Software review
n8n Review
Self-hostable automation — own your data and your infrastructure bill.
Technically comfortable teams who want to self-host automation and avoid per-task billing entirely, or who need Git-based version control over workflows.
Worth considering specifically when a client (or the agency itself) already runs infrastructure and wants automation costs decoupled from task volume — the self-hosted option is a genuinely different economic model, not just a cheaper Zapier. Not a fit for a client who just wants something that works without touching a server.
- From
- $22 / mo
- Free tier
- Yes
- Rating
- 3.9 / 5
Overview
n8n's free, self-hosted Community Edition is the real differentiator: run it on your own server and there's no per-task or per-operation bill at all, just infrastructure cost — a genuinely different economic model from Zapier's or Make's metered pricing. The trade is setup and maintenance responsibility. The hosted Cloud plans price by workflow execution count rather than individual steps within a workflow, which is more predictable than Zapier's per-task model for workflows with many internal steps.
Best for
Technically comfortable teams who want to self-host automation and avoid per-task billing entirely, or who need Git-based version control over workflows.
Not for
Anyone without the appetite to run and maintain their own server — the free tier's real cost is your own time, not a subscription fee.
How it performs
Each row is either our editorial view, drawn from using the product and reading around it, or a capability listed in the vendor’s own documentation — tagged so you know which. None of it is a controlled benchmark.
Self-hosted Community Edition genuinely has no per-task or per-operation cost, just infrastructure
EEditor’s viewExecution-based Cloud pricing is more predictable than per-task billing for workflows with many internal steps
EEditor’s viewOpen-source and self-hostable means no vendor lock-in on where the automation actually runs
EEditor’s viewFree, self-hosted Community Edition with no per-task billing
DDocsPricing by workflow execution, not individual step count, on Cloud plans
DDocsVisual workflow builder with code-step fallback for custom logic
DDocsGit-based version control for workflows (Business self-hosted tier)
DDocsPricing record
Captured from the vendor’s pricing page. Prices change — this is dated.
| Plan | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | $0 | Free, self-hosted; you run and maintain the infrastructure |
| Cloud Starter | $22 | ~€20/month; 2,500 workflow executions/month, 5 concurrent |
| Cloud Pro | $55 | ~€50/month; 10,000 workflow executions/month, 20 concurrent |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom execution volume, SSO/SAML, dedicated SLA support |
Vendors change plans often — confirm before you buy.
Sources: pricing and feature information captured from n8n.io on 17 Sept 2026. Editor comments are our own judgement, not vendor statements.