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 29,765 stars with 3,851 forks, Apache-2.0, created 2025-01-05, and its description claims 100,000+ builders (GitHub API, as of 2026-10-02).
Status #
Active: last push 2026-10-05, release v0.9.14 on 2026-10-05 (GitHub API, as of 2026-10-06). 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, weekly refresh, up to 3 seats). Pro at $25 per user per month (6,000 credits per month, more workspace capacity), Max at $100 per user per month (25,000 credits per month, SSO, SOC2 compliance, self-hosting options, dedicated support). 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.
- 2026-10-03 - 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.
- 2026-10-02 - Recorded v0.9.9 (October 1) as the new latest release and refreshed star, fork, and push counts.
- 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.
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