n8n is a technical marvel, but their "Fair-Code" license is a ticking time bomb for enterprise legal teams. If you plan to scale or embed automation, the restrictions on "commercial resale" create a governance ceiling that Gobii simply doesn't have.
We all love the idea of "free" software. But in the world of enterprise automation, the license is just as important as the code. n8n operates under a Sustainable Use License (often called "Fair-Code"). While it looks like Open Source, it isn't.
For an individual developer, n8n is fantastic. But for a business, the Fair-Code license introduces a critical restriction: you cannot sell n8n as a service or include it in a commercial product without a specific agreement.
Gobii takes a different approach. By using standard, enterprise-friendly licensing (MIT-compatible terms for core components), we remove the legal red tape. No "Fair-Code" traps, no hidden restrictions on how you build your business.
In our testing, we've seen companies start with n8n because it's "free," only to spend $20k+ in legal consulting later trying to figure out if their SaaS product is allowed to use it. Gobii avoids this headache from day one.
No. It is "source-available." It does not meet the Open Source Initiative (OSI) definition because of its commercial restrictions.