Cresta vs n8n Agents: 2026 comparison
Conversational AI agent assist for contact centers — coaches reps and automates after-call work in real time.
Open-source workflow automation with first-class AI agent nodes — self-host or use cloud.
Cresta vs n8n Agents — specs
| Spec | Cresta | n8n Agents |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 78 / 100 (A) | 85 / 100 (S) |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Semi-autonomous |
| Pricing | Subscription · Free tier | Free · OSS |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Capabilities | Voice, Tool use, Memory, RAG | Tool use, Memory, Multi-agent |
| Integrations | 4 apps | 6 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Mar 2025 | Feb 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 8
- Pricing value
- 9
- Polish & maturity
- 4
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 10
- Pricing value
- 10
- Polish & maturity
- 7
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Pros & cons
- +Best-in-class real-time coaching — recommendations during the call
- +Auto-summarizes calls + drafts after-call work, saving reps 5+ min per call
- +Strong deployments at Fortune 500 contact centers
- −Enterprise-only — minimum seat counts in the hundreds
- −Implementation requires conversation-data training (4–8 weeks)
- −Augments humans rather than replacing them — different positioning than fully autonomous tier
- +Strongest OSS workflow automation in 2026 — production-ready at any scale
- +Self-host keeps proprietary data on your infra
- +Multi-agent + AI agent nodes are first-class, not bolted on
- −Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- −Cloud pricing is competitive but self-host operational overhead is real
- −Community support primary; commercial SLA is paid tier
Pricing
- +Real-time agent assist
- +Conversation intelligence
- +After-call work automation
- +Apache-2.0 fair-use license
- +Unlimited workflows
- +Full agent node support
- +Hosted runtime
- +Active workflows
- +BYO LLM key supported
- +10K executions/mo
- +Multi-user
- +Workflow versioning
Which one should you pick?
Pick n8n Agents if cost is the main constraint or if auditability or self-hosting matters.
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Frequently asked
Should I pick Cresta or n8n Agents in 2026?+
Pick Cresta if its specific capabilities (Voice, Tool use) match what you need. Pick n8n Agents if cost is the main constraint or if auditability or self-hosting matters. Most working teams running both can use Cresta for primary work and n8n Agents for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Cresta and n8n Agents?+
Cresta starts at Subscription · Free tier; n8n Agents starts at Free · OSS. n8n Agents is the cheaper entry option. For team deployments the TCO can differ — use the AI Agent Rank TCO calculator for your specific volume.
Which is more autonomous, Cresta or n8n Agents?+
Both Cresta and n8n Agents are Semi-autonomous agents — neither has a meaningful autonomy advantage over the other. The decision should hinge on capabilities and pricing instead.