Quick Takeaway
n8n charges its cloud plans by workflow executions: one full run of a workflow counts once, however many steps it has. Starter includes 2,500 executions a month and Pro 10,000, with unlimited users and workflows. The self-hosted Community edition is free to use for your own business, but you pay for the server and the upkeep.
Key takeaways
- n8n bills by executions: one complete workflow run is one execution, no matter how many steps or records it handles.
- Cloud plans (Starter, Pro, Enterprise) differ in executions, concurrency, history and team features; every plan has unlimited users and workflows.
- Self-hosted Community edition is free with almost the full feature set; the Business plan is self-hosted only and adds SSO, Git and environments.
- Self-hosting is not free in practice: budget for a server, backups, monthly updates and someone who can fix it.
- Estimate your bill by counting runs, not steps: schedules, webhooks and chatbot messages each create executions.
n8n’s pricing looks simple until you try to match it to your own workflows. Is the self-hosted version really free? What counts as an execution? Do you need Pro or will Starter do? This guide answers those questions in plain English, using only n8n’s own pricing page and documentation, checked in October 2026.
We build client automations on n8n every week, so we also cover the costs that never show up on a pricing page. If you’re still choosing a platform, start with our n8n vs Zapier and n8n vs Make comparisons, then come back here to size your plan.
- n8n execution
- An n8n execution is one complete run of a workflow, from its trigger to its last step. n8n’s pricing page says it doesn’t matter how many steps the workflow has or how much data it processes: it is still a single execution. Cloud plans include a monthly number of executions.
How does n8n pricing work?
n8n has two ways to run it, and they’re priced differently:
- n8n Cloud: n8n hosts and maintains everything. You pick a plan (Starter, Pro or Enterprise) with a monthly execution allowance. There’s a free trial, but no free cloud plan.
- Self-hosted: you run n8n on your own server. The Community edition is free; paid Business and Enterprise plans give you a license key that unlocks team and governance features.
n8n’s pricing page states that all plans include unlimited users, unlimited workflows and every integration. You don’t pay per seat or per step. You pay for how often your workflows run, plus the features and limits of the plan.
What do the n8n Cloud plans include?
| Aspect | Starter (Cloud) | Pro (Cloud) | Business (self-hosted only) | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executions per month | 2,500 | 10,000 | 40,000 | Custom |
| Users and workflows | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Concurrent executions | 5 | 20 or 50, by plan size | Not listed for Cloud | 200+ |
| Shared projects | 1 | 3 | 6 | Unlimited |
| Saved execution history | 2,500 runs, up to 7 days | 25,000 runs, up to 30 days | Not listed | 50,000 runs, unlimited days |
| Team and governance extras | None | Admin roles, workflow history, insights | SSO and LDAP, Git version control, environments, queue mode | Everything in Business plus log streaming, external secrets, SLA support |
| Support | Forum | Forum | Forum | Dedicated, with SLA |
About the prices
n8n shows prices in your local currency and changes them from time to time, so check n8n’s pricing page on the day you buy. When we checked in October 2026, the page displayed euro prices for annual billing of €20 a month for Starter, €50 for Pro and €667 for Business, and said annual billing saves 17% versus monthly. US visitors may see different dollar amounts.
A few details worth knowing from the same page and n8n’s docs:
- Free trial: 14 days of Pro features, capped at 1,000 executions, with no credit card required for the cloud trial. If you don’t upgrade, n8n deletes the workspace; you get 90 days to download your workflows.
- Run time limits: the cloud comparison table lists a maximum execution duration of 5 minutes on Starter and 40 minutes on higher plans. Long data jobs may need Pro or self-hosting.
- Concurrency: when too many production runs start at once, extra runs wait in a queue and process in order. They aren’t lost, but they may be delayed.
- Hitting history limits doesn’t stop workflows: n8n removes the oldest saved runs; your automations keep running.
- Hosting location: n8n says cloud data is stored in the EU, in Frankfurt, Germany. If your clients require US-only data storage, that points to self-hosting.
Is n8n free?
Yes, if you self-host the Community edition. n8n’s docs describe it as free “with almost the complete feature set”, and you can use it indefinitely. Registering it with your email (also free) unlocks folders, debug in editor and custom execution data.
What the free edition doesn’t include, per n8n’s docs: SSO, projects, sharing workflows and credentials between users, environments, Git version control, external secrets, log streaming, external storage for binary data, custom variables and multi-main mode. For a solo owner or a two-person team, that list rarely matters. For a team of ten sharing credentials, it does.
Free means “for your own business”
The Community edition uses n8n’s Sustainable Use License. You may use it for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial use. Letting your customers connect their own accounts and build workflows in your n8n, or reselling n8n as a product, needs a separate commercial agreement. Read the license page before building anything you plan to sell.
What does self-hosting n8n really cost?
The software is free; running it isn’t. n8n’s own comparison is blunt: self-hosting requires technical expertise for installation and configuration, and maintenance is your responsibility. Here’s what to budget for:
| Cost | What it covers | Who usually pays |
|---|---|---|
| Server | A virtual server or cloud instance running Docker; n8n documents setups on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean and Hetzner | Monthly hosting bill |
| Database and backups | Your workflow database plus the .n8n folder, which holds the credential encryption key; n8n warns a full backup needs both | Storage plus setup time |
| Updates | n8n recommends updating at least once a month and checking release notes for breaking changes | 1–2 hours a month of someone’s time |
| Security | HTTPS, firewall, access control and patching the server itself | You or your IT partner |
| Fixing outages | When the server or a workflow breaks, nobody at n8n is on call for the Community edition | Your time, or a support retainer |
| AI usage | Self-hosted n8n calls AI models with your own API keys, so you pay the AI provider directly | Provider bill (for example, OpenAI or Anthropic) |
For many small businesses the honest math is this: if nobody on your team is comfortable with Docker, servers and backups, the cloud plan is cheaper once you count your time. If you already have that skill, or a partner who maintains it for you, self-hosting gives you more executions for less money and keeps data on servers you control.
How many executions do I need?
Count runs, not steps. n8n’s pricing page gives a simple method:
Step 1: List your workflows
Write down each automation you plan to run in production: lead capture, invoice reminders, CRM updates, reports.
Step 2: Count scheduled runs
A daily schedule is about 30 executions a month. One that runs every 5 minutes is roughly 8,600–8,900 a month, according to n8n. Polling too often is the most common way to burn an allowance.
Step 3: Count event-based runs
For webhook triggers (a form fill, a new order, a payment), each event is one execution. Estimate events per day and multiply by 30.
Step 4: Count chatbot messages
For a chat workflow, n8n suggests multiplying conversations by the average messages per conversation, since each message typically triggers a run.
Step 5: Add 30% headroom
Leave room for growth, retries and new ideas. If the total sits near a plan limit, choose the next plan up or reduce polling frequency.
| Workflow | Trigger | Runs per month |
|---|---|---|
| New web lead → CRM + text + email | Webhook, about 10 leads a day | ≈ 300 |
| Invoice reminders | Schedule, once a day | ≈ 30 |
| Review request after a job | Webhook, about 8 jobs a day | ≈ 240 |
| Inbox check for new orders | Schedule, every 15 minutes | ≈ 2,900 |
| Total | ≈ 3,470: over Starter’s 2,500 |
Notice what drives the bill: one polling workflow uses more executions than all the others combined. Switching that inbox check to every 30 minutes, or to a webhook, would bring the total to roughly 2,000 and fit Starter. Small design choices like this are where most savings come from. Our n8n automation examples show which triggers suit common jobs.
Are there extra charges on top of the plan?
- AI model usage: on Starter and Pro cloud plans, n8n offers Gateway credits so you can use supported AI models and services without your own API keys. These are prepaid and billed per request at n8n’s published service rates, separate from your plan. You can also connect your own API key and pay the provider directly.
- Assistant credits: the built-in AI Assistant (in preview) uses a separate monthly credit allowance: 1,600 on Starter and 4,000 or 9,600 on Pro, depending on plan size. Unused credits don’t roll over.
- Business plan overages: n8n says workflows keep running if you exceed your Business quota, but overage charges may apply if you don’t upgrade.
- Third-party apps: your CRM, SMS provider and email service bill you separately. A texting workflow on n8n still pays your SMS provider per message.
Which n8n plan should a small business choose?
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Testing whether n8n suits you | Cloud free trial | Pro features for 14 days, nothing to install |
| Solo owner, a handful of workflows, no tech staff | Starter (Cloud) | Lowest cost with zero maintenance |
| Small team, several production workflows, needs history and admin roles | Pro (Cloud) | More executions, concurrency and debugging |
| Comfortable with servers, or have a partner who maintains it | Community (self-hosted) | Free license; you control data and limits |
| Team needs SSO, Git and separate dev and production | Business (self-hosted) | Team and governance features |
| Regulated or large organization needing an SLA | Enterprise | Dedicated support and compliance features |
Before you commit, check that the automation pays for itself. Our free AI automation ROI calculator turns hours saved into a monthly dollar figure you can compare with the plan price, and our guide to how much AI automation costs covers build and maintenance costs beyond the software.
A cost checklist before you sign up
- List every production workflow and its trigger type (schedule, webhook or chat).
- Estimate monthly executions and add 30% headroom.
- Check the longest workflow’s run time against the plan’s execution limit.
- Decide where data must live: n8n Cloud (EU) or your own server.
- Price AI usage separately: Gateway credits or your own API keys.
- If self-hosting, name the person responsible for monthly updates and backups.
- Read the Sustainable Use License if clients will touch the system.
- Re-check the live pricing page on the day you buy.
Want someone to size, build and maintain it for you? Our n8n automation services include plan sizing, self-hosted setups with backups and monitoring, and migrations from Zapier and Make.
How much does n8n cost per month?
It depends on the plan and your currency. Cloud Starter includes 2,500 executions a month and Pro 10,000. When we checked in October 2026, n8n’s page showed €20 and €50 a month billed annually; check n8n’s pricing page for the current amount in dollars. Self-hosted Community edition is free, plus your server costs.
Does n8n charge per step or per user?
No. n8n counts one execution per full workflow run, regardless of the number of steps, and every plan includes unlimited users and workflows.
Do test runs count toward my executions?
n8n’s pricing page talks about production executions: runs started by a trigger or webhook. Its docs also say concurrency limits apply only to production runs, not manual ones. If you’re close to a limit, check your usage in the Insights dashboard.
Is self-hosted n8n really free?
The Community edition license is free for your own internal business use. You still pay for hosting and spend time on updates, backups and security, and you get no official support.
What happens if I go over my execution limit?
On cloud plans, plan for an upgrade before you hit the limit and watch usage in the Insights dashboard. For Business and Enterprise, n8n says workflows keep running but overage charges may apply if you don’t upgrade.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier or Make?
Often, for long workflows or runs that loop over many records, because n8n counts whole runs while others count tasks or operations per step. See our n8n vs Zapier and n8n vs Make comparisons for worked examples.