The difference that matters is not the feature list — it is where your integrations run and what you are left holding. n8n executes them on the n8n server — self-hostable, but workflows still need n8n running to execute. FlowSetu generates a standard Spring Boot Maven project you compile, deploy and own, with nothing of ours in the running system.
Teams who want self-hosting and an open codebase, and are happy for n8n itself to be a service they operate. If that describes your team, n8n is a reasonable answer and this page is not trying to talk you out of it.
You are still operating a workflow engine: the workflow is JSON inside n8n, not an application, so n8n becomes one more thing to run, upgrade and keep available.
Close, but not the same. Self-hosting n8n means you run the engine; the workflow is still JSON interpreted by that engine. A FlowSetu export has no engine — it is the application, so there is nothing extra to keep running.
Self-hosted n8n is free under a source-available licence, with paid cloud and enterprise tiers. If cost is the only consideration, self-hosted n8n is hard to beat; the trade is that you operate it.
FlowSetu, usually — the output is Spring Boot that fits existing CI, testing, monitoring and deployment. n8n expects JavaScript expressions and its own runtime, which sits outside a Java team's existing toolchain.
See also: MuleSoft alternative, supported connectors, and pricing.