ComparisonCereal vs n8n
Cereal vs n8n: an AI browser agent for the sites n8n can’t reach.
n8n builds workflows that connect apps and APIs, self-hosted or in n8n Cloud, and now has an AI Agent node too. Cereal does a different job: its AI browser agent works the websites that have no API, in your own Chrome, with your model and your key, and Repeat replays what it learned without calling the model.
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Goal Notify me when the PS5 Pro on bol.com drops below €450
- ✓ Opened bol.com in your Chrome
- ✓ Rejected cookie banner
- ✓ Searched “PS5 Pro”, opened product
- ✓ Learned: price below €450
● Repeat · 0 model calls
[ 01 / compare ]
How they compare.
| Cereal (coming soon) | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your machine, in the free Cereal desktop app. | Self-hosted (Docker or npm) or n8n Cloud.checked 2026-10 · github.com |
| Which browser | Your own Chrome, in a window you can watch, with a separate profile per task. No extension, no new browser. | Workflows reach the web through HTTP and app nodes. Built-in browser control: not stated by vendor.checked 2026-10 · github.com |
| Model / BYOK | Bring your own model: Anthropic, Google Gemini, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible server. Your API key goes only to the AI provider you pick. | The AI Agent node uses a chat model with your own provider credentials, such as OpenAI.checked 2026-10 · docs.n8n.io |
| Local models | Yes: Ollama and LM Studio (best effort; tested on Claude, other models may vary). | Yes: the Ollama Chat Model node, with your own running Ollama.checked 2026-10 · docs.n8n.io |
| Repeats without the model | Yes, after the first run: Repeat replays what it learned without calling the AI. If the site changes, the AI picks up where replay stopped. | Regular workflows are fixed node graphs; the AI Agent node calls the model each run.checked 2026-10 · docs.n8n.io |
| Asks before buying/sending | Asks for your OK before it buys, pays, deletes or sends anything, including on repeat runs. | Optional human review per AI Agent tool: the workflow pauses until someone approves, for example in Slack or Gmail.checked 2026-10 · docs.n8n.io |
| Price | Free. You pay your AI provider directly, or nothing with a local model. | Community Edition self-host under the Sustainable Use License, no fee stated. Cloud: Starter €20/mo, Pro €50/mo, Business €667/mo, billed annually.checked 2026-10 · n8n.io |
| Platforms | Tested on macOS and Linux · needs Google Chrome | Self-host wherever Docker or Node runs; n8n Cloud is a web app.checked 2026-10 · github.com |
[ 02 / fit ]
When to pick n8n instead.
- You want to run your own workflow server that connects many apps and APIs.
- You want multi-step pipelines with branching and code, built by developers.
[ faq ]Questions.
Questions.
Answered.
Q/01Is it free?
Yes. Free, and free to run: use a free tier such as Gemini’s, a local model, or your own paid key. You pay your AI provider directly, typically cents to a few tens of cents per run (an estimate). Hard limits stop every run at $2 and every task at $5 by default, and you can change them. Free tiers may let the provider use your data; a paid key or local model keeps it private.
Q/02Where do my pages and key go?
Your key never reaches Cereal; the agent's model calls go only to the model provider you pick, or stay on your machine with a local model. With Share diagnostics on (the default), the agent reports how each run went, and, when a check fails or you report it, what it saw on the pages, masked and deleted after 30 days. You can turn it off in Settings › Privacy. Your passwords are typed by Cereal, not the AI: the model only sees a placeholder, and secret values are removed from logs.
Q/03What happens when the site changes?
After the first run, Repeat replays what it learned without calling the AI, so routine checks cost nothing. If the site changes, the AI picks up where replay stopped.
Q/04Is n8n open source?
n8n calls its Community Edition fair-code: you can self-host it under the Sustainable Use License (checked 2026-10). Cereal is a free desktop app, so there’s no server to run.
Q/05Can n8n use local models too?
Yes, through its Ollama Chat Model node (checked 2026-10). Cereal runs local models through Ollama and LM Studio. The difference is the job: n8n’s agent works through nodes and APIs, while Cereal’s drives a real Chrome window on websites with no API.