What Are n8n Community Nodes? A Complete Guide

n8n community nodes are nodes built and shared by the n8n community instead of by n8n itself. Each one is an npm package that adds integrations n8n doesn’t ship, such as a WhatsApp gateway, an AI voice service or a regional CRM. Once installed, a community node works like any built-in node in your workflows. This page explains what they are, how they differ from built-in nodes, where to find them and how to use them safely, with facts from the official n8n documentation and numbers from our own directory.

Community nodes in one paragraph

In n8n, a node is one building block of a workflow: some nodes start a workflow, others fetch, send or process data, define flow control or connect to external services. n8n’s glossary defines a community node as “a node built and shared by the community, not one of n8n’s built-in nodes”, installed on your instance “to add integrations that n8n doesn’t provide”. Technically, a community node package is an npm package whose name starts with n8n-nodes- (or @scope/n8n-nodes-) and that carries the npm keyword n8n-community-node-package. One package can contain several nodes and their credentials.

Built-in nodes vs community nodes

After installation you use a community node exactly like a built-in one: search for it in the nodes panel and add it to a workflow.

Verified and unverified community nodes

n8n reviews some community nodes and makes them available as verified community nodes in the nodes panel, under More from the community. They have to meet data and system security requirements, for example no run-time dependencies and no access to environment variables or files. Verified nodes are the only community nodes available on n8n Cloud. Every other package is unverified: it can be installed on a self-hosted n8n, but nobody at n8n has checked its code. Read the full comparison in Verified vs Unverified n8n Community Nodes.

How many community nodes are there?

On October 27, 2026 our directory tracked 9,955 n8n node packages from npm, with about 5 million npm downloads a week between them. 9,292 of them pass our quality rule (real usage, stars, a real README or a recent release) and are listed in search. Some of the most used:

Weekly downloads come from the npm downloads API and change every day; each node page shows the current numbers and the release history.

Where to find community nodes

• In n8n: verified nodes appear in the nodes panel search. On a self-hosted instance, Settings > Community Nodes > Install > Browse opens an npm search for the keyword n8n-community-node-package.
• On npm: search for that keyword or for n8n-nodes.
• On communitynodes.com: the homepage ranks every package by weekly or monthly downloads, with categories, search, new community nodes and recently updated lists, and hubs per service.

Popular hubs: WhatsApp, Evolution API, Telegram, MCP, OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, ElevenLabs, Chatwoot, LinkedIn and Apify.

How to install a community node

There are four documented ways: from the nodes panel (verified nodes, also on n8n Cloud), from Settings > Community Nodes on a self-hosted instance, with npm on the command line (for queue mode or private packages), and from environment variables (n8n 2.21.0 and later). Only the instance owner and admins can install; every member can use installed nodes. Step-by-step instructions, updates, rollbacks and fixes are in How to Install n8n Community Nodes.

Which n8n you run decides what you can install: the free self-hosted Community edition can install any community node, n8n Cloud only verified ones. See n8n Community Edition vs Cloud.

Are community nodes safe?

n8n’s documentation is direct about the risks of installing unverified code from a public source: a community node has full access to the machine n8n runs on and can do anything, including harmful actions; it can read the data in your workflows; and a new version can bring breaking changes that stop your workflows. n8n keeps a blocklist of packages it won’t install, and you can report a bad node to security@n8n.io.

Before installing an unverified package, check that its GitHub repository is public and matches the npm package, how often it is released, how many people use it, and whether the README explains setup and credentials. Every node page on this site shows those signals in one place.

Building your own community node

If the integration you need doesn’t exist, you can build it. n8n’s n8n-node CLI creates the project, runs a local n8n with your node, lints it and publishes it to npm. To get it onto n8n Cloud, you submit it for verification in the n8n Creator Portal. The full walkthrough is in How to Build and Publish Your Own n8n Community Node.

FAQ

What is the difference between a node and a community node in n8n?

Nodes are the building blocks of every workflow. Built-in nodes ship with n8n; community nodes are made by others, published on npm and installed separately.

Are n8n community nodes free?

Installing a package from npm costs nothing in n8n. Check each package’s license on npm or GitHub, and note that the service a node connects to may have its own pricing.

Can I use community nodes on n8n Cloud?

Only verified community nodes, from the nodes panel.

Is there an n8n community node marketplace?

Packages live on npm. Inside n8n, verified nodes are offered in the nodes panel. communitynodes.com lists and ranks all of them by downloads, category and service.

How do I tell a community node from a built-in node in my workflow?

n8n marks community nodes with a Package icon in the nodes panel.

What does n8n-nodes mean in a package name?

Community node packages must be named n8n-nodes-<name> or @<scope>/n8n-nodes-<name>, which is why searching npm for “n8n-nodes” finds them.

Built-in nodes are different: they ship with n8n, and n8n’s documentation names them by node type, such as n8n-nodes-base.telegram or n8n-nodes-base.whatsapp. You don’t install n8n-nodes-base from Settings > Community Nodes, because it is already part of every n8n instance.