n8n vs Airtable
n8n is an MCP server published by czlonkowski. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Airtable is an MCP server published by domdomegg. Marketplaces we read that list it: 3 (Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog, Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-21. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |   n8n |   Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:061cdb8fbaa7 Forks (GitHub): 3 671 Pulls (Docker Hub): 155 730 Stars (Docker Hub): 23 Stars (GitHub): 23 102 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: sha256:3d15a7da38f6 Forks (GitHub): 132 Pulls (Docker Hub): 19 957 Stars (Docker Hub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 455 Not marked · First seen |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.14.0 Downloads/month (npm): 11 028 Downloads/week (npm): 1 673 Forks (GitHub): 132 Stars (GitHub): 455 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | n8n | Airtable |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 3 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 23 102 (better) | 455 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 155 730 (better) | 19 957 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 3 671 (better) | 132 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/n8n) | On your machine (airtable-mcp-server) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 42 | 16 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 3, secrets among them: 1 | 2, secrets among them: 1 |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 6 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/czlonkowski/n8n-mcp | github.com/domdomegg/airtable-mcp-server |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
n8n
Bridges n8n's workflow automation platform with AI models, providing access to 543 n8n nodes, workflow templates, and AI-capable automation tools.
Airtable
Read and write access to Airtable database schemas, tables, and records.
How to run each
n8n As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "N8N_API_KEY=<YOUR_N8N_API_KEY>" --transport stdio n8n -- docker run -i --rm -e N8N_API_KEY mcp/n8nRequires: N8N_API_KEY (secret)
Airtable As a local MCP server: npm package
claude mcp add --env "AIRTABLE_API_KEY=<YOUR_AIRTABLE_API_KEY>" --transport stdio airtable-mcp-server -- npx -y airtable-mcp-serverRequires: AIRTABLE_API_KEY (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Only n8n declares
get_database_statisticsget_node_as_tool_infoget_node_documentationget_node_essentialsget_node_infoget_property_dependenciesget_templateget_templates_for_tasklist_ai_toolslist_node_templateslist_nodeslist_tasks
Show the remaining 30
list_templatesn8n_autofix_workflown8n_create_workflown8n_delete_executionn8n_delete_workflown8n_diagnosticn8n_get_executionn8n_get_workflown8n_get_workflow_detailsn8n_get_workflow_minimaln8n_get_workflow_structuren8n_health_checkn8n_list_available_toolsn8n_list_executionsn8n_list_workflowsn8n_trigger_webhook_workflown8n_update_full_workflown8n_update_partial_workflown8n_validate_workflown8n_workflow_versionssearch_node_propertiessearch_nodessearch_templatessearch_templates_by_metadatatools_documentationvalidate_node_minimalvalidate_node_operationvalidate_workflowvalidate_workflow_connectionsvalidate_workflow_expressions
Only Airtable declares
create_commentcreate_fieldcreate_recordcreate_tabledelete_recordsdescribe_tableget_recordlist_baseslist_commentslist_recordslist_tablessearch_records
Show the remaining 4
update_fieldupdate_recordsupdate_tableupload_attachment
Both declare
None
Tool names as each marketplace publishes them. More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
Only n8n asks for
MCP_MODEN8N_API_KEY (secret)N8N_API_URL
Only Airtable asks for
AIRTABLE_API_KEY (secret)NODE_ENV
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: n8n · What it can do: Airtable · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.