How Cordum compares.
Policy-before-dispatch. Intelligent scheduling. Approval gates. Not every platform has these built in.
Built-in vs bolt-on.
Policy enforcement, approval gates, and intelligent scheduling are core to Cordum. Other platforms require manual implementation.
| Feature | Cordum | Temporal | n8n | CrewAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Enforcement | Policy-before-dispatch with Safety Kernel. Every job evaluated before execution. | No built-in policy layer. Manual checks in workflow code. | No policy engine. Workflows run without governance layer. | No policy system. Agent behavior defined in code only. |
| Approval Gates | Built-in approval step type. Approvals bound to policy snapshot + job hash. | Manual signals/queries. No built-in approval primitives. | UI-based approval nodes. Not bound to policy versions. | No approval gates. Agents run autonomously without human review. |
| Intelligent Scheduling | Least-loaded worker selection. Capability-based routing. Direct dispatch. | Task queue routing with sticky workers. No capability filtering. | Simple FIFO queue. No intelligent worker selection. | No scheduler. Agents managed in-process. |
| Audit Trail | Append-only timeline for every run. Immutable job state log. Policy decisions recorded. | Event history available. No policy decision audit. | Execution logs available. No approval or policy audit. | No built-in audit trail. Logging is manual. |
| Pack/Plugin System | Declarative packs. Install workflows + schemas + policy overlays without core changes. | No plugin system. Custom workflows + workers. | Node/integration marketplace. No policy overlays. | No plugin system. Tools defined in code. |
| MCP Integration | MCP allow/deny rules in Safety Kernel. Per-tool policy enforcement. | No MCP support. | No MCP support. | MCP client support. No policy layer. |
| Production Features | JetStream durability. Reconciler. DLQ. Idempotency keys. Resource locks. | Durable execution. Activity retries. Timeouts. | Execution retries. No reconciler or DLQ management. | No production reliability features. Framework only. |
| Self-Hosted / BUSL-1.1 | BUSL-1.1 licensed. Full control plane self-hosted. | Open source. Self-hosted or cloud. | Open source. Self-hosted or cloud. | Open source Python framework. |
Why Policy-Before-Dispatch Matters
Temporal and n8n execute workflows immediately after dispatch. If you need policy checks, you write them manually in workflow code. This creates inconsistency across teams.
Cordum makes policy foundational. Every job—whether from the API, a workflow step, or a pack—goes through the Safety Kernel before execution. No exceptions.
The result: Security teams can approve autonomous workflows because the policy layer is built in, not bolted on. Compliance becomes manageable at scale.
Which tool for which job?
Each platform excels at different use cases. Here's how to choose.
Platform Engineering
You need orchestration + governance for autonomous operations.
Policy-before-dispatch ensures every action is evaluated. Approval gates for risky ops. Full audit trail for compliance.
Enterprise Workflows
You need durable execution with strong consistency guarantees.
Both offer durable execution. Choose Cordum if you need policy enforcement and approval gates. Choose Temporal for pure orchestration.
Automation / No-Code
You need visual workflow builder for business users.
n8n has the best visual builder and integration marketplace. Choose Cordum if you need policy enforcement on top of workflows.
AI Agent Framework
You're building AI agents in Python and need a framework.
CrewAI is a framework for agent definition. Choose Cordum if you need orchestration, policy, and production reliability for those agents.
Choose based on your requirements.
If you need policy enforcement, approval gates, and intelligent scheduling built in, choose Cordum. If you need pure orchestration or a visual builder, other tools may fit better.
Choose Cordum If...
- You need policy-before-dispatch for every action
- You need approval gates with policy binding
- You need intelligent worker scheduling
- You need pack extensibility without core changes
- You need MCP integration with policy enforcement
Choose Temporal If...
- You need durable execution with strong consistency
- You don't need policy enforcement
- You're comfortable with code-first workflows
- You want mature ecosystem and cloud offering
Choose n8n If...
- You need visual workflow builder for non-developers
- You need extensive integration marketplace
- You don't need policy enforcement
- You prioritize ease of use over governance
Ready to add policy to your workflows?
Cordum gives you orchestration + governance in one platform. No bolt-ons required.