Turn flexible AI workflows into accountable operations.

n8n gives technical teams a flexible visual workflow engine with AI agents, code steps, MCP, evaluations, and cloud or self-hosted deployment. Iron Gorilla adds a managed operating model for durable agent state, behavioral trust, adaptive autonomy, containment, compensation, and recovery.

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n8n in brief

Flexible AI workflow automation for technical teams.

n8n is strong for teams that want source-visible workflow automation, deep customization, self-hosting, and execution-based pricing.

Why Iron Gorilla

Add an accountable operating layer to autonomous work.

n8n is an adaptable workflow and integration platform. Iron Gorilla makes long-running autonomous work the primary unit, with durable checkpoints, behavioral trust, contextual approvals, managed connection health, compensation, containment, and guided recovery.

Feature comparison

Compare technical workflow automation with durable agent operations.

Iron Gorilla covers 38 of 41 capabilities. n8n covers 24. Iron Gorilla includes 17 capabilities n8n does not.

Managed agent runtimeBuild, run, supervise, and improve agents in one platform.11 features

Fully managed production agent runtimeDeploy, execute, scale, and operate production agents as one accountable service.

Guided Agent BuilderCreate reviewed, versioned agents without assembling the runtime by hand.

Durable execution across interruptionPreserve state and continue long-running work after workers, networks, or providers fail.

Managed long-term agent memoryKeep governed context across sessions and long-running goals.

Long-running goal managementTrack plans, dependencies, state, and outcomes across many steps or sessions.

Managed multi-agent orchestrationCoordinate specialized agents, dependencies, handoffs, and shared work.

Contextual human approval gatesPause higher-risk work for a named person before execution continues.

Checkpoint resume and operator replayRestart work from a known good state after review or failure.

Business-action compensationReverse or compensate for a completed business action during recovery.

Scheduled and event-triggered agentsStart governed work from schedules, APIs, events, or enterprise systems.

Runtime observability and tracesInspect agent steps, tools, models, latency, failures, and outcomes.

Policy and evidenceControl actions before they happen and keep proof of each decision.10 features

Pre-action business policy enforcementEvaluate business rules before tools change enterprise systems.

Policy simulation before activationTest expected decisions against sample actions before enforcement.

Prompt, output, and sensitive-data controlsInspect model traffic and prevent unsafe content or sensitive-data exposure.

Tool permissions and action allowlistsRestrict which tools and actions each agent may use.

Behavioral Trust ProfilesScore each agent from observed behavior and surface drift to operators.

Adaptive autonomy from earned trustTighten or relax oversight as observed behavior changes.

Live agent and connection containmentIsolate risky agents, connections, or work before impact spreads.

Guided operational recoveryDiagnose failure and recover affected work through an accountable operator flow.

Tamper-evident action audit trailPreserve policy, approvals, calls, actions, and outcomes as trustworthy evidence.

Scheduled fixed reports and portable exportsGive leaders and auditors repeatable reports in stable formats.

Connections and modelsControl MCP tools, model traffic, routing, cost, and integrations.10 features

MCP tools and connectionsConnect agents to MCP servers and governed enterprise actions.

MCP ownership, health, and lifecycleOperate connections with owners, credentials, health, risk, assignments, and history.

Enterprise application integrationsConnect agents to existing systems without rebuilding every interface.

APIs and developer interfacesEmbed agents and platform functions into existing products and workflows.

Multiple model providersUse approved models across providers without rebuilding agent workflows.

Policy-aware model routingSelect models by capability, cost, latency, risk, and policy.

Automatic model-provider fallbackContinue work on an approved backup when a provider fails.

Spend attribution, budgets, and cost routingTrack model cost by agent and constrain or reroute work before spend runs away.

Per-agent tool and model assignmentGive each agent only the tools, data, and model routes it needs.

Custom code and community nodesExtend workflows with JavaScript, Python, shell commands, HTTP, or custom nodes.

Enterprise and governmentProtect identity and data across private and public-sector work.10 features

Managed SaaS deliveryUse the platform as a supported enterprise cloud service.

Customer-controlled on-premises deploymentOperate the platform inside infrastructure controlled by the buyer.

Air-gapped deployment patternOperate inside disconnected environments with controlled data and model access.

Enterprise identity and scoped accessApply organization, role, group, environment, and ownership boundaries.

Published plan structureShow buyers public plan options and included capabilities.

Dedicated government and defense solutionAddress mission, procurement, deployment, approval, and evidence needs directly.

Regulatory and assurance mappingsMap controls and evidence to regulated or public-sector assurance needs.

Formal implementation partner ecosystemUse consulting, technology, and delivery partners for adoption.

Fully self-hosted workflow platformRun the editor, workers, executions, credentials, and data inside customer infrastructure.

Pricing per complete workflow executionRun multi-step workflows without charging separately for every internal step.

The short answer

n8n or accountable agent operations?

Use n8n for flexible technical automation

Use n8n when technical teams want a visual workflow editor, code-level extension, cloud or self-hosted operation, AI agent nodes, human review, MCP, and execution-based pricing.

Choose Iron Gorilla for the full program

Choose Iron Gorilla when the organization wants the vendor to manage durable agent goals, checkpoints, behavioral trust, adaptive autonomy, connection health, compensation, containment, recovery, and fixed evidence.

Switch with less risk

Already under contract with n8n?

Your organization may qualify for a contract buyout and complimentary professional services when it moves production agent operations from n8n to Iron Gorilla.

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FAQ

n8n alternative questions

Is Iron Gorilla an alternative to n8n?

Yes. Both platforms support production AI work. n8n builds and runs AI-agent workflows, including human review and MCP tools, but it does not publish the same managed durable-goal, behavioral-trust, adaptive-autonomy, compensation, and guided-recovery model. Iron Gorilla adds a managed operating model centered on durable execution, behavioral trust, action control, containment, and recovery.

What is the main difference between n8n and Iron Gorilla?

Does n8n run production agents?

builds and runs AI-agent workflows, including human review and MCP tools, but it does not publish the same managed durable-goal, behavioral-trust, adaptive-autonomy, compensation, and guided-recovery model.

Where is n8n stronger?

n8n is stronger for source-visible customization, self-hosting, code inside workflows, broad integration patterns, community extensions, and execution-based pricing.

When should a team choose Iron Gorilla over n8n?

Can Iron Gorilla buy out a n8n contract?

Your organization may be eligible for a contract buyout and complimentary professional services. Eligibility and scope depend on your current contract and migration needs.

See the full agent lifecycle.

Build an agent. Set its limits. Run it with trust, approval, and audit controls.

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