N8N offers multiple pricing tiers ranging from a free plan to enterprise options. This guide breaks down every plan, what’s included, and which one offers the best value for your needs.
n8n’s pricing structure is unusual: the most powerful version is free. Here’s what you actually pay for — and when cloud plans make sense over self-hosting.
n8n Pricing Plans (2026)
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Active Workflows | Executions/Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Cloud Starter | $24 | 5 | 2,500 |
| Cloud Pro | $60 | 15 | 10,000 |
| Cloud Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited |
There’s also a Community Cloud option: a free hosted tier with limited execution count, useful for evaluation.
The Self-Hosted Math
Self-hosted n8n is completely free. You pay for your server infrastructure — nothing else.
Typical server costs:
- Hetzner CX21 (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM): €4.35/month (~$5 USD) — handles 10-100 daily automations comfortably
- DigitalOcean Droplet (2 GB): $12/month — reliable, well-documented
- Fly.io hobby tier: Free for low-traffic instances
A $5-12/month server running Docker can handle thousands of workflow executions per month. There’s no task-based billing and no workflow limit.
Compare that to Zapier Professional at $49/month with a 2,000 task limit. For teams with meaningful automation volume, the math is decisive.
What Cloud Plans Add
Cloud plans aren’t about features — n8n self-hosted and cloud have identical functionality. Cloud plans are about not managing infrastructure:
- No server setup: Login and start building
- Automatic updates: n8n stays current without manual Docker pulls
- Managed backups: Your workflows are backed up by n8n
- Technical support: Email support on paid plans
The tradeoff: significantly lower limits at higher cost than self-hosting.
Cloud Starter ($24/month) — When It Makes Sense
5 active workflows and 2,500 executions/month. That’s enough for:
- A small team testing n8n before committing to infrastructure
- Light personal automations (daily reports, notifications, simple data syncs)
- Evaluation before self-hosted deployment
The limit is 5 active workflows — you can have unlimited inactive workflows. If your 5 most critical automations run within 2,500 monthly executions, Starter works.
2,500 executions is roughly 83/day or 3-4/hour. A workflow that runs every 15 minutes = 2,880 executions/month on its own. One high-frequency workflow can exhaust the Starter limit.
Cloud Pro ($60/month) — When It Makes Sense
15 active workflows and 10,000 executions/month. The better comparison point is a team that runs medium-volume automations and doesn’t want infrastructure overhead.
At $60/month, you’re spending more than Zapier Professional ($49/month) for fewer executions. The advantage is n8n’s superior code support, AI agent capabilities, and no-per-task-pricing philosophy.
For most teams choosing Cloud Pro over Starter: the 15-workflow limit is the real driver, not execution count.
What You Should Actually Do
Start here:
- Deploy n8n locally with Docker for free:
docker run -p 5678:5678 n8nio/n8n - Build your workflows in the free local environment
- If you like it, deploy to a $5-12/month VPS for production
Choose Cloud Starter if:
- You have fewer than 5 core automations
- Your team has no one comfortable with server administration
- You’re evaluating before a bigger commitment
Choose Cloud Pro if:
- You need 6-15 active workflows
- Your team doesn’t want to manage infrastructure
- You’re willing to pay the premium for managed hosting
Choose Enterprise if:
- You need SSO, audit logs, and SLA guarantees
- You run high-volume automations that exceed Pro limits
- Compliance requirements demand managed infrastructure
Hidden Costs of Self-Hosting
Self-hosted is “free” but not costless. Factor in:
- Server management time: Monthly updates, monitoring, troubleshooting
- Reliability overhead: You’re responsible for uptime
- Initial setup time: 30-60 minutes for someone comfortable with Linux, longer for others
For a developer who manages servers anyway, these costs are negligible. For a small business owner without technical staff, they matter.
n8n vs Zapier vs Make Pricing at Scale
| Monthly executions | n8n self-hosted | Zapier | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | ~$5 (server) | $0 (free) | $0 (free) |
| 5,000 | ~$5 (server) | $49/month | $10.59/month |
| 25,000 | ~$10 (upgraded server) | $49+/month (Team) | $18.82/month |
| 100,000 | ~$10-20 (server) | Custom/Enterprise | $34.12/month |
| 500,000+ | ~$20-40 (server) | Custom/Enterprise | Custom |
At high execution volumes, the self-hosted n8n cost advantage is substantial. At low volumes, Zapier’s free tier or Make’s free plan are more practical starting points.
Summary
n8n pricing works best for technical teams that self-host. The cloud plans are expensive relative to execution limits and don’t match the value of a $10/month VPS with unlimited usage.
If you’re non-technical or evaluating n8n for the first time, Cloud Starter ($24/month) is a reasonable starting point. Once you understand whether n8n fits your workflow, moving to self-hosted pays back the cloud cost within one month.
Related: n8n Full Review 2026 | Zapier vs n8n: Which to Choose? | Make vs n8n in 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is N8N free?
Yes, N8N offers a free plan with limited features. See the pricing breakdown above for what’s included in each tier.
Is N8N worth paying for?
It depends on your needs. The free plan works for basic use, but teams and power users will benefit from paid features. See our plan-by-plan analysis above.
What is the cheapest N8N plan?
Check the pricing table above for the most current pricing. Plans and pricing may change — we update this page regularly.