n8n Pricing Explained: Cloud Plans vs Self-Hosting in 2026

n8n is a workflow automation tool that you can run in the cloud or on your own server. Its pricing works differently from most no-code rivals, which is why it can be cheaper for complex workflows and more demanding to operate. This guide summarizes the plans listed on n8n’s pricing page as of October 2026.

How much does n8n cost?

n8n Cloud starts at €20 a month for Starter and €50 a month for Pro, both billed annually. Business costs €667 a month billed annually and is offered as a self-hosted plan, and Enterprise is priced on request. The monthly toggle exists, but the page does not list monthly figures; annual billing is advertised as saving 17%.

Plan	Price (billed annually)	Executions per month	Hosting	Best for
Starter	€20/mo	2,500	n8n Cloud	Solo builders and small tests
Pro	€50/mo	10,000	n8n Cloud	Small teams in production
Business	€667/mo	40,000	Self-hosted only (Cloud on a waitlist)	Companies needing more volume
Enterprise	Contact sales	Custom	Hosted by n8n or self-hosted	Large organizations

All plans include unlimited users and workflows and every integration, according to n8n.

How does n8n count executions?

n8n charges per execution, meaning one complete run of a workflow, no matter how many steps it contains. A workflow with twenty steps that runs once counts as one execution. This is the key difference from task-based billing, where each action step consumes allowance.

For workflows with many steps, such as enrichment, routing and notifications in one flow, execution-based billing can be significantly cheaper. For workflows that run extremely often with a single step, the advantage disappears, so estimate runs before choosing a tier.

Is there a free version of n8n?

Yes. The Community Edition is described by n8n as a standard, self-hosted version available on GitHub, with installation documentation. There is no per-execution fee, but you must provide and secure the server, handle updates and backups, and manage credentials yourself.

The real cost of “free” is time. A small VPS and a developer’s attention are cheap for a technical team and expensive for a non-technical one. Budget for monitoring and for restoring workflows after a failure.

What is the Business plan for self-hosting?

Business is a self-hosted plan: you apply a license key, emailed after purchase, to your Community instance. The key must check in with n8n’s license server daily, and the page notes that usage data, including production execution counts, is sent with that check-in. Telemetry is on by default but can be disabled, according to n8n.

Business includes 40,000 executions per month. Extra executions are sold in buckets of 300,000 for €4,000. At €667 a month, it makes sense only when your volume is high enough that cloud task-based pricing would cost much more.

How does n8n compare with Zapier and Make?

n8n bills per execution, Zapier per task and Make per credit. That means the same workflow can produce very different bills. Zapier’s Free plan includes 100 tasks a month and Pro starts at $19.99 a month billed annually; Make’s Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month.

Tool	Billing unit	Entry paid price	Free option	Key limitation
n8n	Executions	€20/mo (annual)	Self-hosted Community Edition	Needs technical skill to self-host
Zapier	Tasks	$19.99/mo (annual)	100 tasks/mo	Cost grows with steps and runs
Make	Credits	See Make pricing page	1,000 credits/mo	Paid prices depend on credit tier

For a detailed look at the task model, see our guide to Zapier pricing explained. Make’s free plan also includes 1 MB of data storage and one data store.

Who should choose n8n?

Choose n8n if you build multi-step workflows, want control over where your data runs, or have someone comfortable with servers. Choose a hosted tool such as Zapier if you want the least maintenance and are happy to pay for convenience. Self-hosting can also help teams with data-residency requirements, but you remain responsible for security and compliance.

A short decision guide:

• Few simple automations, no technical staff: Zapier Free or Pro.
• Many multi-step workflows, some technical skill: n8n Cloud Starter or Pro.
• High volume and data-control needs: n8n self-hosted, Community or Business.
• Credit-based flexibility: test Make’s free plan first.

How should you estimate your usage?

List every workflow, count how often it runs per month, and add a margin of 20–30%. With n8n you only need the run count, because steps do not matter for billing. With Zapier you must also multiply by the number of action steps. Compare the resulting monthly cost, not the headline entry price.

Also consider where the workflow lives. Cloud plans save you from operating anything, while self-hosting moves cost from the invoice to your team’s time. Review your usage after the first month and adjust the tier.

What are the pros and cons of n8n’s pricing model?

The biggest advantage is that execution-based billing makes long workflows cheaper to run, and every plan includes unlimited users and workflows plus all integrations. The biggest drawback is operational: self-hosting means you maintain the server, and the Business plan is only offered self-hosted at the moment, according to the pricing page.

Pros:

• Pricing does not depend on the number of steps inside a workflow.
• Unlimited users and workflows on every plan.
• A free self-hosted Community Edition on GitHub.
• Entry cloud plans start at €20 a month billed annually.

Cons:

• Self-hosting requires technical skills, backups and security work.
• Business is a large step up in price at €667 a month.
• Overage on Business is sold in large buckets (300,000 executions for €4,000).
• The license check-in on Business sends usage data, which some security teams will want to review.

What should small businesses in Europe consider?

Prices are listed in euros, which removes currency conversion for companies in the eurozone, a point where USD-priced tools can vary between billing periods. Self-hosting also lets a company choose the server location, which may help with data-protection requirements. Whether it satisfies your obligations depends on your setup, so involve whoever handles compliance.

If you use the cloud plans, review n8n’s own documentation about where data is stored and how it is processed before putting personal data into workflows. If you self-host, you are responsible for access control, encryption, updates and retention.

How do you move from another automation tool to n8n?

Rebuild, don’t copy. Workflows from other tools do not transfer one to one, so start with the two or three automations that cost you the most today, rebuild them in n8n and compare the executions with your previous task counts. Keep the old tool running until the new workflows have run reliably for a few weeks.

A practical migration plan:

1. Export a list of your current automations and their monthly runs.
2. Choose three high-volume, multi-step workflows as a pilot.
3. Build them on a Starter plan or a test instance of the Community Edition.
4. Compare cost and reliability over a month.
5. Decide whether to scale on Cloud, self-host, or stay with your current tool.

This approach limits risk. If the pilot shows that your workflows are short and rare, the savings may not justify the switch, and a hosted tool with a free plan may remain the better fit.

How we researched this

This guide is based on public documentation and the pricing pages listed in the sources, checked in October 2026. We did not run hands-on benchmarks. Plan names, limits and prices change, so verify them on the vendor pages before you buy.