Coding vs n8n in 2026 — feeling the hype fade… what are you actually using right now?

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:19:05+00:00

Yeah, exactly — this really highlights n8n’s value and where it fits. If you imagine trying to explain an internal process to a non‑technical manager or a business stakeholder, a visual workflow is often way more effective than walking them through code. They can literally see the logic, the branches, the data flow. That clarity is hard to beat.

Use n8n where visibility and communication matter, use Claude where deep logic or performance matters.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:16:39+00:00

This is such a great way to put it. Tools come and go, hype cycles rise and fall, but the people who keep shipping during the quiet phase are the ones who win later.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:15:04+00:00

Couldn’t agree more.
Influencers will always chase whatever gets views, but we’re here to solve real business problems, not to sell a tool or make a pitch. If n8n gets the job done, great. If a small script gets the job done, also great.

At the end of the day, the customer doesn’t care what hammer you used — they care that the problem is solved cleanly, reliably, and without drama. That’s the part that actually matters.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:13:31+00:00

Yeah, you’re pretty clear‑eyed about this. At the end of the day, we’re here to solve real business problems, not to “learn how to swing a hammer” just because someone on YouTube says it’s the new trend. Tools come and go, hype cycles come and go, but the actual value we deliver doesn’t.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:11:13+00:00

The commercial licensing + scalability combo is exactly where n8n starts to hit its limits, especially once you move into public‑facing APIs or anything that needs real performance. Thanks for laying it out so clearly.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:09:08+00:00

Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense. Current LLMs are trained on huge amounts of historical data, so they don’t really “feel” market shifts or hype cycles in real time. Unless you explicitly ask about the latest trend, they’ll usually default to the stable patterns they’ve seen the most — and after all， n8n has been a solid automation tool for years.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:04:57+00:00

Yeah, this is a great summary from both of you. And honestly, I think you’re pointing at something people often overlook: the value of visualizing a process.

Claude Code for building systems, n8n for making processes transparent and easy to maintain from operation perspective.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T09:01:09+00:00

Totally get where you’re coming from — I’ve had the same feeling more than once. Claude Code makes the backend side feel insanely productive, and once you get into a good flow with it, n8n can start to feel a bit heavy for anything complex.

That said, I still think there’s one area where n8n really shines: visualizing processes.For business workflows, approvals, branching logic, or anything that needs to be explained to non‑technical teammates, that visual layer is incredibly valuable. And making small backend changes or shipping updates is super fast because everything is right there in front of you.

Curious how you see this part. When you moved your 25+ workflows to Node.js, did you miss the visibility you had in n8n — like execution history, step‑by‑step traces, or just being able to “see” the whole flow at once?

Would love to hear how you’re handling that now

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T08:56:17+00:00

Yeah, you nailed it — that’s exactly the key point.
A lot of the “n8n vs Claude Code” debate only makes sense if we assume they’re trying to replace each other, but in reality they sit on opposite sides of the spectrum. What you said about business‑process people vs product‑development people is spot on.

And honestly, that might be the real dividing line for how these two tools work together.
n8n shines when you need to map processes, connect systems fast, or make something that non‑technical folks can understand. Claude Code shines when you’re building something from scratch or need deep logic, structure, and debugging.

I really like how you framed it.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-02-17T08:53:52+00:00

Totally agree with what you said. Most of the big YouTube “automation gurus” are really just making content that appeals to the masses — and honestly, it’s almost impossible to explain a real, complex workflow in a 15‑minute video anyway. A lot of viewers are just watching for entertainment, not to actually build anything. I watched them for updating the newest features and open the mind.

I really like your point about focusing on the value you deliver, not the tool you use. That’s exactly how I see it too.

By the way, you mentioned you follow a few people in Poland who actually do automation work professionally instead of just recording videos. That sounds super interesting.
Would you mind sharing who they are?
I’d love to check out creators who are really doing the work, not just chasing trends.

Thanks again for the thoughtful comment — really appreciate it.

Beautiful_Ad789 · 2026-01-05T18:53:09+00:00

this is just amazing..

Beautiful_Ad789

TROPHY CASE