Node-RED vs xStarter
Node-RED
nodered.orgxStarter
xstarter.comSide by side
| Figure | Node-RED | xStarter |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 3 |
| Spec score · Task Automation Software | 8.5 (#9) | 7.2 (#33) |
| Integrations | Official getting-started material covers local computers, Docker, Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, Android through Termux, AWS and Microsoft Azure. | Web Pilot includes an HTTP server and says tasks can be started from PHP, Perl, and ASP scripts. |
| Purpose | Node-RED is a low-code flow-based programming tool for building event-driven applications that collect, transform, and visualize data. | xStarter automates routine computer processes using sequences of operations triggered by a schedule or system events. |
| Support | The project points users to its community forum and Slack for help and discussion. | The maker offers contact support, a forum, online help, and says registered users receive full technical support including email support. |
Plans
xStarter
- xStarter standard$39.50, paid once
- xStarter Job Scheduler for Firebird/Interbase$49.50, paid once
- xStarter Web Pilot$49.50, paid once
In their own words
Node-RED
Node-RED is a free, open-source tool for building event-driven applications with flow-based programming. It is designed to collect, transform and visualize data, and its listed capabilities include workflow orchestration, real-time sync and API management. In the browser-based editor, users connect nodes into flows and deploy them to the runtime. Core nodes support triggering, inspecting, changing, routing and templating messages. The lightweight runtime is built on Node.js and is intended for use on low-cost edge hardware or in the cloud. More than 5,000 nodes and flows are available through the community Flow Library. Flows are stored as JSON for importing, exporting and sharing, and projects use Git for version control and collaboration through remote repositories. Node-RED can run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, self-hosted systems and the web, among other listed installation options. Its editor is unsecured by default: anyone with access to its IP address can access it and deploy changes. The project points users to its community forum and Slack for help.