How much does n8n cost? Cloud plans vs self-hosting, and how to estimate executions
Short answer: n8n has two ways to pay. n8n Cloud is hosted for you and, on n8n's pricing page checked on 15 November 2026, starts at €20 a month (Starter, billed annually), with Pro at €50 a month billed annually. The self-hosted Community Edition is free; you pay for your own server and your own time. n8n prices by monthly workflow executions, and one execution is one full run of a workflow, no matter how many steps it has. That is the main difference from Zapier (billed per task) and Make (billed per credit).
Prices and limits change. Check n8n.io/pricing before you buy. Source links are at the end.
Why this question
On 15 November 2026, Google autocomplete for "n8n pricing" suggested plans, free plan and self hosted, and "n8n self hosted" suggested pricing, free and vs cloud. In Korean, "n8n 비용" suggested 셀프호스팅 비용, 클라우드 비용 and 서버 비용. On Reddit, "How much does a n8n workflow cost?" (r/n8n) asks the same thing from the buyer's side.
n8n's official plans
| Plan | Price on n8n.io (checked 2026-11-15) | Notes from n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | €20/month, billed annually | Hosted by n8n; 5 concurrent executions |
| Pro | €50/month, billed annually | Limits listed on n8n.io/pricing |
| Business | €667/month, billed annually | Self-hosted, with features such as SSO and Git version control |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | |
| Community Edition | Free | Self-hosted from GitHub |
n8n also states: all plans include unlimited users, workflows and integrations; hosted data is stored in the EU (Frankfurt); there is a 50% startup discount on Business for companies under 20 employees; and the Cloud trial lasts 14 days with 1,000 executions and no credit card. Execution allowances per plan are listed on the pricing page; read the current figure there, because it is what decides your plan.
What counts as an execution
n8n's pricing page defines an execution as one full run of a workflow, regardless of how many steps it has. Its own examples: a workflow on a daily schedule runs 30–31 times a month; one that runs every 5 minutes runs about 8,600–8,900 times a month. So the trigger matters more than the number of nodes. A ten-step workflow that runs once a day costs the same in executions as a two-step one.
Cloud or self-hosted?
n8n's own documentation describes Cloud as fully managed, and self-hosting as requiring technical knowledge: setting up servers or containers (npm or Docker), managing resources, and securing the instance. The Community Edition is free and has almost the full feature set; paid self-hosted plans add features like SSO, environments and Git version control.
Choose Cloud if nobody on your team wants to look after a server, apply updates or restore backups. Choose self-hosted if someone will. The software is free, but the server, updates and your time are not.
How Zapier and Make bill (for comparison)
- Zapier bills by tasks: each successful action step uses a task. Its Free plan includes 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps; Pro starts at $19.99 a month billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly) for 750 tasks (zapier.com/pricing, checked 2026-11-15).
- Make bills by credits: most module actions use 1 credit, and the Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month. Unused credits expire at the end of the term (make.com/en/pricing, checked 2026-11-15).
A ten-step workflow that runs 100 times uses 100 n8n executions, but uses a task or credit for each counted step on Zapier or Make. For a side-by-side of the three tools, see n8n vs Make vs Zapier for small teams.
Estimate your cost in 5 steps
- List the workflows you want and what triggers each one.
- Count runs per month: runs per day × 30.
- Pick hosting: Cloud if no one maintains servers; self-hosted if someone does.
- Compare with the plan limits on n8n.io/pricing.
- Add the build cost: building and testing the workflow, the server if you self-host, and any paid API you connect (for example an email or AI provider).
What building one costs with us
The tool fee and the build fee are separate. We build n8n workflows at fixed prices: Basic $60 (one workflow from a proven pattern, one integration), Standard $150 (one custom workflow, up to three integrations, error alerts, test run) and Premium $400 (a multi-workflow system with webhooks, monitoring and a handover document). Everything is written and async, and the workflow runs in your own n8n account, Cloud or self-hosted. See the automation service and pricing.
Sources
- n8n, "Pricing", https://n8n.io/pricing/ (checked 2026-11-15)
- n8n Docs, "Choose your n8n", https://docs.n8n.io/choose-how-to-use-n8n/ (checked 2026-11-15)
- Zapier, "Plans & Pricing", https://zapier.com/pricing (checked 2026-11-15)
- Make, "Pricing", https://www.make.com/en/pricing (checked 2026-11-15)
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n free?
The self-hosted Community Edition is free; you pay for the server and maintenance. n8n Cloud is paid, starting at €20 a month billed annually (Starter) on the pricing page checked 15 November 2026.
What is an execution in n8n?
n8n defines it as one full run of a workflow, regardless of how many steps it has. A daily schedule is 30–31 executions a month.
Is there a free trial of n8n Cloud?
Yes. n8n lists a 14-day Cloud trial with 1,000 executions and no credit card required.
Why can n8n be cheaper than Zapier for long workflows?
n8n counts whole workflow runs, while Zapier counts a task for each successful action step. Long, frequent workflows use many Zapier tasks but one n8n execution per run.
Do your prices include the n8n subscription?
No. Our $60/$150/$400 prices cover building the workflow. It runs in your own n8n account, so you pay n8n (or your server host) directly.
Start: email yjs121256@gmail.com with your site (or product link), what you need and your deadline. You get a fixed written quote, usually within one Korean business day.