Most people look at n8n’s pricing page, see the cloud plans, and think that’s the whole picture. It’s not. n8n has two completely different pricing models depending on how you run it, and the difference matters more than most people realize.
I’ll walk through both, compare them to Zapier and Make, and cover the costs that don’t show up on any pricing page.
First, understand how n8n counts usage
This is the most important thing to understand before comparing plans.
n8n counts executions. One execution = one complete workflow run, regardless of how many steps it has. A workflow with 3 nodes and a workflow with 30 nodes both count as 1 execution.
That’s fundamentally different from Zapier and Make:
| Platform | Unit | 5-step workflow, one run |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Task (per action step) | ~4 tasks |
| Make | Operation (per module) | ~5 operations |
| n8n | Execution (per run) | 1 execution |
Why this matters: on Zapier and Make, adding error handling, branching, or extra steps to a workflow makes it more expensive to run. On n8n, complexity is free. You can build a 30-node workflow with retries, filters, and multiple branches. It’s still 1 execution.
This changes the math significantly when you’re running multiple workflows every day.
n8n Cloud pricing
n8n offers managed cloud hosting where they handle the server, updates, and uptime. All plans include unlimited workflows, unlimited users, and all 400+ integrations. Pricing is in EUR.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Executions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €24/mo | €20/mo | 2,500/mo |
| Pro | €60/mo | €50/mo | 10,000/mo |
| Business | €800/mo | €667/mo | 40,000/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited |
A few things worth noting:
- Starter has a 5-minute execution time limit. Workflows that take longer (like processing a large batch of orders) will time out. Pro and above have higher limits.
- Starter allows 5 concurrent workflows, Pro allows 20. If you have 6 workflows that all trigger at the same time, Starter will queue some.
- Annual billing saves about 17%. Worth it if you’ve committed to the platform.
- 14-day free trial on Starter and Pro. No credit card.
- Data is stored in the EU (Frankfurt).
Startup discount. Companies under 20 employees can get the Business plan at €400/mo, 50% off. Worth asking about if you're growing fast and need SSO or Git integration.
Self-hosting: what it actually costs
n8n’s Community Edition is free to self-host. No license fee, no execution limits, no workflow caps. You run it on your own server and pay only for the infrastructure.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VPS | $5 to 20/mo | Hetzner, DigitalOcean. 2GB RAM is enough. |
| Domain + SSL | $0 to 15/yr | Free with Let's Encrypt |
| Backups | $1 to 3/mo | Automated server snapshots |
| n8n license | $0 | Community Edition, no fees |
| Total | $7 to 25/mo | Unlimited executions |
The Community Edition includes all 400+ integrations and has no execution time limits. What you don’t get: SSO, Git-based version control, multi-environment support, and priority support. For most small businesses, none of that matters.
On the license. n8n uses a Sustainable Use License, not a traditional open-source license. Using it for your own business is fine. Building and selling workflows as a consultant is fine. What you can't do: embed n8n inside a product you sell, or host it as a platform for paying customers. For a business running its own automations, this doesn't change anything. Just worth knowing.
Cloud vs self-hosted: the real comparison
| Cloud (Pro) | Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | €50 to 60/mo | $7 to 25/mo |
| Executions | 10,000/mo | Unlimited |
| Setup | 5 minutes | 1 to 2 hours (Docker) |
| Maintenance | n8n handles it | You or someone you hire |
| Data | EU (Frankfurt) | Your choice of region |
| Support | Priority email | Community forum |
If you’re testing n8n or only need a few simple workflows, cloud is easier. If you’re running your business on it with multiple workflows firing daily, self-hosting saves real money and removes the execution ceiling entirely.
How it compares to Zapier and Make
Let’s put real numbers on it. Say you’re running 5 workflows, each with about 5 steps, firing a few times per day, roughly 100 total runs per day.
| Zapier | Make | n8n (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | ~$49 to 69 | ~$16 to 25 | ~$10 to 15 |
| Annual | ~$588 to 828 | ~$192 to 300 | ~$120 to 180 |
| Usage/mo | ~12,000 tasks | ~15,000 ops | Unlimited |
The gap widens as your workflows get more complex. Add error handling, branching, and retries to a Zapier workflow and your task count doubles. Do the same on n8n and the execution count stays exactly the same.
Make is the closest competitor on price. It’s cheaper than Zapier and has a solid visual builder. But it still charges per operation, so complexity costs money, and you can’t self-host it.
The costs that don’t show up on pricing pages
Cloud (any platform):
- Execution overages. Exceed your plan and workflows stop or you pay more. This tends to happen mid-month when you can’t easily switch plans.
- Complexity penalty. On Zapier and Make, every step you add costs more to run. This creates an incentive to build simpler (and often worse) automations.
- Vendor lock-in. Migrating between platforms means rebuilding every workflow. The longer you wait, the more expensive the switch.
Self-hosted n8n:
- Your time. Someone has to install Docker, configure a reverse proxy, set up SSL, and keep things updated. If that person is you, factor in what your time is worth.
- Downtime risk. No SLA. If your server goes down on a Saturday, workflows stop until someone fixes it.
- Learning curve. The initial setup takes a weekend if you haven’t done it before. Not hard, but not zero either.
The real cost of self-hosting is maintenance, not setup. Getting n8n running takes an afternoon. Keeping it running reliably for a year (updates, security patches, disk space, backup testing) takes ongoing attention.
Year 1 costs for a typical small business
Five workflows, running daily. Here’s what each approach costs over a full year:
| Approach | Year 1 | Your involvement |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | ~$600 to 830 | Build workflows yourself |
| n8n Cloud | ~€600 | Build workflows yourself |
| n8n DIY | ~$120 to 240 | Build + manage server |
| n8n managed | ~$3,800 | Zero, done for you |
The managed option costs the most upfront because it includes the workflows themselves, not just the hosting. After year 1, the ongoing cost drops to just maintenance.
What I’d suggest
If you’re exploring n8n for the first time: start with the Cloud Starter plan (€24/mo). Build a workflow or two, see if it clicks. The 14-day free trial means no risk.
If n8n works and you want to keep costs down: move to self-hosted. The Community Edition has everything most small businesses need. You’ll go from €50/month to $10/month and lose the execution cap entirely.
If you want self-hosted but don’t want to manage a server: that’s where people like me come in. I set up the instance, build the workflows, and handle the ongoing maintenance. You just use it.
The right choice depends on your team’s technical comfort and how critical the workflows are to your daily operations. A $10/month server is great until it goes down and nobody knows how to fix it. A managed setup costs more but means you never think about the infrastructure.
If you want help sorting out which approach makes sense for your business, send me an email. First conversation is always free.