What is ByteChef used for?

ByteChef is an open-source platform for AI agents and workflow automation that you can self-host or embed in your SaaS product, positioned against Zapier and n8n. It is a good fit for replacing Zapier-style automations with self-hosting, embedding integrations into a SaaS product and building AI agents that call business APIs.

Is ByteChef open source?

Yes. ByteChef is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at bytechefhq/bytechef and is written mainly in Java.

Yes. ByteChef is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. Paid plans are also available, starting at $23 per month.

Can I self-host ByteChef?

Yes. ByteChef can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is ByteChef an alternative to?

ByteChef is an open-source alternative to Zapier, Workato, Tray.ai and Celigo. Other open-source alternatives to Zapier include Activepieces, n8n and Node-RED.

Is ByteChef actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to ByteChef was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.34.1, published on 2 October 2026. The project has 1k stars on GitHub.

ByteChef: open-source alternative to Zapier, Workato

About ByteChef

ByteChef is an open-source platform that brings AI agents and workflow automation into one product. It can be self-hosted or embedded inside a SaaS application, and it is presented as an alternative to tools like Zapier and n8n, with a drag-and-drop workflow editor for building automations across APIs.

An AI Agent component runs the full agent loop of model, tool selection, execution and observation as a step in a durable workflow, so a failed or paused run resumes from that step. The README lists support for many LLM providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, Bedrock, Mistral, Groq, DeepSeek and Ollama, components that double as agent tools, several memory backends, and guardrails. Topics also mention MCP, embedded iPaaS and Workato-style integrations.

The core is licensed under Apache 2.0 according to the README, while the repository metadata lists the licence as other. ByteChef is written in Java and TypeScript, with an embedded edition for shipping the same agents in your own product, plus documentation, templates and a connector developer guide. It suits engineering teams that want automation and agents under their own control.

Key features

Drag-and-drop workflow editor
AI agents as workflow steps
Support for many LLM providers
Components usable as agent tools
Durable runs that resume after failures
Embedded edition for SaaS products

Good fit for

→Replacing Zapier-style automations with self-hosting
→Embedding integrations into a SaaS product
→Building AI agents that call business APIs

Built with: Java; TypeScript
Tags: workflow-automation; ai-agents; ipaas; self-hosted; zapier-alternative; mcp; java; embedded; low-code

ByteChef: questions and answers

What is ByteChef used for?: ByteChef is an open-source platform for AI agents and workflow automation that you can self-host or embed in your SaaS product, positioned against Zapier and n8n. It is a good fit for replacing Zapier-style automations with self-hosting, embedding integrations into a SaaS product and building AI agents that call business APIs.
Is ByteChef open source?: Yes. ByteChef is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at bytechefhq/bytechef and is written mainly in Java.
Is ByteChef free?: Yes. ByteChef is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. Paid plans are also available, starting at $23 per month.
Can I self-host ByteChef?: Yes. ByteChef can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is ByteChef an alternative to?: ByteChef is an open-source alternative to Zapier, Workato, Tray.ai and Celigo. Other open-source alternatives to Zapier include Activepieces, n8n and Node-RED.
Is ByteChef actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to ByteChef was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.34.1, published on 2 October 2026. The project has 1k stars on GitHub.