What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about open-source workflow automation tools — measured weekly across 4 engines, published as open data.
Updated 2026-08-04 · 56 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology
Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.
Sample: 56 AI answers · Window: Jul 7, 2026 – Aug 4, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (44 answers)
Across 56 sampled AI answers from 4 engines, n8n is recommended most often — appearing in 89.3% of recommendations, followed by Activepieces (82.1%) and Zapier AI (53.6%).
This is a measurement of share of voice across 4 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.
| # | Product | Share | Trend | Engines | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | n8n n8n.io Best for: AI recommends n8n most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (100% of those answers) | 89.3% 95% CI 78.5–95% 50 mentions · avg pos 2.8 first pick 52% | — | GEMINI 85.7%CHATGPT 100%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 90.5% | Claim |
| 2 | Activepieces activepieces.com Best for: AI recommends Activepieces most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (100% of those answers) | 82.1% 95% CI 70.2–90% 46 mentions · avg pos 3.3 first pick 28.3% | — | GEMINI 85.7%CHATGPT 100%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 71.4% | Claim |
| 3 | Zapier AI zapier.com Best for: AI recommends Zapier AI most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (100% of those answers) | 53.6% 95% CI 40.7–66% 30 mentions · avg pos 5.7 first pick 33.3% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 71.4%PERPLEXITY 47.6% | Claim |
| 4 | Windmill windmill.dev Best for: AI recommends Windmill most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (100% of those answers) | 48.2% 95% CI 35.7–61% 27 mentions · avg pos 5.3 first pick 3.7% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 38.1% | Claim |
| 5 | Docker docker.com Best for: AI recommends Docker most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (100% of those answers) | 48.2% 95% CI 35.7–61% 27 mentions · avg pos 6.4 first pick 14.8% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 100%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 33.3% | Claim |
| 6 | Node-RED nodered.org Best for: AI recommends Node-RED most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (87.5% of those answers) | 44.6% 95% CI 32.4–57.6% 25 mentions · avg pos 6.7 first pick 12% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 7 | Automate automate.org Best for: AI recommends Automate most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (75% of those answers) | 37.5% 95% CI 26–50.6% 21 mentions · avg pos 6.4 first pick 14.3% | — | GEMINI 57.1%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 8 | Automatisch Best for: AI recommends Automatisch most when buyers ask “which self-hosted workflow automation platform is easiest for non-developers to configure” (87.5% of those answers) | 35.7% 95% CI 24.5–48.8% 20 mentions · avg pos 5.9 first pick 10% | — | GEMINI 42.9%CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 33.3% | Claim |
| 9 | Make make.com Best for: AI recommends Make most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (87.5% of those answers) | 33.9% 95% CI 22.9–47% 19 mentions · avg pos 6.7 first pick 26.3% | — | GEMINI 19%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 71.4%PERPLEXITY 28.6% | Claim |
| 10 | Kestra kestra.io Best for: AI recommends Kestra most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (75% of those answers) | 30.4% 95% CI 19.9–43.3% 17 mentions · avg pos 7.4 first pick 11.8% | — | GEMINI 33.3%CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 38.1% | Claim |
| 11 | Apache Hop apache.org Best for: AI recommends Apache Hop most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (50% of those answers) | 23.2% 95% CI 14.1–35.8% 13 mentions · avg pos 6.7 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 47.6%CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 28.6% | Claim |
| 12 | Temporal temporal.io Best for: AI recommends Temporal most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (62.5% of those answers) | 21.4% 95% CI 12.7–33.8% 12 mentions · avg pos 6.3 first pick 8.3% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 19% | Claim |
| 13 | Kubernetes kubernetes.io Best for: AI recommends Kubernetes most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (87.5% of those answers) | 19.6% 95% CI 11.3–31.8% 11 mentions · avg pos 18.6 first pick 9.1% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 14 | PostgreSQL postgresql.org Best for: AI recommends PostgreSQL most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (87.5% of those answers) | 19.6% 95% CI 11.3–31.8% 11 mentions · avg pos 19.1 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 15 | Apache Airflow airflow.apache.org Best for: AI recommends Apache Airflow most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (50% of those answers) | 17.9% 95% CI 10–29.8% 10 mentions · avg pos 7.1 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 38.1%CLAUDE 28.6% | Claim |
| 16 | Huginn Best for: AI recommends Huginn most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (62.5% of those answers) | 17.9% 95% CI 10–29.8% 10 mentions · avg pos 12.4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 23.8%CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 17 | Redis redis.io Best for: AI recommends Redis most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (75% of those answers) | 14.3% 95% CI 7.4–25.7% 8 mentions · avg pos 17.8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 18 | Baserow baserow.io Best for: AI recommends Baserow most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 12.5% 95% CI 6.2–23.6% 7 mentions · avg pos 2.7 first pick 28.6% | — | GEMINI 19%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 19 | Budibase budibase.com Best for: AI recommends Budibase most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (75% of those answers) | 12.5% 95% CI 6.2–23.6% 7 mentions · avg pos 4.5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 23.8% | Claim |
| 20 | Camunda camunda.com Best for: AI recommends Camunda most when buyers ask “best open-source workflow automation tool I can self-host to replace expensive iPaaS platforms” (50% of those answers) | 12.5% 95% CI 6.2–23.6% 7 mentions · avg pos 6.6 first pick 14.3% | — | GEMINI 23.8%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 21 | Odoo odoo.com Best for: AI recommends Odoo most when buyers ask “what open-source automation tool should I use to automate CRM updates and email sequences” (87.5% of those answers) | 12.5% 95% CI 6.2–23.6% 7 mentions · avg pos 8.5 first pick 14.3% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 22 | NocoBase nocobase.com Best for: AI recommends NocoBase most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 10.7% 95% CI 5–21.5% 6 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 16.7% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 23 | NGINX nginx.org Best for: AI recommends NGINX most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (62.5% of those answers) | 10.7% 95% CI 5–21.5% 6 mentions · avg pos 17.2 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 24 | HubSpot CRM hubspot.com Best for: AI recommends HubSpot CRM most when buyers ask “what open-source automation tool should I use to automate CRM updates and email sequences” (62.5% of those answers) | 8.9% 95% CI 3.9–19.3% 5 mentions · avg pos 1 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 25 | SuiteCRM suitecrm.com Best for: AI recommends SuiteCRM most when buyers ask “what open-source automation tool should I use to automate CRM updates and email sequences” (62.5% of those answers) | 8.9% 95% CI 3.9–19.3% 5 mentions · avg pos 3.4 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 26 | Appsmith appsmith.com Best for: AI recommends Appsmith most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 8.9% 95% CI 3.9–19.3% 5 mentions · avg pos 4.2 first pick 20% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 27 | Git git-scm.com | 8.9% 95% CI 3.9–19.3% 5 mentions · avg pos 17 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 9.5%CHATGPT 42.9% | Claim |
| 28 | Retool retool.com Best for: AI recommends Retool most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 1.5 first pick 25% | — | CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 29 | ToolJet tooljet.com Best for: AI recommends ToolJet most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 4 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 30 | EspoCRM espocrm.com Best for: AI recommends EspoCRM most when buyers ask “what open-source automation tool should I use to automate CRM updates and email sequences” (50% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 4.3 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 9.5%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 31 | Mautic mautic.org Best for: AI recommends Mautic most when buyers ask “what open-source automation tool should I use to automate CRM updates and email sequences” (62.5% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 8.3 first pick 25% | — | GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 32 | Power Automate Best for: AI recommends Power Automate most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (37.5% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 16 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 28.6%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 33 | Slack slack.com | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 17.8 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 57.1% | Claim |
| 34 | Postgres Best for: AI recommends Postgres most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (37.5% of those answers) | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 19 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 28.6%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 35 | Prometheus prometheus.io | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 33 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 42.9%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 36 | Grafana Loki | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 33.3 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 42.9%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 37 | RabbitMQ rabbitmq.com | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 36.3 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 42.9%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 38 | Vault | 7.1% 95% CI 2.8–17% 4 mentions · avg pos 44.5 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 42.9%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 39 | Airtable airtable.com Best for: AI recommends Airtable most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (37.5% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 2.5 first pick 33.3% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 40 | NocoDB nocodb.com Best for: AI recommends NocoDB most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (37.5% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 33.3% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 41 | Vellum vellum.ai Best for: AI recommends Vellum most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 42 | MySQL mysql.com | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 43 | Home Assistant home-assistant.io | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions · avg pos 27.3 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 42.9% | Claim |
| 44 | Dev.to dev.to Best for: AI recommends Dev.to most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (50% of those answers) | 5.4% 95% CI 1.8–14.6% 3 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 14.3% | Claim |
| 45 | Gobii gobii.ai | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 46 | Prefect prefect.io | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 50% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 47 | Keycloak keycloak.org | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 12.5 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 48 | AWS aws.amazon.com | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions · avg pos 13 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 49 | ONES Project ones.com Best for: AI recommends ONES Project most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (37.5% of those answers) | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 50 | Pipedream pipedream.com | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8%CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 51 | Stepper stepper.io Best for: AI recommends Stepper most when buyers ask “which self-hosted workflow automation platform is easiest for non-developers to configure” (37.5% of those answers) | 3.6% 95% CI 1–12.1% 2 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 9.5% | Claim |
| 52 | Cflow | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 53 | Vtiger vtiger.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 2 first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 54 | Apache NiFi nifi.apache.org | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 3 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 55 | OpenEMM | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 56 | OpenPanel openpanel.dev | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 5 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 57 | Talend talend.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 6 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 58 | BonitaSoft bonitasoft.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 59 | StackStorm stackstorm.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 8 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 60 | Imixs-Workflow imixs.org | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 61 | SQLite | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 9 first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 62 | MongoDB mongodb.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 11 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 63 | IFTTT ifttt.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 29 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 64 | Apache Kafka kafka.apache.org | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 81 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 65 | Vault by HashiCorp vaultproject.io | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions · avg pos 93 first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 66 | AccountableHQ accountablehq.com Best for: AI recommends AccountableHQ most when buyers ask “self-hosted open-source automation for a healthcare company with strict data handling rules” (37.5% of those answers) | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 67 | Directus directus.io | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 68 | F6S f6s.com Best for: AI recommends F6S most when buyers ask “how do I build a self-hosted workflow automation system for my team without sending data to third parties” (37.5% of those answers) | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 69 | Formbricks formbricks.com Best for: AI recommends Formbricks most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (37.5% of those answers) | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 70 | GitLab gitlab.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 71 | Gumloop gumloop.com Best for: AI recommends Gumloop most when buyers ask “open-source alternatives to popular hosted no-code automation tools” (37.5% of those answers) | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 72 | Indie Hackers indiehackers.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 73 | Microsoft microsoft.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | CHATGPT 14.3% | Claim |
| 74 | Notion AI notion.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 75 | Nutshell nutshell.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 76 | React Admin marmelab.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 77 | SourceForge sourceforge.net | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 78 | Stripe stripe.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | GEMINI 4.8% | Claim |
| 79 | The Digital Project Manager thedigitalprojectmanager.com | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
| 80 | Webstudio webstudio.is | 1.8% 95% CI 0.3–9.4% 1 mentions first pick 0% | — | PERPLEXITY 4.8% | Claim |
Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 56 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.
Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.
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