Updated October 2026
How much does n8n really cost? The answer depends less on the plan name and more on one number: how many executions your workflows use each month. In this guide we break down every n8n Cloud plan, show what self-hosting and managed hosting actually cost, and run the numbers on real scenarios so you can see which option is cheapest for you.
Summary
- n8n Cloud: from 20 €/month (billed annually) for 2,500 executions. 10,000 executions cost 50 €/month, and 40,000 cost 667 €/month.
- Self-hosted Community Edition: free software with unlimited executions; you pay for a server (from about 5 €/month) and your time.
- Managed n8n hosting: unlimited executions without server work, for example n8nhost.io from $4.99/month.
n8n Cloud pricing plans (2026)
These are the plans listed on n8n’s official pricing page in October 2026. Prices are in euros and billed annually; paying month-to-month costs more.
| Plan | Price (annual billing) | Executions / month | Concurrent executions | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 20 €/mo | 2,500 | 5 | Individuals with a few light workflows |
| Pro | 50 €/mo | 10,000 | 20 (up to 50) | Small teams |
| Business | 667 €/mo | 40,000 | Higher | Companies needing SSO, environments, advanced admin |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | 200+ | Large organisations with compliance needs |
Active workflows are unlimited on the listed plans. The limit you will hit first is executions.
What counts as an execution in n8n?
One execution is one complete run of a workflow, no matter how many nodes or steps it contains. A workflow with 2 nodes and a workflow with 50 nodes both use one execution per run. What matters is how often each workflow is triggered.
| Trigger frequency | Executions per month (one workflow) |
|---|---|
| Every minute | ~43,200 |
| Every 5 minutes | ~8,640 |
| Every 15 minutes | ~2,880 |
| Every hour | ~720 |
| Once a day | ~30 |
| Webhook / form / chat message | 1 per event |
Polling triggers are the silent budget killer: a single “check for new rows every 5 minutes” workflow uses more than three Starter plans’ worth of executions.
Real cost scenarios
Scenario 1: Solo user with a few automations
3 workflows running hourly + 2 daily reports = about 2,220 executions/month.
- n8n Cloud: fits Starter (20 €/mo), with little room to grow.
- Managed hosting: $4.99/mo, unlimited.
- Self-hosted: ~5 €/mo server + setup and maintenance time.
Scenario 2: Startup with a support chatbot
An AI chatbot answering 300 messages a day (9,000 executions) + 4 sync workflows every 15 minutes (11,520) = about 20,500 executions/month.
- n8n Cloud: exceeds Pro (10,000), so it needs Business (667 €/mo).
- Managed hosting: unlimited executions on one instance.
- Self-hosted: a 2–4 vCPU server plus queue mode and maintenance.
Scenario 3: Agency running client automations
10 client workflows every 15 minutes (28,800) + webhooks from forms and CRMs (5,000) = about 33,800 executions/month, growing with every new client.
- n8n Cloud: Business (667 €/mo) now, and Enterprise later as volume grows.
- Managed hosting: the price does not change when execution volume grows.
- Self-hosted: cheapest on paper, but a broken server means broken automations for every client.
How much does self-hosting n8n cost?
| Cost item | Typical amount |
|---|---|
| n8n Community Edition license | Free |
| VPS (2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM) | ~5–20 €/month depending on provider |
| Domain | ~1 €/month |
| Off-site backups / storage | ~1–5 €/month |
| Initial setup (Docker, PostgreSQL, SSL, security) | 3–8 hours |
| Ongoing updates, monitoring, fixes | 1–4 hours/month |
The server is cheap. Your time is not. At 40 €/hour, two hours of maintenance a month adds 80 € to your real cost. Self-hosting wins when you already run infrastructure or have strict data rules. See our n8n self-hosted guide if you go this route.
Managed n8n hosting pricing
Managed hosting runs the same free Community Edition for you, so there is no execution counter, while the provider handles the server, SSL, updates and backups. You pay a flat monthly fee.
On n8nhost.io, the Starter plan costs $4.99/month and includes:
- unlimited workflows and executions,
- a fast server with CDN and SSL,
- n8n Community Edition with free registered enterprise features,
- community nodes,
- a 14-day free trial.
Pro and Business plans add a dedicated instance or server, admin roles, daily backups, custom domains and SMTP. Contact us for details.
n8n Cloud vs self-hosted vs managed: total cost
| Monthly executions | n8n Cloud (annual) | Self-hosted | n8nhost.io managed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 20 € | ~5–20 € + time | $4.99 |
| 10,000 | 50 € | ~5–20 € + time | $4.99 |
| 25,000 | 667 € | ~10–30 € + time | $4.99 |
| 40,000+ | 667 € or Enterprise | ~20–40 € + more time | Contact us for a dedicated server |
n8n Cloud prices from n8n.io (annual billing, October 2026). Self-hosted figures are typical VPS prices and exclude your time. Always confirm current prices with each provider.
When n8n Cloud is worth it
- You run a small number of low-frequency workflows.
- You need official n8n support or enterprise features like SSO and audit logs.
- Your company only allows the vendor’s own SaaS.
When managed or self-hosted n8n is cheaper
- You poll APIs frequently, run chatbots, or process many webhooks.
- You build automations for clients and volume grows every month.
- You need community nodes that are not available on n8n Cloud.
- You want a fixed monthly cost you can plan around.
How to cut your n8n costs
- Replace polling with webhooks wherever the app supports them: one execution per real event instead of hundreds of empty checks.
- Increase polling intervals for data that does not change often (every hour instead of every 5 minutes saves ~7,900 executions per workflow).
- Batch items so one execution processes many records.
- Combine related schedules into a single workflow with branches.
- Move high-volume workflows to a host without execution limits.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n free?
The self-hosted Community Edition is free with unlimited executions. n8n Cloud is paid, starting at 20 €/month on annual billing.
Does n8n charge per node or per step?
No. n8n Cloud counts executions, meaning full workflow runs. A long workflow costs the same as a short one.
What happens if I exceed my execution limit on n8n Cloud?
You need to upgrade to a higher plan to keep running more executions. Check your plan’s current terms in your n8n account.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier or Make?
Usually yes for complex workflows, because Zapier charges per task (each step) and Make per operation, while n8n counts whole workflow runs. Self-hosted or managed n8n removes the per-run cost entirely.
What is the cheapest way to run n8n?
Self-hosting on a small VPS has the lowest bill, if your time is free. Managed hosting such as n8nhost.io is the cheapest option without server work, and it includes unlimited executions.
Stop counting executions. Start your 14-day free trial on n8nhost.io →
