n8n is one of the best workflow automation tools available right now. 400+ integrations, a visual editor, full code access when you need it, and an active open-source community. But the pricing can be confusing.
There’s n8n Cloud (the hosted version), n8n Community (the free self-hosted version), and then a whole range of third-party hosting options at wildly different price points. Some charge per execution. Some charge flat. Some are free but cost you hours of setup time.
I’ve used n8n across multiple setups over the past year. Here’s every pricing option explained - what you actually pay, what you get, and which one makes sense for your use case.
n8n Cloud Pricing 2026 (Official Hosted Plans)
n8n Cloud is the easiest way to get started. n8n hosts everything for you - no server, no Docker, no maintenance. You sign up, build workflows, and they handle the infrastructure.
Here’s what each plan costs in 2026:
| Plan | Price | Executions/mo | Active Workflows | Users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $24/mo | 2,500 | 5 | 1 |
| Pro | $60/mo | 10,000 | 50 | 3 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
What’s included on all plans:
- Managed hosting (no server to maintain)
- Automatic updates
- Built-in credentials encryption
- Community nodes support
What to watch out for:
The execution limits are the real constraint. An “execution” is one workflow run - so if you have a workflow that triggers every 5 minutes, that’s 8,640 executions per month from a single workflow. The Starter plan’s 2,500 limit would be blown in 9 days.
The Pro plan’s 10,000 executions works for light automation, but if you’re running webhook-triggered workflows with any real traffic, you’ll hit the ceiling fast.
n8n Cloud pricing per execution:
- Starter: $0.0096/execution ($24 / 2,500)
- Pro: $0.006/execution ($60 / 10,000)
- Overage: additional execution packs available, pricing varies
For comparison, Zapier charges $0.01-$0.03 per task depending on your plan. n8n Cloud is cheaper per execution, but the base price is higher than Zapier’s Starter ($19.99/mo for 750 tasks).
n8n Community Edition (Self-Hosted - Free)
The community edition is the same n8n software, minus some enterprise features (SSO, LDAP, advanced permissions). For most solo developers and small teams, the community edition has everything you need.
What’s free:
- Unlimited workflows
- Unlimited executions
- All 400+ integrations
- Full API access
- No user limits
What you still need:
- A server to run it on
- Basic knowledge of Docker or npm
- Time for maintenance (updates, backups, SSL)
The community edition is genuinely free - no freemium tricks, no execution limits, no “upgrade to unlock this node.” The catch is hosting. You need a server, and that server costs money (or time, which is also money).
Self-Hosted n8n: What It Actually Costs
This is where most people get confused. “Free” software still needs to run somewhere. Here’s what every hosting option actually costs:
1. InstaPods - $3/mo (managed)
One-click deploy. n8n comes pre-installed on a real Linux server with HTTPS, custom domains, and SSH access. No Docker setup, no nginx config, no SSL certificates to manage.
- Cost: $3/mo (Launch plan) or $7/mo (Build plan - recommended for heavier workflows)
- Setup time: About 60 seconds
- You manage: Nothing. Updates, backups, SSL handled automatically.
- Executions: Unlimited
The $3/mo Launch plan (0.5 vCPU, 512MB RAM) handles light workflows fine. If you’re running 10+ active workflows or doing heavy data processing, the $7/mo Build plan (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM) gives more headroom.
Deploy n8n on InstaPods - takes about 60 seconds.
2. PikaPods - ~$3.80/mo (managed)
Similar one-click approach. PikaPods runs n8n in a managed setup with automatic updates. Pricing is resource-based - you pay for the CPU and RAM you allocate.
- Cost: ~$3.80/mo (minimum resources)
- Setup time: A few minutes
- You manage: Nothing
- Executions: Unlimited
Solid option. Slightly more expensive than InstaPods, but same general concept - managed hosting without the server management overhead.
3. Hetzner VPS + Docker - $4-5/mo (self-managed)
The cheapest option if you’re comfortable with Linux. Rent a VPS from Hetzner (CX22 at $4.51/mo), install Docker, and run n8n with Docker Compose.
- Cost: $4-5/mo
- Setup time: 30-60 minutes
- You manage: Everything - OS updates, Docker updates, n8n updates, SSL, backups, firewall
- Executions: Unlimited
You get a full server you control completely. The trade-off is maintenance. You’re the sysadmin. When n8n releases an update, you pull the new image. When the SSL cert needs renewing, you handle it. When something breaks at 2am, that’s your problem.
4. Coolify on a VPS - $5-8/mo (semi-managed)
Coolify is a self-hosted PaaS that gives you a Heroku-like experience on your own VPS. Install Coolify on a $5-8/mo VPS, then deploy n8n through its dashboard.
- Cost: $5-8/mo (VPS cost, Coolify itself is free)
- Setup time: 30-60 minutes for Coolify, then a few minutes for n8n
- You manage: VPS maintenance, Coolify updates
- Executions: Unlimited
Good middle ground if you want a GUI for managing multiple apps. Coolify handles SSL, deployments, and basic monitoring. You still manage the underlying server.
5. Elestio - ~$17/mo (fully managed)
Elestio is a managed open-source hosting platform. They handle updates, backups, and monitoring. More polished than a raw VPS, but significantly more expensive.
- Cost: ~$17/mo (cheapest tier)
- Setup time: A few minutes
- You manage: Nothing
- Executions: Unlimited
At $17/mo, you’re paying close to n8n Cloud Starter pricing ($24/mo) but without the execution limits. Makes sense if you want hands-off hosting and don’t mind paying for it.
Cloud vs Self-Hosted: Side-by-Side
| n8n Cloud (Starter) | Self-Hosted (InstaPods) | Self-Hosted (Hetzner VPS) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $24/mo | $3-7/mo | $4-5/mo |
| Executions | 2,500/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Active workflows | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Setup time | 2 minutes | 1 minute | 30-60 minutes |
| Maintenance | None | None | All on you |
| Updates | Automatic | Automatic | Manual |
| SSH access | No | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domain | Yes (paid plans) | Yes (all plans) | Yes (manual setup) |
| Data location | n8n’s servers | Your server (EU) | Your server (your choice) |
| Best for | Teams, zero-ops | Solo devs, cost-conscious | Full control |
The core trade-off: n8n Cloud saves you all operations work but limits your executions and costs 3-8x more. Self-hosted gives you unlimited everything but requires some level of server awareness.
Which Plan Should You Pick?
Choose n8n Cloud Starter ($24/mo) if:
- You don’t want to think about servers at all
- You run fewer than 2,500 workflow executions per month
- You need team collaboration features
- Your company pays for your tools
Choose n8n Cloud Pro ($60/mo) if:
- You have multiple team members building workflows
- You need up to 10,000 executions per month
- You want priority support
- You’re running n8n for a business with budget
Choose self-hosted on InstaPods ($3-7/mo) if:
- You want unlimited executions at the lowest price
- You don’t want to manage servers yourself
- You’re a solo developer or small team
- You want SSH access for debugging or custom setups
Choose self-hosted on a VPS ($4-5/mo) if:
- You’re comfortable with Docker and Linux administration
- You want full control over the server
- You’re already managing other self-hosted apps
- You enjoy infrastructure work (or at least tolerate it)
Choose Elestio (~$17/mo) if:
- You want fully managed hosting but need unlimited executions
- The n8n Cloud price is too high but you don’t want any ops burden
- You need managed backups and monitoring included
The Execution Math
Let’s make the execution pricing concrete. Say you have these workflows:
- Slack notification bot - triggers on new messages in a channel, 200 executions/day
- CRM sync - runs every hour, 24 executions/day
- Invoice processor - webhook-triggered, 10 executions/day
- Weekly report - runs once a week, ~4 executions/month
That’s 234 executions per day, or roughly 7,020 per month.
On n8n Cloud Starter ($24/mo with 2,500 executions), you’d blow through your limit in 11 days. You’d need the Pro plan at $60/mo.
On any self-hosted option, the same workload runs without limits for $3-7/mo. That’s a $53-57/mo difference - $636-684/year.
For heavy automation users, self-hosting pays for itself almost immediately.
FAQ
Is n8n free?
Yes - the n8n Community Edition is 100% free and open source. You can download it and run it on your own server with no license fees, no execution limits, and no feature gates on core functionality. You just need a server to run it on, which costs $3-5/mo from most hosting providers.
How much does n8n Cloud cost?
n8n Cloud starts at $24/mo for the Starter plan (2,500 executions, 5 active workflows, 1 user). The Pro plan is $60/mo (10,000 executions, 50 workflows, 3 users). Enterprise pricing is custom.
What is the n8n pricing per execution?
On n8n Cloud Starter, each execution costs about $0.0096 ($24 / 2,500). On Pro, it’s about $0.006 ($60 / 10,000). Self-hosted n8n has no per-execution cost - you pay only for the server, regardless of how many workflows you run.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
It depends on usage. n8n Cloud Starter ($24/mo for 2,500 executions) is more expensive than Zapier Starter ($19.99/mo for 750 tasks) per dollar, but cheaper per execution. Self-hosted n8n ($3-7/mo for unlimited executions) is dramatically cheaper than both for any meaningful automation workload.
Can I start free and upgrade later?
Yes. Start with the community edition on a $3/mo server, and if you outgrow it or need enterprise features (SSO, LDAP, audit logs), you can migrate to n8n Cloud or n8n Enterprise at any time. Your workflow data exports cleanly.
What server specs does n8n need?
Minimum: 1 vCPU and 512MB RAM for light workflows (under 10 active). Recommended: 1 vCPU and 1GB RAM for moderate use. Heavy use (50+ active workflows, high-frequency triggers) benefits from 2 vCPU and 2GB+ RAM.
I wrote a more detailed comparison of every self-hosting option on Dev.to if you want the full breakdown with setup instructions for each method.
The bottom line: n8n Cloud is great if you want zero ops and your execution count is low. For everyone else, self-hosting saves $200-700/year and removes all execution limits.