How much does n8n cost? The short answer
n8n costs nothing when you self-host. You only pay for your own server, usually €10 to €30 per month, or from around €24 per month for the n8n Cloud Starter plan. Bigger cloud plans sit around €60 per month, and enterprise options are quoted on request.
That’s the short answer. And yet “n8n pricing” is one of the most confusing topics in automation. Reddit is full of threads asking about it. The confusion comes from n8n having two completely different flavours (cloud and self-hosted) and billing differently from its competitors. In this guide, Viralistic (official n8n ambassador) lays it all out clearly.
€0
licence cost for self-hosted n8n (community edition)
±€24
per month for the n8n Cloud entry plan
€30
per month in server costs when self-hosting
∞
workflows and users, on every plan
How does n8n bill? Per execution, not per task
This is the key difference from tools like Zapier or Make: n8n charges per workflow execution, not per task or step. One execution is one complete run of a workflow — whether it contains three steps or three hundred, the cost is the same.
Why this changes everything
A 50-step workflow that runs once costs n8n one execution. On Zapier, that same run would burn 50 tasks. The more complex your workflows, the bigger n8n’s price advantage. Read our full n8n vs Zapier comparison too.
The n8n Cloud plans at a glance
n8n Cloud is the managed version: nothing to host or maintain yourself. The plans (as of mid-2026, billed annually, always check current prices on n8n.io):
| Plan | Indicative price | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | Free trial period | Trying it out, no credit card |
| Starter | ± €24 per month | Starters; thousands of executions per month |
| Pro | ± €60 per month | Teams with more volume and more concurrent executions |
| Business / Enterprise | On request | SSO, advanced administration, support and compliance needs |
Every plan includes unlimited workflows, unlimited users and access to all integrations. You pay only for executions.
Self-hosted n8n: free, but not costless
The n8n community edition is free and open source (fair-code). You run it on your own server and pay no licence and no per-execution cost: unlimited automation. How to make that choice, and how the installation works, is in our self-hosted vs cloud decision guide. But “free” deserves an honest footnote, and we’re happy to give it.
A VPS that runs n8n smoothly costs €10 to €30 per month. Heavier workloads with AI steps may need more.
Installation, updates, backups and security are your responsibility. Budget setup time up front and a few hours of upkeep per month.
Docker, domains and SSL aren't rocket science, but they are required. No technical team? Have the initial setup done for you, then manage it yourself.
This is exactly why some articles claim self-hosting costs “hundreds of euros a month”: they count the hours of someone figuring everything out alone. With a proper initial setup (done once, by someone who has done it before) your ongoing costs stay limited to the server.
Real-world scenarios: what does n8n cost in practice?
A few workflows, low volume. n8n Cloud Starter (±€24/mo) is carefree; self-hosted on a small VPS (±€10/mo) is cheaper if you're technical.
Dozens of workflows across departments. Self-hosted (±€20/mo server) comfortably beats cloud plans as volume grows, and your data stays in-house.
Thousands of executions a day plus AI agents. Self-hosted is almost always the only affordable route; you pay only for infrastructure and AI tokens.
Viralistic's rule of thumb
Below a few thousand executions per month, n8n Cloud is the comfortable choice. Above that (or the moment GDPR requirements and data control come into play) self-hosted n8n is almost always cheaper. The biggest investment then isn’t the licence but the one-time, well-done setup.
Don’t forget the hidden cost of not automating
The real calculation isn’t “cloud vs self-hosted” at all. It’s “automating vs staying manual”. An employee losing four hours a week to copying, pasting and retyping costs you far more per year than any n8n plan. Our guide on what n8n is shows what you can automate, and with ready-made n8n templates you can be live within a day.
Want to know what n8n would cost, and earn, for you?
In a 45-minute call we calculate which setup (cloud or self-hosted) is cheapest for your volume, and which processes pay for themselves first. Free and no strings attached.
FAQ about n8n costs
How much does n8n cost per month?
n8n costs around €24 per month for the Cloud Starter plan and about €60 per month for Pro; self-hosted you only pay for your server at €10 to €30 per month, as Viralistic calculates. All plans include unlimited workflows and users. You pay for executions.
Is n8n free to use?
Yes, the self-hosted community edition of n8n is completely free, Viralistic confirms. You pay no licence and no per-execution cost; your only costs are your own server and the time for setup and maintenance.
Can I use n8n for free forever?
Yes, self-hosted you can run n8n for free permanently, for example via Docker on your own server, according to Viralistic. The n8n Cloud free trial does expire. Permanently free only works through self-hosting.
Why do some people find n8n expensive?
n8n feels expensive when businesses underestimate the hidden costs of self-hosting: setup, updates, monitoring and security take time, Viralistic explains. With a professional initial setup, the ongoing costs are actually remarkably low. After that, you only pay for your server.
What does an n8n implementation by an agency cost?
The cost of an n8n implementation depends on the number of processes and their complexity; a first working automation typically goes live within one or two weeks at Viralistic. Get in touch for a free tailored estimate.
