# Gumloop vs Node-RED

> Gumloop and Node-RED score within a point of each other for workflow automation, 61.6 and 61 out of 100. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-node-red
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-node-red.md (~2,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-node-red.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-node-red.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Gumloop and Node-RED score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 61.6 (C) and 61 (C). Node-RED leads on reliability, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do workflow automation.

- Gumloop: grade C, 61.6/100, rank #463 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gumloop.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gumloop.json
- Node-RED: grade C, 61/100, rank #486 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/node-red.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/node-red.json
- Best workflow automation platforms with APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/workflow-automation/index.md
- All 108 workflows comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/workflow-automation/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Gumloop (C)

Good for: A team that wants hosted agents with connectors, approvals and triggers, driven or configured by an outside agent through the API or MCP server.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 83 against 41
- Agent ergonomics, 66 against 44

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: API keys and the `gumloop_api` OAuth scope need the Pro plan at $37 a month. The 14-day trial needs a card

### Node-RED (C)

Good for: Owners who want event-driven flows on their own machine or device, with a large library of community nodes, and an agent that deploys or edits flows as JSON.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 90 against 82
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 20
- Transparency & trust, 65 against 57

Also in its favour:
- Open source

Watch for: No OpenAPI file, `llms.txt` or SDK. The Admin API is documented as 20 hand-written pages on nodered.org


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Gumloop | Node-RED | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 82 | 90 | Node-RED +8 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 83 | 41 | Gumloop +42 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 44 | Gumloop +22 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 50 | 51 | Node-RED +1 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 60 | Node-RED +40 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 77 | 81 | Node-RED +4 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 57 | 65 | Node-RED +8 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **61.6 · C** | **61 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Gumloop | Node-RED |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | AgentHub Inc. | OpenJS Foundation |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.gumloop.com/api/v1` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary service under Gumloop's terms of service. The Python SDK and CLI repository and the npm package are Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-08 |
| Terms last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | yes |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text |  |
| Popularity | 188 npm/wk, 2.9k PyPI/wk | 24k stars, 55k npm/wk |

## Verdicts

**Gumloop.** Gumloop's REST API has a public OpenAPI file with 105 operations, Markdown docs and a changelog with 28 dated releases since 9 July 2026. API keys need the $37 Pro plan, the trial needs a card, the key can travel in the URL, and self-serve content may be used to train Gumloop's models.

**Node-RED.** Node-RED's Admin HTTP API covers flows, nodes and settings in 20 documented methods, with read and write permissions per resource and a revision check on deploys. It has no OpenAPI file, no pagination and no SDK, and a default install accepts API calls from anyone who can reach port 1880.

## Before you call either

### Gumloop

1. Send the key as `Authorization: Bearer` and, for a personal key, add the `x-auth-key` header with the user ID. Do not put `api_key` in the URL
2. Create sessions with `POST /agents/{agent_id}/sessions`, then poll `GET /sessions/{session_id}`. A 202 means processing or queued, and the reply is not in the response
3. Supply your own `session_id` when creating a session. A repeat returns 409, which makes a retry safe
4. For streamed output send the same body with `stream: true` to `ws.gumloop.com`. `api.gumloop.com` answers 400 to it
5. Treat a webhook trigger URL as a password. It returns `{"success": true}` at once and never carries the agent's output

### Node-RED

1. Call `GET /auth/login` first. An empty object means no authentication is set and every Admin API call is open
2. Send `Node-RED-API-Version: v2` and the last `rev` on `POST /flows`, and re-read the flows on a 409
3. Set `Node-RED-Deployment-Type` to `nodes` or `flows` to restart only what changed. The default `full` stops every node
4. Prefer `GET /flow/:id` and `PUT /flow/:id` for one tab. `GET /flows` returns every node in the runtime
5. Treat `flows.write` and `nodes.write` as code execution on the host. Function nodes run JavaScript and `POST /nodes` installs npm modules

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Gumloop or Node-RED?

Gumloop and Node-RED score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 61.6 (C) and 61 (C). Node-RED leads on reliability, payments & pricing and transparency & trust.

### Do Gumloop and Node-RED need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Gumloop and Node-RED without installing anything?

Gumloop has a hosted endpoint at https://api.gumloop.com/api/v1. No hosted endpoint is listed for Node-RED.

### Are Gumloop and Node-RED open source?

No open-source release is listed for Gumloop. Node-RED is open source (Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-node-red.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-node-red.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "gumloop", "b": "node-red"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gumloop node-red`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gumloop.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/node-red.json

## Other comparisons with Gumloop or Node-RED

- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Gumloop](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-gumloop.md)
- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Node-RED](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-node-red.md)
- [Gumloop vs Kestra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-kestra.md)
- [Gumloop vs Make API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-make.md)
- [Gumloop vs n8n API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-n8n.md)
- [Gumloop vs Paragon ActionKit + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-paragon.md)
- [Gumloop vs Pipedream API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-pipedream.md)
- [Gumloop vs Microsoft Power Automate](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-power-automate.md)
- [Gumloop vs Prismatic](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-prismatic.md)
- [Gumloop vs Tray.ai API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-tray.md)
- [Gumloop vs Windmill API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-windmill.md)
- [Gumloop vs Workato API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gumloop-vs-workato.md)
- [Kestra vs Node-RED](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red.md)
- [Make API + MCP vs Node-RED](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/make-vs-node-red.md)
- [n8n API + MCP vs Node-RED](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/n8n-vs-node-red.md)
- [Node-RED vs Paragon ActionKit + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-paragon.md)
- [Node-RED vs Pipedream API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-pipedream.md)
- [Node-RED vs Microsoft Power Automate](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-power-automate.md)
- [Node-RED vs Prismatic](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-prismatic.md)
- [Node-RED vs Tray.ai API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-tray.md)
- [Node-RED vs Windmill API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-windmill.md)
- [Node-RED vs Workato API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/node-red-vs-workato.md)