n8n is free to self-host (Community edition, unlimited executions). n8n Cloud and Enterprise are paid. ‘Free’ still costs server time and maintenance.
Is n8n free? The short answer
Yes. n8n’s Community edition is free and open-source. You can self-host it on your own server with no execution limits and no licence fee. What you pay for is convenience — n8n Cloud (hosted for you) and Enterprise (SSO, scaling, support) are the paid tiers.
What’s free: the Community edition
Unlimited workflows and executions when self-hosted
All core nodes and 400+ integrations
AI and code nodes included
Fair-code licence — free for internal business use
What costs money: n8n Cloud and Enterprise
If you’d rather not manage a server, n8n Cloud handles hosting, updates and uptime for a monthly fee based on executions. Enterprise adds SSO, role-based access, advanced logging and SLAs for teams that need them.
The hidden cost of ‘free’ self-hosting
Self-hosting is free in licence terms, but not in time. You own the server costs, security patching, version upgrades and the debugging when a workflow breaks at 2am. For many teams, those engineering hours cost more than an n8n Cloud subscription.
Free or paid: which should you choose?
Choose free self-hosted if you have technical capacity and want full control
Choose n8n Cloud if you want it running today without DevOps overhead
Want the power of self-hosted n8n without the maintenance? Our n8n agency builds, hosts and monitors production workflows so you keep the control and skip the upkeep.
So, is n8n free?
Yes, n8n is genuinely free — the self-hosted Community edition has no licence cost and no execution limits. The real question isn’t whether n8n is free, but whether ‘free’ is cheaper than your team’s time. If you’d rather skip the setup and maintenance, talk to our n8n automation team.
Harish Malhi
Founder of Goodspeed
Harish Malhi is the founder of Goodspeed, one of the top-rated Bubble agencies globally and winner of Bubble’s Agency of the Year award in 2024. He left Google to launch his first app, Diaspo, built entirely on Bubble, which gained press coverage from the BBC, ITV and more. Since then, he has helped ship over 200 products using Bubble, Framer, n8n and more - from internal tools to full-scale SaaS platforms. Harish now leads a team that helps founders and operators replace clunky workflows with fast, flexible software without writing a line of code.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is n8n free forever?
Yes. The self-hosted Community edition is free and open-source under a fair-code licence, with no time limit and no execution caps.
Can I use n8n free for commercial use?
Yes — you can run the Community edition inside your business for free. Restrictions only apply if you resell n8n itself as a hosted product.
Is n8n Cloud free?
n8n Cloud is a paid, hosted plan priced by executions, with a free trial. The genuinely free route is self-hosting the Community edition.
What’s the catch with self-hosting n8n?
No licence cost — but you take on server costs, updates, security and debugging. The real price of ‘free’ n8n is engineering time.
