Comparison
Belowdecks and n8n compared point by point
n8n gives a technical team a tool to build its workflows and agents, in the cloud or on a server it manages. With Belowdecks, our team installs AI agents for you and monitors their work. This page compares the two.
Two ways to hand work to AI
n8n is an automation platform aimed at technical teams. You build workflows in a visual editor, with JavaScript or Python when needed, and an AI Agent node lets an AI model use tools. n8n also offers, in preview, autonomous agents with instructions, tools, memory and schedules. n8n runs in the cloud, hosted by the vendor in the European Union, or installs on a server you manage. In that second case, n8n states that installation and configuration require technical skills, and that maintenance is up to you.
With Belowdecks, our team installs AI agents in your business that do the repetitive work, then monitors their work and adjusts them every month. An agent does a piece of work from start to finish, such as answering a quote request received by email. Before an important action, the agent waits for your go-ahead, and it asks your team when information is missing.
n8n therefore suits a business that has a developer to build, host and maintain its workflows. Belowdecks suits a business that prefers to hand this work to our team.
n8n and Belowdecks, line by line
The facts about n8n come from its public pages, checked on October 6, 2026. Several n8n features depend on the plan and hosting mode you choose.
What you get
- n8n
- Software to build your own workflows
- Belowdecks
- Agents installed and monitored by a team
Who builds and maintains it
- n8n
- Your technical team or a partner
- Belowdecks
- The Belowdecks team, from diagnostic to follow-up
What starts the work
- n8n
- Email, schedule, webhook, form, chat
- Belowdecks
- An email, a schedule, another app, a new row in a list
Your go-ahead before an important action
- n8n
- Approval of agent tool calls, on every plan
- Belowdecks
- Set up at installation to wait for your approval
Who can approve
- n8n
- The recipient you choose, on the chosen channel
- Belowdecks
- The person you choose, also from an email
When information is missing
- n8n
- A wait step, or questions from agents (preview)
- Belowdecks
- The agent asks your team and waits
Assistant for your customers
- n8n
- Embeddable chat widget, on every plan
- Belowdecks
- Assistant on your site; the customer confirms the request
Where data is hosted
- n8n
- Cloud in the EU, or on a server you manage
- Belowdecks
- Your Belowdecks workspace; region agreed at the diagnostic
AI bill
- n8n
- Your own key, or prepaid credits (Cloud Starter and Pro)
- Belowdecks
- Billed in your name by the AI provider
Monitoring the work
- n8n
- Run history, error workflows
- Belowdecks
- A result for each task, a monthly report
Help and support
- n8n
- Help in English; forum outside Enterprise
- Belowdecks
- The Belowdecks team
Pricing structure
- n8n
- Plan based on the number of executions
- Belowdecks
- From $449 a month, setup quoted separately
Choosing
The situation where each one fits best
Both options meet real needs. The right choice depends mostly on the time and skills your team has.
n8n fits better if
Your team includes a developer who wants to build your workflows and agents, with code when needed. You want to install the tool on a server you manage, for example to keep data in Canada, or your workflows have many steps, since n8n bills per execution rather than per step.
Belowdecks fits better if
Your team does not have the time to design, host and update workflows. You want to hand a complete piece of work to a team that sets up the agents with you, has them wait for your go-ahead before important actions, and monitors their work every month.
Common questions about Belowdecks and n8n
Can we keep n8n and add Belowdecks?
Yes. At installation, our team can set up a link both ways: an n8n workflow starts a Belowdecks agent, and the agent sends its results to an n8n workflow (Webhook node).
The diagnostic determines what stays in your workflows and what moves to the agents.
What does installing n8n on our servers involve?
The n8n community edition installs for free, with Docker or npm. n8n states that installation and configuration require technical skills, and that maintenance is up to you.
With Belowdecks, our team hosts your Belowdecks workspace, applies the updates and automatically receives technical errors, with the agent and the task involved.
n8n has AI agents and human approval too. How is Belowdecks different?
In n8n, the AI Agent node can pause the workflow before using a tool and show its parameters to a person, who approves or rejects from n8n chat, Slack, Teams, Gmail, Outlook or another messaging app. This approval exists on every plan. You design each workflow, its approvals and its error handling yourself.
Our team sets up Belowdecks agents with you. Before going live, each agent practices on real cases with the instruction to send and change nothing, in a workspace discarded afterwards, and reports what it would have done. Once live, it sees only its project’s folder and reports a result at the end of each task. On the 1st of each month, the administrators of your Belowdecks workspace receive an agent-by-agent report.
Where is the data kept in each case?
n8n in the cloud keeps data in the European Union, on servers located in Frankfurt, with no choice of region. Installed on a server you manage, n8n keeps your workflow data wherever you install it, which makes it possible to keep it in Canada. With Belowdecks, your data is hosted in a region agreed at the diagnostic, which may be outside Quebec.
In both cases, the text read by the AI goes through its provider, which may process it outside Quebec. With Belowdecks, other data also leaves your Belowdecks workspace, such as technical error reports, notification emails, the monthly usage report and the agents’ web browsing. The Security page lists them, and your privacy impact assessment must take this into account.
Sources
The information about n8n comes from its public pages, checked on October 6, 2026: pricing and hosting, ways to use n8n, approval of agent tools, Chat Trigger and autonomous agents. n8n’s features and prices change often, so check them before you decide.
n8n is a trademark of its publisher. Belowdecks is not affiliated with n8n.
First call
Find out whether some of your work suits agents
A free 20-minute call to describe the work that takes up your time. We will tell you whether Belowdecks fits, or whether a tool like n8n is enough.