Opal vs n8n vs Glide vs Custom Code (Next.js) — The 2025 Buyer’s Guide for AI Utilities

TL;DR:

• Fastest idea → shareable app: Google Opal (no-code, hosted, experimental).
• Best orchestrator for APIs/agents/cron/data flows: n8n (self-host or cloud, powerful integrations).
• Best for internal tools & lightweight apps without engineers: Glide (data-driven UIs, auth, lists, simple logic).
• Maximum control/scale/security/compliance: Custom Next.js (own your stack; highest effort, highest ceiling).

1) Executive Summary (at a glance)

2) What each platform is (and is not)

Google Opal (No-Code AI Mini-Apps)

• What it is: Experimental Google Labs product that lets you describe an AI utility in natural language and receive a shareable hosted mini-app with a visual workflow editor and templates.
• What it is not: Enterprise-grade platform with deep extensibility; features, availability, and policies are still evolving.
• Sweet spot: Marketing helpers, support prototypes, content utilities, and internal experiments where time-to-demo beats configurability.

n8n (Low-Code/No-Code Workflow Orchestrator)

• What it is: Extensible workflow engine with nodes for APIs, databases, queues, LLMs, schedulers, retries, branching, and custom code. Deploy in the cloud or self-host.
• What it is not: Full-featured end-user UI builder for complex applications (basic forms and portals only).
• Sweet spot: Automation, integration, and AI agent orchestration that spans multiple systems with observability and control.

Glide (No-Code App Builder for Data-Driven UIs)

• What it is: Business-friendly UI builder for internal tools and lightweight apps that binds to Google Sheets, Airtable, SQL, and other sources while providing auth, roles, lists, and actions.
• What it is not: Fully extensible engineering platform; complex backend or automation logic often requires external services such as n8n.
• Sweet spot: Internal tools, CRUD panels, and partner portals where non-developers need ownership and iteration speed.

Custom Next.js (Full-Code Web App)

• What it is: Production-grade React framework that supports custom auth, databases, vector search, CI/CD, observability, and any LLM SDK or service you choose.
• What it is not: Fast if your team lacks engineering capacity or templates; requires DevOps discipline and security guardrails.
• Sweet spot: Customer-facing experiences, regulated workloads, multi-tenant SaaS, and AI utilities requiring deep customization, compliance, or IP ownership.

3) Decision Tree (choose in 30 seconds)

Rapid decision tree

1. Need a stakeholder demo today? Choose Opal for a hosted mini-app you can share instantly.
2. Coordinating APIs, agents, schedulers, or ETL? Reach for n8n and wire nodes, retries, and monitoring.
3. Shipping an internal tool for business users without engineering time? Glide covers UI, auth, and data binding.
4. Building a customer-facing or regulated system with long-term ownership requirements? Invest in Next.js and own the stack.

Hybrid approach: Glide for UI + n8n for workflows + targeted Next.js microservices is a proven combo. Keep Opal in rotation for quick proofs of concept.

4) Feature Matrix (2025 snapshot)

5) Reference Architectures (textual diagrams)

A. Opal Prototype Path
User → Opal mini-app (hosted) → Gemini call(s) → Output card → Shareable link
Add a tone/PII validation step before final output → re-draft if needed → publish.

B. Glide + n8n Internal Tool
User (auth/role) → Glide App (lists/forms) → n8n Webhook/API → Integrations (DB/API/LLM) → Return outputs/logs
Let n8n manage retries, schedules, and orchestration; Glide keeps the UI approachable.

C. Next.js Production Stack
User → Next.js (App Router) → API Routes/Server Actions → Services (LLM SDKs, Vector DB, n8n workers) → Primary DB (Postgres) → Observability stack
Layer WAF, rate limiting, encryption, secret management, and structured logging for compliance.

6) Cost, TCO & Scaling Considerations

• Opal: Minimal startup cost; pricing and quotas may evolve. Ideal for experiments and pre-PMF validation.
• n8n: Cloud pricing per workspace for teams; self-hosted deployments deliver the lowest unit cost at scale while introducing ops overhead (Docker/K8s, backups, upgrades).
• Glide: Predictable per-seat or plan pricing; fastest way for business users to ship internal ROI without developers.
• Next.js: Requires engineering time plus infra (Vercel/AWS/GCP), CI/CD, observability, and security tooling. Costly early but strongest unit economics at scale with no vendor constraints.

Hidden costs: Identity and access, logging/monitoring, incident response, prompt/guardrail iteration, content moderation, security reviews, and governance cadence.

7) Security, Privacy & Compliance (pragmatic checklist)

Security, privacy, and compliance essentials

Universal controls

• Data minimization—collect only necessary inputs before prompts or automations.
• PII handling—mask or tokenize sensitive fields; configure redaction before LLM calls.
• Secrets management—centralize API keys in a vault (GCP Secret Manager, AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault).
• Auditability—log prompts, outputs, and workflow runs with retention windows that honor your policies.
• Human-in-the-loop—require approvals on high-impact outputs (customer emails, financial actions, data exports).
• Policy alignment—map each platform’s acceptable-use rules to your use case.

Opal

• Treat as experimental Labs software; validate data residency, retention, and access policies.
• Limit to non-sensitive prototypes; avoid regulated data until Google publishes enterprise controls.

n8n

• Prefer self-hosted deployments in a private VPC; restrict outbound access and enforce IP allowlists.
• Encrypt credentials, rotate keys, and enable RBAC; capture run history for investigations.

Glide

• Confirm data-source permissions (Sheets, Airtable, SQL) and role-based visibility before launch.
• Audit sharing links and staging environments to prevent leakage of private tables or files.

Next.js

• Implement defense in depth: WAF, CSP, SSRF mitigation, input validation, and output encoding.
• Use dedicated secret stores, env separation, and encryption at rest/in transit for all services.

8) Developer Velocity vs. Long-Term Ownership

• Opal: Maximum velocity with minimal ownership—best for learning which ideas resonate before investing code.
• n8n: High velocity for integrations; workflows are assets you can export or self-host when needed.
• Glide: Empowers non-developers to iterate quickly on internal tools while maintaining guardrails through roles and visibility rules.
• Next.js: Slowest initially but highest ownership, extensibility, and defensibility once product-market fit is validated.

9) Migration Playbooks (step-by-step)

Opal → Next.js (when the prototype sticks)

1. Snapshot prompts, sample inputs/outputs, guardrails, and UX copy.
2. Rebuild flows in Next.js (Server Actions or API routes) with your preferred LLM SDK.
3. Add vector search, caching, and observability (traces, logs, metrics).
4. Run penetration tests, add feature flags, and pilot with power users.
5. Sunset or archive the Opal link while keeping it for future experiments.

Glide → Next.js

1. Inventory data models, permissions, and automations.
2. Stand up a production database (Postgres) and auth layer (Auth.js, Cognito, custom RBAC).
3. Recreate views as Next.js pages with matching role-based visibility.
4. Use n8n for migrations or background jobs; document SOPs for admins.
5. Redirect primary users to the new app and deprecate Glide once parity is reached.

n8n cloud → self-host

1. Export workflows and deploy Docker Compose (n8n + Postgres + optional Redis).
2. Configure HTTPS, reverse proxy, IP allowlists, and network isolation.
3. Move secrets into a vault, retest webhooks/cron jobs, and enable alerts.
4. Instrument logs/metrics; schedule backups and regular updates before cutover.

10) Risk Register (with mitigations)

11) Benchmarking & QA (how to compare fairly)

• Latency SLOs: Target P95 latency under 1.5–2.0 seconds for user-facing flows; benchmark with real payloads.
• Throughput: Load-test concurrency, rate-limit policies, and back-pressure handling.
• Quality: Define rubrics for accuracy, completeness, tone, and safety; sample outputs regularly.
• Cost: Track tokens per task × tasks/day × users, including retries and safety passes.
• Stability: Inject failures (timeouts, 429s, model errors) and confirm retries with jitter and circuit breakers.
• Observability: Ensure traces, correlation IDs, and structured logs—redact PII before storage.

12) SEO & Content Strategy (for this comparison page)

• Title (≤60 chars): “Opal vs n8n vs Glide vs Next.js (2025 Guide)”
• Meta (~155 chars): “Choose the right stack for AI utilities: Opal, n8n, Glide, or custom Next.js. Deep comparison with cost, security, decision tree, and playbooks (2025).”
• H1/H2 structure: Maintain the headings in this guide for scannability and snippet coverage.
• Internal links: Point to Opal deep dive, n8n workflow recipes, Glide internal-tool starter, and Next.js hardening guides.
• Schema: Include Article metadata plus optional FAQPage using the questions below.
• Images: Add 3–5 diagrams (decision tree, reference architectures, risk matrix) with descriptive alt text and WebP variants.

13) FAQs (extractable as FAQ schema)

Q1: Can I mix these tools?
Yes. Pair Glide for UI with n8n workflows, run Next.js microservices for custom logic, and keep Opal for quick stakeholder demos.

Q2: Which is most cost-effective?
Short-term: Opal or Glide. Mid-term: n8n self-host. Long-term: Next.js when you manage your own infrastructure.

Q3: Which is best for security/compliance?
Next.js offers full control. Self-hosted n8n is strong for workflows. Glide and Opal require careful scoping and vendor review.

Q4: Which is fastest to maintain?
Glide is easiest for non-technical maintainers. n8n suits ops engineers. Opal is fast but evolving. Next.js requires engineering time.

Q5: What about vendor lock-in?
Expect higher lock-in with Opal and Glide. n8n reduces risk via export and self-hosting. Next.js minimizes lock-in entirely because you own the code.

14) Recommendations by Scenario

• POC this week for stakeholders: Start in Opal; if it resonates, formalize requirements and budget for code migration.
• Automate operations across 10+ SaaS/DB integrations: Lead with n8n; supplement with Next.js endpoints only where custom logic is required.
• Internal tool for 50 non-technical users: Glide for the UI + n8n for workflows; secure data sources and enable SSO if available.
• Customer-facing AI product with compliance needs: Begin in Next.js, optionally pairing n8n for background jobs while building a mature security posture.

15) Implementation Checklists

Opal (POC)

• Keep scope narrow and avoid sensitive data.
• Add validation/guardrail steps before final output.
• Publish, gather feedback within 48–72 hours.
• Snapshot prompts and flows for future migrations.

n8n (Workflows)

• Decide on cloud vs. self-host; for self-host, set up Docker + Postgres.
• Store secrets in a vault, enforce IP allowlists, enable HTTPS, and audit logs.
• Configure retries with exponential backoff and dead-letter queues.
• Write unit tests for custom nodes and back up workflows weekly.

Glide (Internal app)

• Define data models and roles; enforce row-level access or equivalent.
• Connect stable data sources (Sheets, Airtable, SQL) and monitor sync health.
• Guard file uploads and sanitize user input.
• Maintain staging space for changes and document admin SOPs.

Next.js (Production)

• Implement auth (session/JWT) with RBAC/ABAC.
• Add rate limiting, input validation, and output filters.
• Instrument OpenTelemetry traces, structured logs, and metrics dashboards.
• Enforce security headers, CSP, SSRF protections, dependency audits, and chaos tests.
• Track token costs, set spending alerts, and plan chaos drills.

16) Conclusion

Choose Opal when time-to-demo dominates. Choose n8n when integration and automation are the core problem. Choose Glide when business stakeholders need usable tooling without engineers. Choose Next.js when you require control, compliance, and scalability.

Most teams will blend two or more of these options: prototype in Opal, operationalize with n8n, serve internal audiences through Glide, and harden customer-facing surfaces in Next.js as the product matures.

Credits & Further Reading

• Google Labs & Opal official resources for availability and hosting specifics.
• n8n documentation and community recipes for workflow development and self-hosting.
• Glide documentation for data sources, roles, and action patterns.
• Next.js documentation (App Router, Server Actions) plus your cloud provider’s security guidance.