FlowForge: self-hosted workflow automation on shared PHP hosting
Zapier charges per task. Make charges per operation. n8n needs a Node.js server or a VPS with Docker. FlowForge does none of those things. It’s a self-hosted workflow automation platform built on PHP and MySQL that runs on the shared hosting plan you probably already have.
Upload the zip to Hostinger, cPanel, or DirectAdmin, run the setup wizard, add one cron job, and you’re done. No SSH required. No Composer on the server. No Node.js.
️ What It Does
FlowForge connects 1,690 apps across 8,700 actions with a drag-and-drop canvas builder. You get triggers (webhooks, schedules, app events), If/Else branching, filters, a step-by-step debugger that stores every input and output, and auto-retry logic that resumes from the failed step rather than restarting the whole run.
The AI Builder lets you describe a workflow in plain language and it builds, links, and explains it. It works with your own key from OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen, or any OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible API including OpenRouter, Groq, Ollama, and LM Studio. If an app isn’t in the catalog, the AI Builder creates it as a custom app from the service’s documented API, or you can import an OpenAPI (Swagger) file directly.
AI Voice Agents
The feature that separates FlowForge from most self-hosted automation tools is built-in AI voice calling. You can create an AI receptionist or outbound calling agent, test it free in your browser using your own AI key, then give it a real phone number through Vapi or ElevenLabs (both have free tiers). The agent books appointments, answers business questions, and saves every call with its recording, transcript, and summary.
There are 12 ready-made agent templates including clinic receptionist, salon booking, restaurant reservations, lead qualification, and appointment reminders. Voice options cover more than 11,000 ElevenLabs voices across 30-plus languages including Urdu, Hindi, and Arabic. Call outcomes feed directly into your workflows: post a summary to Slack, add a booking to Google Calendar, or trigger any downstream automation.
MCP Support
FlowForge exposes an MCP server so Claude Code, Cursor, and VS Code agents can search apps and build, test, and run workflows via a personal token. The connection command looks like this:
claude mcp add --transport http flowforge https://your-domain.com/api/mcp
--header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"Pricing and License
FlowForge is free under the AGPL-3.0 license with no limits on users, workflows, runs, or sites. The only costs are the AI API keys you already use and, for real phone calls, whatever Vapi or ElevenLabs charges per minute. Paid installation and managed hosting services are available from the developer at [email protected].
The server requirements are modest: PHP 8.2+, MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+, Apache or Nginx with mod_rewrite, and one cron job running every minute. Disk space is about 150 MB plus run history. Built on Laravel 12, React 18, React Flow, and Tailwind CSS. Current version is 1.8.1.
Source and releases: github.com/DeveloperSarim/FlowForge.
I’m founder of BizStack at Cagri Sarigoz LLC and a passionate advocate for entrepreneurs.
With over 14 years in tech, marketing, and AI, including my role as Head of SEO at CitizenShipper and co-founder of TaleBot at Intale AI, I’m dedicated to sharing genuine, useful product insights and tips.
At BizStack, I aim to cut through the digital noise to provide clear, actionable advice.
And more than all else, I’m a father to a (always) little girl and a husband.
Contact me at [email protected] for assistance.
