What it's for
It charges per execution, not per step, and can run on the client's own server. Two of our notes depend on it.
- Self-hosted automation for clients
- AI agent workflows
- Data pipelines with code nodes
Plans and prices
| Plan | Price (USD unless shown) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Community Edition (self-hosted) | Free | You run it on your own server |
| Starter (cloud) | $20/mo billed yearly | 2,500 workflow executions, unlimited steps |
| Pro (cloud) | $50/mo billed yearly | 10,000 executions |
| Business | $800/mo billed yearly | 40,000 executions, SSO; self-hosted |
Read on the official pricing page on . Prices change; check before you buy.
Free plan in real output
The self-hosted Community Edition is free; you pay for the server. Cloud plans have a free trial with no card required.
- Cloud Starter: 2,500 executions a month. Each full workflow run counts once, however many steps it has, so a 15-step lead pipeline run 80 times a day (2,400 a month) fits.
- Self-hosted on a $12/mo DigitalOcean droplet (2 GiB, per our DigitalOcean entry) has no execution cap, only server limits.
Cost at your stage
| Plan | Monthly cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 (testing, low volume) | Community Edition (self-hosted) | $12 |
| Month 12 (working volume) | Pro (cloud) | $50 |
Break-even: A $12/mo server is covered by any paid setup client. Cloud Pro at $50/mo needs about 1 hour of billable automation work a month at $50/hour.
Month-12 plan is our estimate of what a solo seller at steady weekly output needs, based on the plan limits above. Costs exclude tax.
Commercial use and output rights
Not a content generator. n8n is automation software. The self-hosted edition is under n8n's Sustainable Use License, which restricts reselling n8n as a hosted service; read it before you host it for clients.
Your data and AI training: Not applicable.
This is a summary of public terms, not legal advice. Terms change; re-read the clause before client work.
First-hour setup
- Rent a small server (or use the cloud trial).
- Install with Docker Compose and Postgres.
- Put it behind HTTPS with a domain.
- Build a test workflow with a webhook trigger.
- Set up backups and update checks.
Competitors compared
| Tool | Pricing model | Free plan | Starting price | Difficulty | Output rights | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | Free · then $20/mo billed yearly | 4/5 | Not a content generator | Technical users and self-hosted automation |
| Make | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | $0 · then $10.59/mo, or $9/mo billed yearly | 3/5 | Not a content generator | Complex automations on a budget |
| Zapier | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | $0 · then from $19.99/mo billed yearly ($29.99 monthly) | 2/5 | Not a content generator | Simple automations across almost any app |
| Activepieces | Free, open source | Yes | Free | 3/5 | – | An open-source Zapier alternative |
| Pipedream | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | See official site | 3/5 | – | Developers who want code plus integrations |
| IFTTT | Free plan + paid plans | Yes | See official site | – | – | Personal and smart-home automations |
Head to head: Make vs n8n vs Zapier
Learning difficulty
4/5: Self-hosting needs Docker, servers and security; the editor itself is moderate.
When not to use it
Not for non-technical clients who won't maintain a server. Use Make or Zapier for them.
Cheaper or free alternatives:
- Make: Complex automations on a budget (yes free plan)
- Zapier: Simple automations across almost any app (yes free plan)
- Activepieces: An open-source Zapier alternative (yes free plan)
- Pipedream: Developers who want code plus integrations (yes free plan)
Which of our hustles use it
- AI automation agency for SMBs: Self-hosted workflows for data-sensitive clients
- AI agent building for clients: Simpler workflow-style automations when an agent is overkill
- n8n self-hosted automation setup: The automation tool you install and maintain
Price history
Each monthly check adds rows here. Older rows are never edited, so you can see when prices changed.
Sources
- n8n pricing (read 17 October 2026)
Last verified . Anything we couldn't confirm on an official page is marked "not published", "not shown" or "not verified".