and a proxy for a real deploymentn8n Cloud
None — sign up and goReach your install from outside the network
Cronable
Built in — the machine dials out; no port openedn8n (self-hosted)
Expose a port, or run your own tunnel or reverse proxyn8n Cloud
Yes — it is hostedInbound webhooks from SaaS apps
Cronable
Hosted relay forwards them; no port openedn8n (self-hosted)
Expose the instance publicly, or tunnel to itn8n Cloud
YesDesktop app
Cronable
macOS and Windows appsn8n (self-hosted)
Server-first; no first-party desktop appn8n Cloud
No — it is a web productWhere your job data lives
Cronable
Your machinen8n (self-hosted)
Your servern8n Cloud
n8n’s cloudIntegration library
Cronable
123 connectors, plus HTTP, shell, code and AI job typesn8n (self-hosted)
1,500+ (n8n’s own figure)n8n Cloud
1,500+ (n8n’s own figure)Job definitions stored as
Cronable
One YAML file per job in your git repo, on every plann8n (self-hosted)
Workflow JSON in its database; file export, or Git source control on paid editionsn8n Cloud
Workflow JSON in your cloud workspaceSSO, roles, audit trail and change approvals
Cronable
Roles and audit log on every plan; SSO and approvals on Businessn8n (self-hosted)
Licensed Business or Enterprise editions (audit log Enterprise-only)n8n Cloud
On its higher plansLicence
Cronable
Commercial, on-premisesn8n (self-hosted)
Fair-code (Sustainable Use Licence), free to self-hostn8n Cloud
Commercial subscriptionPricing meter
Cronable
Number of jobs you define; runs unmeteredn8n (self-hosted)
Free to self-hostn8n Cloud
Metered by workflow executionsCommunity, templates and tutorials
Cronable
New product, small communityn8n (self-hosted)
Large, active, years of materialn8n Cloud
Large, active, years of materialWhat you get by running it on your own machine
Say what you want; it builds the pipeline
Type “every morning, check yesterday’s Stripe refunds and post the total to Slack” and the built-in assistant builds the whole job — the steps, the schedule, the credentials it needs and what happens when one fails — wired and ready to run. You review it on the canvas and change anything. On every plan, including Free.
It runs where your work already is
Cronable installs on the machine you actually use — a Mac or Windows app, or a server you own. A job can open your files, use the CLIs you are already signed in to, and reach anything on your network, because it is running as you, on your box.
Reach it from anywhere — no open ports
Remote control lets you drive your install from a browser wherever you are. The machine dials out to the hosted relay; you never expose a port, forward anything on your router, or run your own tunnel. It is opt-in, off until you switch it on, and included from Basic up.
SaaS webhooks reach your machine
Give Stripe, GitHub or a form tool a URL and the hosted relay forwards the event to your install — again with no port opened and nothing exposed to the internet. Each install gets its own partition, and jobs fire the moment the event lands. Basic and up.
Installed and running in minutes
Install the Mac or Windows app in a click, or paste one line on a server — no Docker, no database to provision, no reverse proxy to configure. A first-run wizard sets you up, spots the tools you are missing and offers to install them, and updates roll out signed and staged in the background with automatic rollback.
One YAML file per job, in your git repo
Every job is a file in a git repository you own, two-way synced. Review a change as a diff, roll one back, or grep the lot. The definitions are yours whether or not you keep paying us.
Cronable and n8n
Is Cronable an open-source n8n alternative?
No. Cronable is a commercial, on-premises product — you run it entirely on your own infrastructure, but the source is not published. n8n’s self-hosted edition is fair-code licensed and free to run. If an open licence is a hard requirement, n8n is the better fit.
Can I self-host n8n and get the same thing?
You can self-host n8n, and many people should. What differs is the execution environment: a containerised n8n deliberately does not carry your desktop’s SSH keys, browser logins or local files. Cronable is designed to run as your user on your machine and inherit that access, which is exactly what makes it useful for local work — and exactly why it should not be run as root or exposed to the internet.
Can I move my n8n workflows to Cronable?
There is no automatic importer. In practice you describe the workflow to the built-in assistant, which builds the equivalent pipeline for you to check and edit. Jobs land as YAML files in your own git repository.
How many integrations does Cronable have?
Cronable ships 123 connectors across 21 categories, plus generic HTTP, terminal, code and AI job types that reach anything with an API or a command line. n8n’s catalogue is much larger — well over a thousand — so check our connector list for the services you need before switching.
Automate your operations.
Cronable is launching soon. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment self-serve accounts — and the apps for Mac, Windows and Linux — go live.