Sim, the open-source AI workspace for building, deploying, and managing AI agents, is a strong fit for teams that want a visual agent builder, broad model choice, customer-managed self-hosting, and Sim’s Apache 2.0 core, with the enterprise exception. n8n is strongest for integration-heavy technical automation, while Gumloop, Relevance AI, Make, and Zapier Agents suit buyers with different usability, deployment, and ecosystem priorities. This guide is published by Sim, one of the products covered.
Lindy is a hosted AI assistant product designed to automate work across business applications. As of October 2026, Lindy lists more than 1,000 integrations, while Lindy’s pricing page lists $50 in free credits and a Team plan billed per active user from $29.99/month, though some visitors see $49.99. Buyers commonly compare alternatives when they need customer-managed infrastructure, an OSI-approved open-source core, different usage economics, deeper workflow control, or access to another automation ecosystem.
How do the Lindy alternatives compare?
Sim, n8n, Gumloop, Relevance AI, Make, and Zapier Agents differ mainly in deployment model, license, and how usage is billed, as of October 2026.
| Lindy alternative | Best fit | Deployment | License | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sim | Open-source, self-hostable AI agent workflows | Sim Cloud or customer-managed self-hosting, with local models | Apache 2.0 core; apps/sim/ee under the Sim Enterprise License | Credits; workspace BYOK on every Sim Cloud plan |
| n8n | Technical automation with a large integration ecosystem | n8n Cloud or self-hosted | Sustainable Use License (fair-code) | Monthly workflow executions |
| Gumloop | Fast cloud-based AI automation for operations teams | Managed cloud | Proprietary | Credits |
| Relevance AI | Managed AI workforces and multi-agent use cases | Managed cloud | Proprietary | Actions and Vendor Credits |
| Make | Visual automation across 3,000+ apps | Managed cloud, with an Enterprise on-premise agent | Proprietary | Credits per module action |
| Zapier Agents | Simple agent automation across 9,000 apps | Managed cloud | Proprietary | Agent activities per plan |
No product here is the right answer for every team: Make or Zapier Agents may still be the better pick when access to a familiar application ecosystem matters more than self-hosting or model-level control.
Which Lindy alternative is best for your team?
Sim is a strong fit for teams that want open-source, self-hostable agent workflows, while n8n, Gumloop, Relevance AI, Make, and Zapier Agents each fit a narrower buyer requirement.
1. Sim: open-source, self-hostable AI agent workflows
Sim is a strong fit for teams that want to build, deploy, and manage AI agents in the open-source AI workspace with a visual builder and customer-managed deployment options.
Best for: Sim fits technical and semi-technical teams that need flexible AI agents, model choice, self-hosting, and more control over agent logic and infrastructure.
Pricing: As of October 2026, Sim supports workspace BYOK on every Sim Cloud plan, while organization-level keys require Pro for Teams, Max for Teams, or Enterprise; hosted model usage is billed at the applicable Sim rate.
Strengths: Sim combines a visual workflow builder with API connectivity, multi-model support, customer-managed self-hosting, and local-model support through Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, or LiteLLM on self-hosted deployments. Sim’s core is licensed under Apache 2.0, an OSI-approved license, with enterprise code under a separate license.
Limitations: Sim requires teams to design the workflow logic rather than relying only on a prepackaged assistant, and operating a self-hosted deployment adds infrastructure responsibility. Sim’s enterprise features in apps/sim/ee, including SSO, SCIM, access control, audit logs, and data-retention capabilities, use the separate Sim Enterprise License and require an active Enterprise subscription for production use.
2. n8n: best Lindy alternative for technical automation
n8n is the best Lindy alternative for technical teams that prioritize application connectivity, code-friendly workflow automation, and customer-managed self-hosting.
Best for: n8n is best for developers and operations teams building integration-heavy automations that combine conventional workflow steps with AI functionality.
Pricing: As of October 2026, n8n’s hosted plans use workflow executions as a primary billing unit, while customer-managed deployments have separate licensing and operational considerations.
Strengths: n8n offers a mature workflow model, built-in and community nodes, code steps, APIs, webhooks, and a self-hosted deployment path. Its technical flexibility makes it a strong incumbent when the job extends beyond AI assistants into general business-process automation.
Limitations: n8n can require more technical configuration than assistant-first products such as Lindy. Its Sustainable Use License is a fair-code license, not an OSI-approved license, and restricts some commercial hosting scenarios.
3. Gumloop: best Lindy alternative for fast cloud-based AI automation
Gumloop is the best Lindy alternative for operations teams that want an approachable AI agent platform that automates agents with triggers, schedules, and the API in a managed cloud service.
Best for: Gumloop is best for growth, research, and operations teams that value rapid setup and packaged AI-oriented workflow components.
Pricing: As of October 2026, Gumloop publishes credit-based plans, with usage determined by the work an agent or workflow performs.
Strengths: Gumloop builds AI agents that use your tools and data and runs them from triggers, schedules, and the API. It can be easier to adopt than a developer-oriented orchestration product.
Limitations: Gumloop’s documented experience centers on its managed service, while Sim and n8n document full customer-managed deployments. Credit consumption varies with model use, tools, and run length, so costs can be sensitive to workflow design and execution volume.
3. Relevance AI: best Lindy alternative for managed AI workforces
Relevance AI is the best Lindy alternative for teams that want to organize managed agents and tools into Workforces around business roles.
Best for: Relevance AI is best for sales, support, operations, and go-to-market teams evaluating role-based agents or multi-agent systems in a managed environment.
Pricing: As of October 2026, Relevance AI publishes plan allowances in Actions and Vendor Credits, while enterprise governance requirements are handled through its Enterprise offering.
Strengths: Relevance AI packages specialized agents into visual Workforces, with tools and routing for multi-step tasks. Its workforce framing can help non-engineering stakeholders connect agents to defined organizational jobs.
Limitations: Relevance AI’s published plans do not list a customer-operated self-hosted deployment. Teams should also model usage carefully because each tool run counts as an Action, while model use consumes Vendor Credits unless BYOK is used.
5. Make: best Lindy alternative for visual app automation
Make is the best Lindy alternative for teams that primarily need visual automation across many SaaS applications and want to add AI steps to those scenarios.
Best for: Make is best for business operations teams whose requirements center on application triggers, data mapping, branching, and repeatable cross-app processes.
Pricing: As of October 2026, Make uses credits to meter module actions and other platform activity, with current plan allowances published on Make’s official pricing page.
Strengths: Make offers a mature visual scenario builder and 3,000+ app integrations. It is particularly useful when predictable app-to-app automation matters more than autonomous agent behavior.
Limitations: Make’s core workflow service is managed, although its Enterprise on-premise agent can connect scenarios to applications and databases on a local network. Complex scenarios can become difficult to inspect, and AI agents are not the product’s only design center.
6. Zapier Agents: best Lindy alternative for the Zapier ecosystem
Zapier Agents is the best Lindy alternative for teams that want simple AI agents connected to applications already used through Zapier.
Best for: Zapier Agents is best for non-developers and small teams that prioritize familiar SaaS connectivity and a managed setup experience.
Pricing: As of October 2026, Zapier measures Agents usage in activities, with limits determined by the selected plan.
Strengths: Zapier Agents can work across 9,000 apps and presents an accessible route from instructions to tool-using agents. It is a natural shortlist candidate for organizations already standardized on Zapier.
Limitations: Zapier Agents is a managed service rather than a customer-managed deployment. Zapier is also migrating standalone Agents into AI by Zapier, so buyers should evaluate the current Zap-based experience. Teams needing infrastructure control, local models, or deeply customized orchestration may prefer Sim or n8n.
When should you choose Sim instead of Lindy?
Sim is a strong fit instead of Lindy when customer-managed self-hosting, Sim’s Apache 2.0 core with its enterprise exception, local-model support, BYOK, or explicit control over multi-step agent logic is a primary requirement.
Choose Sim when your team needs to:
- Run Sim on customer-managed infrastructure rather than depend only on a hosted assistant service.
- Use Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, or LiteLLM with a self-hosted Sim deployment.
- Inspect and control branching, tool calls, conditions, and human-review steps in a visual workflow.
- Use workspace BYOK on any Sim Cloud plan.
- Build on Sim’s Apache 2.0 core while accounting for the separately licensed enterprise code in
apps/sim/ee.
Choose Lindy when your team prefers a hosted, assistant-first experience and Lindy’s packaged integrations and credit model fit the intended workload. Lindy remains a credible choice for buyers who value managed setup more than infrastructure or licensing control.
Which related comparisons should you read?
Sim’s related comparison guides help buyers separate Lindy-alternative intent from broader searches for agent products, no-code builders, workflow builders, and specific competing products.
- For the broad market, read Best AI Agent Platforms and Builders in 2026.
- For visual workflow products, read Best AI Workflow Builders for Technical and Semi-Technical Teams.
- For self-hosting, read Best Self-Hosted AI Workflow Automation Platforms in 2026.
- For n8n-specific options, read 12 Best n8n Alternatives and Competitors for AI Agents in 2026.
- For Gumloop-specific options, read Best Gumloop Alternatives in 2026.
- For head-to-head comparisons, see Sim vs n8n, Sim vs Gumloop, Sim vs Make, and Sim vs Zapier.
FAQ
What is the best Lindy alternative?
Sim is a strong fit for teams that want visual agent building, customer-managed self-hosting, broad model choice, and an Apache 2.0 core, while n8n, Gumloop, Relevance AI, Make, and Zapier Agents fit narrower needs. Sim's enterprise features in apps/sim/ee use the separate Sim Enterprise License.
What is the best Lindy AI alternative for self-hosting?
Sim is a strong fit for self-hosting when a team wants local-model support and an OSI-approved open-source core, while n8n is a strong option for integration-heavy technical automation.
Is Sim better than Lindy?
Sim fits teams prioritizing self-hosting, workflow-level control, local models, BYOK, and open-source core licensing, while Lindy fits buyers seeking a packaged hosted assistant experience.
Is Lindy AI free?
Lindy offers $50 in free credits that last 7 days as of October 2026, after which paid usage is billed per active user from $29.99 a month, though some visitors see $49.99.
How many integrations does Lindy have?
Lindy lists more than 1,000 integrations in its official integration directory as of October 2026.
What is the best open-source Lindy alternative?
Sim is the open-source option in this comparison: its core uses the OSI-approved Apache License 2.0, although code in apps/sim/ee uses the separate Sim Enterprise License.
Is n8n an open-source Lindy alternative?
n8n is a source-available Lindy alternative under the Sustainable Use License, not an OSI-approved open-source alternative.
What is the easiest Lindy alternative to use?
Gumloop and Zapier Agents are the easiest Lindy alternatives in this comparison for buyers prioritizing managed setup, while Sim offers more deployment and workflow control.
Which Lindy alternative has the best integrations?
n8n, Make, and Zapier Agents are the strongest Lindy alternatives for integration-heavy requirements, while Sim can connect tools through supported integrations, APIs, webhooks, and custom workflow logic.
Is Sim free to self-host?
Sim’s Apache 2.0 core can be self-hosted, but production use of code in apps/sim/ee requires an active Sim Enterprise subscription under the separate Sim Enterprise License.
Does Sim support local AI models?
Sim supports Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, and LiteLLM on any self-hosted Sim deployment without requiring Sim Enterprise.
Which Lindy alternative is best for non-technical teams?
Gumloop or Zapier Agents may be the best Lindy alternative for non-technical teams seeking a managed experience, while Sim fits teams that need additional control without giving up a visual builder.
