Sim is the Apache-2.0, YC X25-backed open-source workspace for building, deploying, and monitoring AI agent workflows on a visual canvas, self-hostable or consumed as cloud, pitched as the open n8n alternative.
Sim is what Flowise could have been: a clean-Apache visual agent workflow builder with real launch momentum, now positioned to inherit the users that Flowise’s archive stranded.
What it is #
A collaborative workspace where agent systems are built visually on a canvas, through chat, or in code, with a knowledge base, tables, files, and block-by-block run logs (sim.ai, docs.sim.ai). It is TypeScript, self-hosted via Docker or rented as Sim Cloud, built by the Sim Studio team out of Y Combinator X25 (Launch HN, 2025-05-21). The repo sits at 29,812 stars with 3,853 forks, Apache-2.0, created 2025-01-05, and its description claims 100,000+ builders (GitHub API, as of 2026-10-13).
Status #
Active: last push 2026-10-17, releases v0.9.15 through v0.9.25 on 2026-10-08 through 2026-10-16 plus v0.9.26 on 2026-10-17 (library templates and expanded Databricks API coverage) (GitHub API, as of 2026-10-18), the newest three of the earlier run adding project-files public sharing and cross-owner transfers, scoped note-access authorization, and library guides. v0.9.15 (October 8) added SSO administration and credential-sharing APIs, current frontier models, a Nebius Token Factory provider, and desktop background-executor chats bound to a device registry, and v0.9.16 (October 8) patched a sharp librsvg CVE and an MCP SDK OAuth issuer binding while adding GitHub MCP server library entries. v0.9.17 (October 10) added a workspace changelog of releases, workflow tests as a workspace resource, expanded Shopify operations, and a Checkr integration (GitHub releases). v0.9.18 (October 11) added library templates for HubSpot lead-enrichment and Pipedrive deal-follow-up agents, moved project membership to the workspace column, and shipped a performance pass (keyset table paging, non-blocking auth timestamp writes, concurrent Lucid page fetches) (GitHub releases). v0.9.19 (October 12) published the Nebius model update in the workspace changelog and added library templates for Stripe billing and failed-payment agents, HubSpot lead-enrichment and Confluence guides, and an agent version-control and rollback checklist (GitHub releases). v0.9.11 (October 2) tightened audit rules across console, helper, render-path, persist, and deployment-flag checks, v0.9.12 (October 3) added last-synced deployment comparison for forks and a You.com integration, v0.9.13 (October 4) added library templates while fixing webhook path-owner claims and hosted-key usage-limit enforcement, and v0.9.14 (October 5) preserved workflow identity in background confirmations and kept file lineage through binary exports and extraction. Three HN launches mark the trajectory: 196 points for the first Show HN (2025-04-28), 55 points for the YC Launch HN (2025-05-21), and 240 points for “Sim, Apache-2.0 n8n alternative” (2025-12-11). Pre-1.0 (v0.9.x) despite the scale, so the API surface is still moving.
Strengths #
- The license is genuinely clean: Apache-2.0 with no SaaS-restriction fine print, which in this genre is now a differentiator after Flowise’s restricted license and Dify’s conditions.
- Building modes cover the spectrum: visual canvas for operators, chat for iteration, code for engineers.
- Fast, durable community growth: about 30k stars in 20 months with three HN launches above 55 points.
- Observability is productized (block-by-block logs, enterprise access control, SSO, SOC2 messaging for the paid tiers).
Cautions #
- Pre-1.0 software at v0.9.6: expect breaking changes on a project this young.
- The genre risk is unchanged: Flowise’s shutdown note argued coding agents erode rigid visual workflows, and Sim sits in exactly that lane.
- Seat-based cloud pricing with credit metering will punish bursty experimentation the way most SaaS builders do.
- “100,000+ builders” is a repo-description claim I could not independently verify.
Pricing #
Free tier at $0 (1,000 one-time credits, one workspace, no teammate invites, no weekly refresh). Pro at $25 per user per month (6,000 credits per month plus a 2,000-credit weekly refresh, three workspaces, 50 concurrent executions), Max at $100 per user per month (25,000 credits per month plus a 4,000-credit weekly refresh, unlimited workspaces, Sim Mailer, sandboxes, and Slack Connect). SSO, SOC 2 compliance, self-hosting, and dedicated support sit on the custom Enterprise tier. Annual billing saves 15 percent.
Price history #
| Date | Plan | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-29 | Free | observed at $0 with 1,000 one-time credits | |
| 2026-09-29 | Pro | observed at $25 per user/month | |
| 2026-09-29 | Max | observed at $100 per user/month |
Compared to #
- Dify: the genre’s giant; Sim wins on license cleanliness and building modes, Dify on ecosystem and enterprise depth.
- Flowise: the archived predecessor; Sim is the like-for-like replacement for its canvas builders.
- AutoGPT: the category’s other workflow platform; AutoGPT leans autonomous, Sim leans collaborative building.
Bottom line #
Recommended for teams that want a self-hostable visual agent workflow builder under a clean Apache-2.0 license and can live with pre-1.0 churn. Not for coding-agent orchestration, and not for anyone needing long-term API stability guarantees today.
Changes #
- 2026-09-29 - Created when the deferred framework-tier pile from the 2026-09-27 triage resolved.
- 2026-09-30 - Recorded v0.9.6 (September 29, library templates and opt-in workflow fork sync) as the latest release.
- 2026-10-02 - Recorded v0.9.9 (October 1) as the new latest release and refreshed star, fork, and push counts.
- 2026-10-03 - Recorded v0.9.11 (October 2, stricter audit rules) and v0.9.12 (October 3, fork deployment comparison and a You.com integration) as the new latest releases.
- 2026-10-05 - Recorded v0.9.13 (October 4, library templates plus webhook path-owner and hosted-key usage-limit fixes) as the latest release.
- 2026-10-07 - Added the simstudioai/sim star history chart to the Status section.
- 2026-10-09 - Recorded v0.9.15 and v0.9.16 (both October 8, SSO administration and credential-sharing APIs, then a CVE and OAuth-issuer patch) as the new latest releases.
- 2026-10-11 - Corrected the plan details against the live pricing page (rendered this run after the 2026-10-10 client-shell record): Free is one workspace with no weekly refresh, and SSO, SOC 2, self-hosting, and dedicated support are Enterprise-only; recorded the Pro and Max weekly-refresh allowances.
- 2026-10-12 - Recorded v0.9.18 (October 11, library templates, workspace-column project membership, and a performance pass) as the new latest release.
- 2026-10-13 - Recorded v0.9.19 (October 12, the Nebius changelog publish and Stripe, HubSpot, Confluence, and version-control library templates) as the new latest release.
See also #
- Flowise - the archived genre-mate whose users Sim can inherit
- Dify - the larger rival it will be evaluated against
- AutoGPT - the other surviving workflow platform in this category
- Orchestration Feature Matrix - the category comparison this column joins
References #
https://api.github.com/repos/simstudioai/sim - GitHub API (200): 29,749 stars, 3,847 forks, Apache-2.0, pushed 2026-09-29, created 2025-01-05 (as of 2026-09-29)
https://sim.ai - official site (200): workspace products (workflows, knowledge base, tables, logs, enterprise)
https://docs.sim.ai - official documentation, live (200)
https://hn.algolia.com/api/v1/items/46234186 - “Sim, Apache-2.0 n8n alternative” thread (200): 240 points, 61 comments, 2025-12-11