Which requires less RAM: n8n or Portainer?

Portainer uses less memory (512 MB) compared to n8n (2 GB).

Which tool is more popular on GitHub: n8n or Portainer?

n8n leads with 56,400 GitHub stars versus 0 for Portainer.

Can I host both n8n and Portainer on the same VPS?

Yes! Combining both applications requires at least 2.5 GB of RAM plus operating system overhead. A 4GB to 8GB VPS easily accommodates both.

Head-to-Head Technical Benchmark

n8n vs Portainer

Technical hardware and popularity breakdown for self-hosting n8n and Portainer on cloud VPS servers.

Canonical Comparison URL: /compare/n8n-vs-portainer

Interactive Tool Matchup

Switch Matchup or Select New Apps

Change Candidate A or Candidate B to compare specs against any open-source tool in the directory.

Candidate A

Candidate B

Candidate A

n8n

n8n-io/n8n

★ 56.4k

Fair-code workflow automation platform with 400+ native integrations and custom JS/Python nodes.

Min RAM

2 GB

CPU Cores

1 vCPU

Disk Storage

20 GB

Deploy n8n Docker Compose →

Candidate B

Portainer

portainer/portainer

★ 0

Centralized container management GUI for Docker, Docker Swarm, and Kubernetes environments.

Min RAM

512 MB

Lower RAM

CPU Cores

1 vCPU

Disk Storage

10 GB

Deploy Portainer Docker Compose →

Full Technical Benchmark Breakdown

Specification	n8n	Portainer	Advantage
Primary Category	automation	devops	—
Minimum RAM Required	2 GB	512 MB	Portainer (1.5 GB lighter)
GitHub Stars	★ 56,400	★ 0	n8n (+56,400 stars)
GitHub Forks	7,800	0	n8n
License	Sustainable-Use	FOSS	Open-Source
Primary Language	TypeScript	N/A	—
Docker Image	docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest	portainer/portainer-ce:latest	Both Container Ready

Multi-App Server Sizing

Can You Run Both n8n & Portainer Together?

Yes! Running both simultaneously requires approximately 4 GB RAM including host OS and Docker daemon buffers. A single standard $6-$10/mo cloud VPS easily hosts both without bottlenecks.

Open VPS RAM Calculator Deploy 4GB VPS ($6.99/mo) →