How n8n Basic Nodes Are Becoming Smarter, Faster, and AI-Powered in 2025

How n8n Basic Nodes Are Becoming Smarter, Faster, and AI-Powered in 2025

If you’ve been playing around with automation tools like n8n, you’ve probably noticed something: the basic nodes aren’t so basic anymore. Day by day, they’re getting smarter, faster, and more capable turning from simple workflow connectors into full-on automation engines. What used to feel like just linking apps together now feels like building with AI-powered Lego blocks.

I’ve been following n8n closely, especially over the last year or so, and honestly, the way these nodes have leveled up is insane. Let’s break it down.

Speed That Actually Matters

One of the biggest upgrades is something called Task Runners for Code nodes. Now I know that feels technical but here’s the deal before when you tried running heavy code, the whole workflow could slow down or even get stuck. Frustrating, right?

With Task Runners, that doesn’t happen anymore. Code execution gets pushed into separate processes, which means your main workflow stays smooth and responsive. Even better, it’s up to 6x faster. Whether you’re running a quick JavaScript snippet or a chunk of Python, you don’t have to worry about clogging up your workflow.

AI Is Sneaking Into Everything

This is where things really get wild. Basic nodes now have AI Transform Nodes and AI Agent Tool Nodes, which basically means you can spin up mini “agents” inside your workflow. These aren’t just one-off automations they can think, loop, and act on their own.

Imagine a workflow that doesn’t just pass data from A to B, but actually decides what to do with that data, learns from it, and adapts. That’s what’s happening here. Plus, n8n now tracks things like token usage, response quality, and even semantic similarity, so you can fine-tune and debug like a pro.

Expressions, But Smarter

If you’ve ever struggled with data transformations inside workflows, you’ll love the new Expression Editor. It’s been rebuilt from the ground up and now feels way more intuitive. Think code completion that understands your context, plus a bunch of new transformation functions.

Basically, you don’t need to be a hardcore coder to do some pretty complex stuff with your data anymore. That’s a huge win for makers who just want things to work.

Handling More Than Just Text

Here’s another big one: n8n nodes aren’t just about text anymore. With Gemini Node support, they can now handle audio, images, documents, and even video.

• Audio → analyze tone, sentiment, or just transcribe
   
• Documents → pull structure, summarize, or classify
   
• Images → detect objects, extract features, or even generate new ones
   
• Video → break down scenes, analyze motion, or create content

It’s no longer just “connect Google Sheets to Slack.” We’re talking multimedia automation on a whole new level.
 

Power of the Community

Something I really like is how community nodes are now easier to access in n8n Cloud. Before, if you wanted to use certain community-built nodes, you had to self-host. Not anymore. Now it’s plug-and-play.

This makes n8n feel more like an app store for automations you can grab ready-made nodes, templates, and integrations without fighting with setup. As of now, there are 5,600+ templates and 400+ integrations ready to go.

Smarter Agents and Multi-Step Thinking

This is where we start to see workflows act more like real AI systems. n8n now supports multi-agent setups, meaning different agents can talk to each other and solve problems step by step.

The Model Selector Node even lets you switch between AI models mid-workflow, so you can balance cost, performance, or even set fallback options if one model fails. It’s like having a control panel for AI right inside your workflow.
 

Security and Scale for the Big Leagues

For teams and enterprises, n8n has added things like SSO, encrypted secrets, RBAC permissions, and version control. That means bigger companies can trust it for serious workflows while still keeping the flexibility solo builders love.

Monitoring Without Guesswork

Another underrated update: performance metrics are now built in. You can track execution times, error rates, CPU usage, memory, and more. This helps you spot bottlenecks early. And with pinned data editing, you can test scenarios without constantly re-running everything from scratch.

What’s Next?

The pace of updates shows no sign of slowing down. With AI, multimedia, performance boosts, and community-driven growth, n8n basic nodes are no longer “basic.” They’ve evolved into intelligent, high-performance building blocks for automation.

And here’s the best part: you don’t need to be a coder to use them. That’s what excites me most. The boundaries that used to belong only to developers are fading fast. Now, with just an idea and some curiosity, you can build workflows that are smarter than ever.

FAQ
Q1. What are n8n basic nodes?

Think of them like Lego blocks but for automation! At first, they were simple connectors, just doing the basics. Now? They have level up into smart AI-powered pieces that can run tasks, transform data, and even make decisions on their own. seriously it’s like giving your workflows a brain now you can do another task.

Q2. How have n8n nodes improved from 2024 to 2025?

Oh, the glow-up is real! In 2024, nodes were handy but a bit slow and mostly text-based. Fast forward to 2025: Task Runners speed things up, AI agents can loop and think, and now multimedia images, audio, video is fully supported. It’s like n8n went from a bicycle to a Tesla practically overnight.

Q3. Do I need to know coding to use them?

Zero coding? Totally fine. Drag, drop, and build your workflows even if you’ve never touched a line of code. Know some coding? Awesome, you can level up your workflows even more. Beginners? Welcome aboard, you’re going to love this.

Q4. Can n8n really handle AI workflows now?

Yes, and it’s not just hype. With AI Transform Nodes and AI Agent Tool Nodes you can create little agents inside your workflow that don’t just follow instructions they analyze loop and adapt Imagine a digital teammate who never sleeps and always gets stuff done.

Q5. Is n8n ready for big companies in 2025?

Totally. Enterprise features like SSO, encrypted secrets, RBAC permissions, and advanced monitoring make it serious business-ready. Startups, solo builders, or giant teams everyone can use it safely, scale it, and actually enjoy building workflows.

If you want, I can also make it even punchier with a storytelling vibe like your first write-up, so it flows like a narrative instead of Q&A bullets. That version would feel more casual and engaging. Do you want me to do that?