# Compare

Source: https://routineos.org/compare

> n8n and Zapier alternatives: a RoutineOS routine is a Claude agent that asks before it acts. Free (MIT). Needs a paid Claude plan.

Compare

# RoutineOS next to fixed-flow tools

Looking for n8n alternatives or Zapier alternatives? Those tools run steps you wired up. A RoutineOS routine is a Claude agent on a schedule. It reads, makes the call, shows what it based it on and is built to wait for your yes before it sends anything.

[Get started](https://routineos.org/#start)[Compare with n8n](https://routineos.org/compare/n8n)[Compare with Zapier](https://routineos.org/compare/zapier)

Free (MIT). Needs a paid Claude plan.

The shape difference

## A fixed flow, or a routine that judges

The docs describe fixed-flow tools such as Zapier and n8n, with an AI step added, as flows you build and maintain. You decide every branch in advance. A routine works the other way round: you describe the job once and Claude does the reading and sorting.

### A fixed flow

1. **You wire the steps**Trigger, filter, action, action. You build it and you maintain it.
2. **Every branch is decided up front**If a case you did not plan for turns up, the flow has no answer.
3. **You keep it current**When the job changes, you edit the flow.

### A RoutineOS routine

1. **Claude reads and decides**It runs on a schedule on Claude's own cloud and makes the judgment call.
2. **You decide what leaves the building**A gate stops every send, post or delete until a named person approves. The first run is report-only.
3. **It proposes its own tuning**It suggests setting changes from what you keep and drop, with the decisions it came from. Nothing applies until you say yes.

Side by side

## n8n alternatives and Zapier alternatives, side by side

The left column is what RoutineOS does. The right column is how the RoutineOS docs describe a fixed-flow tool.

| Topic | RoutineOS | Fixed-flow tool, as the docs put it |
|---|---|---|
| Judgment | Claude reads the page or inbox and makes the call. Code applies the rules you can edit. | Fixed flows you build and maintain, with an AI step where you add one. |
| Learning | Proposes setting changes from what you keep, drop and reject. You accept or reject each one. | A flow you maintain yourself. |

The docs do not compare workspace, approvals, triggers, hosting or cost, so this page does not either. For those, read each tool's own pages.

Source: docs.routineos.org, [How it compares](https://docs.routineos.org/introduction/comparison).

When to keep what you have

## When to keep n8n or Zapier

A routine is not the right tool for every job. Keep your flow where these apply.

- **The job has no judgment in it.** If every case follows a rule you can write down, a fixed flow does it and nothing is gained by asking Claude.
- **It has to react faster than an hour.** RoutineOS runs on Claude scheduled tasks, and the minimum interval is one hour. A webhook, form or chat trigger becomes a schedule when you convert it.
- **You do not use Claude.** A routine runs on a Claude plan. Without one there is nothing to run it on.
- **You need a settled platform.** Claude scheduled tasks are a research preview and may change. RoutineOS inherits that.

You can keep a flow for the plumbing and use a routine for the part that needs a decision. The [Zapier page](https://routineos.org/compare/zapier#mcp) shows one way to connect the two.

**Honest limits**Every platform claim on this site is tagged by how it is known: pilot-verified, docs-stated or unverified. The full list is in the [docs](https://docs.routineos.org/introduction/honest-limits).

Migrate

## Move a workflow across

Already built it? Do not start again. Claude can turn it into a routine and list everything it could not carry over.

 [

### n8n

Built. Run one command and get a routine pack plus a MIGRATION.md.

Converter built
n8n alternative ](https://routineos.org/compare/n8n) [

### Zapier

Guided from your description of the Zap. There is no export parser.

Guided path
Zapier alternative ](https://routineos.org/compare/zapier) [

### Windmill and others

Windmill converts from OpenFlow JSON. Other tools are not built yet.

Windmill built
Migrate guide ](https://routineos.org/compare/windmill)

A converted routine starts report-only. Any step that writes moves behind an approval gate.

## Try it on one job

Pick the job that needs a decision and see a report-only first run before anything is sent.

[Get started](https://routineos.org/#start)[Read the docs](https://docs.routineos.org/introduction/comparison)