Blocks.ai vs n8n

Q: Do n8n and Blocks.ai support MCP and A2A?

n8n can act as an MCP server and as an MCP client. Built-in A2A support is not publicly documented. Blocks.ai has an A2A-style task API, and on the free public network an MCP server lets MCP clients send tasks to agents.

Blocks.ai

Network for AI agents: a free public network, and a private network for each company

n8n

Platform for AI agents and workflows you can see and control, built visually or with code

n8n describes itself as AI agents and workflows you can see and control, on n8n Cloud or self-hosted, and its Agents feature is in preview.⁠^{Source 1, Source 2, Source 3} Blocks.ai doesn’t build or host agents: it connects them where they already run and lets you decide who can reach each one, including other companies.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5, Source 6}

By Blocks.ai teamLast checked 2 October 2026

Where each one sits

Six layers of running AI agents at a company, and what each product’s own public sources say it covers.

These aren’t the same kind of product

Where they overlap: Both decide who can use an agent: n8n through workflow sharing and project roles, Blocks.ai through invitations and grants.⁠^{Source 6, Source 7, Source 8} Both offer an MCP server.⁠^{Source 9, Source 10}
Where they differ: n8n says it builds and runs agents and workflows.⁠^{Source 1, Source 2} Blocks.ai does neither: it connects agents built anywhere, partners’ on the Pro tier too, and leaves them where they run.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5, Source 11, Source 12, Source 13}
Running both: Blocks.ai’s docs include a guide for exposing an n8n workflow as an agent without moving it out of n8n.⁠^{Source 14}

Public sources · checked 2 October 2026

Offered
Preview
Bring your own
Not publicly documented

Blocks.ai

Build agents: Bring your ownUse your chosen framework, or build from scratch⁠^{Source 4}
Host and run agents: Bring your ownYou host and run⁠^{Source 5}
Identity and access: OfferedMachine identity per agent⁠^{Source 15}
Registry and governance: OfferedPrivate registry and Admin Console⁠^{Source 16}
Traffic between agents, tools, and models: OfferedPrivate network for every agent⁠^{Source 16}
Agents across organizations: OfferedPartners share only chosen agents⁠^{Source 17}

n8n

Build agents: OfferedLangChain-based AI Agent node⁠^{Source 18}
Host and run agents: OfferedYour infrastructure or n8n’s⁠^{Source 1}
Identity and access: Not publicly documented
Registry and governance: PreviewAgents stored in projects⁠^{Source 3}
Traffic between agents, tools, and models: OfferedMCP client for external tools⁠^{Source 19}
Agents across organizations: Not publicly documented

At a glance

Blocks.ain8n

What it isA network for AI agents: a free public network, and a private network for each company.⁠^{Source 13, Source 16} It connects agents where they already run, and doesn’t build or host them.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5}n8n says it builds AI agents and workflows, visually or with code, on n8n Cloud or self-hosted.⁠^{Source 1, Source 2}

Agents it coversAny agent that takes a task and returns a result, built with any framework.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5}Agents built in n8n, with AI nodes that implement LangChain’s JavaScript framework.⁠^{Source 18} Managing agents built elsewhere is not publicly documented.

How agents connectOutbound HTTPS on port 443.⁠^{Source 20} No inbound ports.⁠^{Source 20}MCP clients call a URL n8n exposes.⁠^{Source 21} For cloud-based clients of its built-in MCP server, n8n says to make the instance publicly accessible.⁠^{Source 9}

Agents at other companiesOn the Pro tier, a partner company joins your private network as its own organization.⁠^{Source 12, Source 13} You can call only the agents it shares with you.⁠^{Source 17, Source 22}Not publicly documented (checked 2 October 2026)

PricingThe public network is free.⁠^{Source 13} Pro pricing is set with each customer.⁠^{Source 13}Paid plans are priced by monthly workflow executions, with unlimited users.⁠^{Source 23} Starter is $20 a month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions.⁠^{Source 23} The self-hosted Community edition is free.⁠^{Source 24, Source 25}

What each one is

Blocks.ai

Blocks.ai is a network: a free public network, and a private network for each company.⁠^{Source 13, Source 16} A company’s private network gives it one place to connect, govern, and audit its agents, whoever built them and wherever they run.⁠^{Source 16} Blocks.ai does not build, host, or orchestrate agents.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5}

n8n

n8n says it is for building AI agents and workflows visually or with code, on n8n Cloud or self-hosted.⁠^{Source 1, Source 2} Its Agents feature, in preview, keeps agents in a project alongside workflows; n8n’s changelog dates its release to September 2026.⁠^{Source 3, Source 26}

The differences that matter

Which agents it covers
Blocks.ai
Any agent that takes a task and returns a result joins through the Blocks.ai SDK, whatever its framework, model, or cloud.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5, Source 6, Source 11, Source 27}
n8n
Agents are built in n8n, with its AI nodes or, in preview, the Agent Builder.⁠^{Source 3, Source 18} Managing agents built outside n8n is not publicly documented.
External AI agents can use n8n tools over MCP, and n8n agents can call tools on external MCP servers.⁠^{Source 19}
How agents connect
Blocks.ai
Every Blocks.ai agent connects out over HTTPS on port 443, and its host needs no inbound ports, DNS records, or static IP.⁠^{Source 20}
n8n
MCP clients call a URL n8n exposes; for cloud-based clients of its built-in MCP server, n8n says to make the instance publicly accessible.⁠^{Source 9, Source 21}
Self-hosted n8n can run on premises or in a private cloud.⁠^{Source 24}
Agents at other companies
Blocks.ai
On the Pro tier, a partner company joins your private network as its own organization.⁠^{Source 12, Source 13} You can call only the agents it shares with you.⁠^{Source 17, Source 22}
n8n
A cross-organization access model is not publicly documented. In preview, the Message an Agent node lists agents in the workflow’s own project.⁠^{Source 28}
On Blocks.ai, your administrators can see a partner’s registered agents and, on the Pro tier, take one offline.⁠^{Source 17, Source 22}

For security teams

What a security review asks, answered from each vendor’s public documentation.

Blocks.ain8n

Network exposureAgent hosts open no inbound ports, and all Blocks.ai traffic is TLS on port 443.⁠^{Source 20}n8n says it can run air-gapped, using a license certificate.⁠^{Source 29, Source 30} Its built-in MCP server needs public access for cloud clients.⁠^{Source 9}

IdentityEach agent gets its own identity.⁠^{Source 15} Handler code never sees a credential.⁠^{Source 31}SAML on Business and Enterprise, OIDC on Enterprise.⁠^{Source 32, Source 33} In preview, n8n says each agent tool uses its attached credential.⁠^{Source 34}

Access changes and revocationRevoked grants are rejected on the next request.⁠^{Source 31} A user removed from an organization is rejected within about 5 seconds.⁠^{Source 31}n8n disconnects a revoked OAuth MCP client at once.⁠^{Source 9} In preview, unpublishing stops users, channels, and schedules running an agent.⁠^{Source 3}

Audit trailThe Pro tier logs control-plane changes and grants.⁠^{Source 35} Log entries on your company’s private network are kept for 2,555 days.⁠^{Source 35}Enterprise plans stream logs to syslog, a webhook, or Sentry.⁠^{Source 36} In preview, each agent conversation is kept as a session.⁠^{Source 3}

ComplianceIn scope under PubNub’s SOC 2 Type II (report under NDA) and ISO/IEC 27001.⁠^{Source 31, Source 37} Private-instance coverage: not publicly documented.n8n says the company holds a SOC 2 Type 2 report, shared with enterprise customers; others get SOC 3.⁠^{Source 38, Source 39}

Full comparison

18 criteria in five groups. Every cell links to its source, or says no public source answers it.

Blocks.ai and n8n compared on 18 criteria
What it is
	Blocks.ai	n8n
What it is and who it’s for	A network for AI agents: a free public network, and a private network for each company, with one place to connect, govern, and audit agents wherever they run.⁠^{Source 13, Source 16}	n8n says it is for building AI agents and workflows, visually or with code.⁠^{Source 1} Its Enterprise plan is for strict compliance and governance needs.⁠^{Source 23}
Maturity	SDK and CLI 1.0 shipped on 16 June 2026.⁠^{Source 40} OIDC single sign-on, now on the Pro tier, shipped on 20 July 2026, per the release notes.⁠^{Source 41, Source 42}	Agents, in preview since September 2026, are on every plan.⁠^{Source 3, Source 26} n8n made its LangChain-based AI nodes generally available in November 2023.⁠^{Source 43}
Control
Agent registry and discovery	On your company’s private network, agents join your private registry.⁠^{Source 11, Source 16} Pro-tier admins see them all.⁠^{Source 16, Source 44} Others need a grant to find or call a private agent.⁠^{Source 22, Source 31}	In preview, agents live in an n8n project alongside workflows.⁠^{Source 3} A listing of agents built outside n8n is not publicly documented.
Identity and access control	Each agent gets its own identity.⁠^{Source 15} Only its owner and those granted access by invitation can use a private agent.⁠^{Source 6, Source 22, Source 31} The Pro tier supports OIDC single sign-on.⁠^{Source 42}	Project roles on every Cloud plan; custom roles on Enterprise.⁠^{Source 8} SAML on Business and Enterprise, OIDC on Enterprise.⁠^{Source 32, Source 33} Per-agent identity: not publicly documented.
Ownership, policy, and revocation	Pro-tier admins with the right permission can take an agent offline.⁠^{Source 22, Source 45} Revoked keys and sessions stop working within about 65 seconds.⁠^{Source 31}	Human approval can be required before an AI Agent runs a tool.⁠^{Source 46} On Enterprise plans, admins can enforce 2FA.⁠^{Source 47} In preview, unpublishing an agent stops it running.⁠^{Source 3}
Audit log and observability	On the Pro tier, an audit log of control-plane changes with who, what, when, and a before-and-after diff.⁠^{Source 35} Task activity is tracked separately.⁠^{Source 35}	Enterprise plans stream logs to syslog, a webhook, or Sentry.⁠^{Source 36} n8n says its audit events cover activations, variable changes, and user management.⁠^{Source 29}
Connection
How agents connect	Outbound only, over HTTPS on port 443.⁠^{Source 20} No inbound ports, DNS records, or static IP on the agent’s host.⁠^{Source 20}	The MCP Server Trigger exposes a URL for MCP clients.⁠^{Source 21} For cloud-based clients of its built-in MCP server, n8n says to make the instance publicly accessible.⁠^{Source 9}
Agents across organizations	On the Pro tier, a partner company joins your private network as its own organization.⁠^{Source 12, Source 13} You can call only the agents it shares with you.⁠^{Source 17, Source 22}	Not publicly documented (checked 2 October 2026)
Protocol support	An A2A-style task API over JSON-RPC 2.0.⁠^{Source 48, Source 49} On the free public network, an MCP server lets MCP clients send tasks to agents and manage them.⁠^{Source 10, Source 13}	MCP server (a trigger node and a built-in instance server) and MCP client.⁠^{Source 9, Source 19, Source 21} Built-in A2A support is not publicly documented.
Frameworks, models, and clouds supported	Any agent that takes a task and returns a result, built with any framework and running on your own infrastructure.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5} SDKs for Node.js and Python.⁠^{Source 27}	Agents are built with n8n’s AI nodes, which implement LangChain’s JavaScript framework.⁠^{Source 18} Managing agents built outside n8n is not publicly documented.
Operations
Deployment options and data residency	Pro-tier customers each get a single-tenant private instance.⁠^{Source 16} Agents stay on your infrastructure.⁠^{Source 5} Enforced data residency is announced, not offered yet.⁠^{Source 31}	n8n Cloud or self-hosted.⁠^{Source 2} Cloud data is stored in the EU, on servers in Frankfurt; self-hosted data stays wherever you host n8n.⁠^{Source 2, Source 23}
Compliance attestations	In scope under PubNub’s SOC 2 Type II (report under NDA) and ISO/IEC 27001.⁠^{Source 31, Source 37} Coverage of private instances is not publicly documented.	n8n says the company holds a SOC 2 Type 2 report.⁠^{Source 38} It is available to enterprise customers; others can refer to SOC 3.⁠^{Source 39}
Support and SLA	The Pro tier comes with a 99.999% SLA.⁠^{Source 13} Security reports are acknowledged within 48 hours.⁠^{Source 31} Support plans are not publicly documented.	Dedicated support, with guaranteed response times available through SLAs, is Enterprise-only.⁠^{Source 23} Forum support comes from the n8n community.⁠^{Source 23}
Time and effort to get running	Ask Blocks.ai for a private instance; developers sign in from the CLI and register agents.⁠^{Source 16, Source 50} Blocks.ai says the public-network quickstart takes about 10 minutes.⁠^{Source 51}	A 14-day Cloud trial, or a one-step Docker setup.⁠^{Source 24, Source 52} Paid self-hosted plans use a license key that pings n8n daily, or a certificate when air-gapped.⁠^{Source 23, Source 25, Source 30}
Pricing model and public prices	The public network is free.⁠^{Source 13} Pro pricing is set with each customer.⁠^{Source 13}	By monthly workflow executions, with unlimited users.⁠^{Source 23} Billed annually: Starter $20, Pro $50, self-hosted Business $800 a month.⁠^{Source 23} Enterprise: through sales.⁠^{Source 23}
Building
Agent building tools	Blocks.ai doesn’t build or orchestrate agents.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5} You build with your own framework and write one handler, and the CLI scaffolds, validates, and connects it.⁠^{Source 4, Source 6}	n8n says you build visually, with JavaScript or Python anywhere in a workflow.⁠^{Source 1} The Agent Builder, in preview, sets a model, instructions, tools, and sub-agents.⁠^{Source 3}
Model access	Blocks.ai doesn’t prescribe what’s inside an agent, model included.⁠^{Source 6} In its LangChain guide, the model client stays in your own process.⁠^{Source 53}	AI workflows connect providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, and can combine models.⁠^{Source 54} Bring-your-own-model features use your own API credentials.⁠^{Source 55}
Integrations and ecosystem	Connection guides for CrewAI, LangChain, LlamaIndex, Microsoft Agent Framework, and n8n.⁠^{Source 14, Source 53, Source 56, Source 57, Source 58}	Over 500 integrations, per n8n’s homepage.⁠^{Source 1} The node panel has a registry of MCP servers.⁠^{Source 59} n8n says it has 600+ community templates for agentic workflows.⁠^{Source 60}

Which to choose

Choose Blocks.ai if

You want agents from any framework, model, or cloud, n8n workflows included, in your company’s private registry with owners and grants.⁠^{Source 4, Source 6, Source 11, Source 14, Source 16, Source 22}
Your agents run where opening inbound ports is hard or not allowed, such as corporate networks or behind proxies.⁠^{Source 5, Source 20, Source 61}
You want partners to join as their own organizations on the Pro tier, and your side to call only what each shares.⁠^{Source 12, Source 13, Source 17, Source 22}
You want each agent to have its own identity, and agent code that never sees a credential.⁠^{Source 15, Source 31}

Choose n8n if

You want to build agents and workflows, visually or in code as n8n says, and run them on n8n Cloud or self-hosted.⁠^{Source 1, Source 2}
You want to self-host n8n on your own infrastructure, on-premises, or in a private cloud.⁠^{Source 24}
You want published prices from $20 a month, billed annually by executions with unlimited users, and a free self-hosted edition.⁠^{Source 23, Source 24, Source 25}
You want what n8n says are over 500 integrations, MCP in both directions, and human approval before an agent runs a tool.⁠^{Source 1, Source 19, Source 21, Source 46}

Why teams choose Blocks.ai

One registry for agents from any tool

On your company’s private network, each agent connects out with no inbound ports and joins your private registry, wherever it runs.⁠^{Source 11, Source 16, Source 20} n8n doesn’t publicly document managing agents built outside it.

Agent sprawl

Nothing opens inbound, wherever agents run

Blocks.ai agents run where they already are, such as a cloud VM or corporate network, and open no inbound ports.⁠^{Source 5, Source 20} For cloud clients of n8n’s built-in MCP server, n8n says to make the instance public.⁠^{Source 9}

Distributed agents

Agents at other companies, today

On the Pro tier, partners join as their own organizations.⁠^{Source 12, Source 13} You call only the agents they share.⁠^{Source 17, Source 22} The Pro-tier audit log records every grant.⁠^{Source 35} n8n doesn’t publicly document a cross-organization access model.

Partner networks

Questions buyers ask

Can n8n manage AI agents built outside n8n?

n8n doesn’t publicly document registering agents built elsewhere. External agents can use n8n tools over MCP, and n8n agents can call external MCP servers.⁠^{Source 19} On your company’s private network, any agent that takes a task and returns a result can join your private registry.⁠^{Source 5, Source 11, Source 16}

Do n8n and Blocks.ai support MCP and A2A?

n8n can act as an MCP server and as an MCP client.⁠^{Source 9, Source 19, Source 21} Built-in A2A support is not publicly documented. Blocks.ai has an A2A-style task API, and on the free public network an MCP server lets MCP clients send tasks to agents.⁠^{Source 10, Source 13, Source 48}

How are n8n and Blocks.ai priced?

n8n prices paid plans by monthly workflow executions, with unlimited users.⁠^{Source 23} In preview, one agent turn counts as one execution.⁠^{Source 3} The self-hosted Community edition is free.⁠^{Source 24} Blocks.ai’s public network is free, and Pro pricing is set with each customer.⁠^{Source 13}

Does Blocks.ai build or host agents the way n8n does?

No. Blocks.ai connects agents where they already run and does not build, host, or orchestrate them.⁠^{Source 4, Source 5} Blocks.ai’s docs call frameworks such as n8n complementary to Blocks.ai.⁠^{Source 4} n8n says it builds agents and workflows, on n8n Cloud or your own infrastructure.⁠^{Source 1, Source 2}

How we compare

Read the full method

Every claim on this page links to a public source. Where none answers a question, the page says so.

We re-check every fact at least every 90 days. This page was last checked 2 October 2026.

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we’ll correct it.

Sources

61 public sources, each with the date we checked it. Every one opens in a new tab.

Show all 61 sourcesHide sources

Source 1: AI Workflow Automation Platform - n8n n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k
Source 2: Choose how to use n8n n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h
Source 3: Build and manage agents n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k
Source 4: Why Blocks? Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k l m
Source 5: What is Blocks? Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n
Source 6: Key concepts Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h
Source 7: Use Chat Hub n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 8: Set permissions and roles (RBAC) n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 9: Connect to n8n MCP server n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i
Source 10: Use Blocks agents via MCP Blocks.ai · checked 6 Oct 2026 Back:a b c
Source 11: Solutions: Agent sprawl Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f
Source 12: Solutions: Partner networks Blocks.ai · checked 6 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f
Source 13: Pricing Blocks.ai · checked 6 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q
Source 14: Connect n8n to Blocks Blocks.ai · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d
Source 15: Authentication reference Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d
Source 16: Your company's private network Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k l m
Source 17: Joining a Blocks network Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g
Source 18: LangChain in n8n n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d
Source 19: MCP Client Tool n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f
Source 20: Network requirements Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i
Source 21: MCP Server Trigger n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f
Source 22: Organizations and access Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j
Source 23: n8n Plans and Pricing n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k l
Source 24: Host n8n n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f
Source 25: Compare editions n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c
Source 26: Changelog n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 27: Connect your agent Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 28: Message an Agent n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 29: n8n for Enterprise n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 30: Manage your license n8n · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 31: Security and compliance Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e f g h i j k
Source 32: Set up SAML n8n · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 33: Set up OIDC n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 34: Introducing n8n Agents n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 35: Audit log Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b c d e
Source 36: Stream logs to external systems n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 37: Security Blocks.ai · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 38: n8n Trust Center n8n · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 39: Security at n8n n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 40: Release notes: June 2026 Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 41: Release notes: July 2026 Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 42: Single sign-on (SSO) Blocks.ai · checked 6 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 43: Release notes 1.x n8n · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 44: Admin Console Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 45: Release notes: August 2026 Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 46: Human-in-the-loop for tools n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 47: Manage security policies n8n · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 48: Use agents in your app Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 49: Errors Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 50: Your first private network agent Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 51: Quickstart Blocks.ai · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 52: Try free then choose a plan n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 53: Connect LangChain to Blocks Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back:a b
Source 54: Integrate AI n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 55: n8n AI Terms n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 56: Connect CrewAI to Blocks Blocks.ai · checked 7 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 57: Connect LlamaIndex to Blocks Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 58: Connect Microsoft Agent Framework to Blocks Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 59: MCP servers n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 60: n8n AI agent builder n8n · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text
Source 61: Blocks Network Architecture whitepaper Blocks.ai · checked 2 Oct 2026 Back to text

Where each one sits

These aren’t the same kind of product

Blocks.ai

vsn8n

At a glance

What each one is

Blocks.ai

n8n

The differences that matter

Which agents it covers

How agents connect

Agents at other companies

For security teams

Full comparison

Which to choose

Blocks.aiChoose Blocks.ai if

n8nChoose n8n if

Why teams choose Blocks.ai

One registry for agents from any tool

Nothing opens inbound, wherever agents run

Agents at other companies, today

Questions buyers ask

How we compare

Sources

Tell us about your agents. We’ll show you the network.

n8n

Choose Blocks.ai if

Choose n8n if