n8n Pricing in 2026: Every Plan, Cost & Hidden Fee

TL;DR: n8n Pricing at a Glance

• Self-hosted Community Edition: Free (unlimited executions, you pay for hosting infrastructure)

• Cloud Starter: $24/month (2,500 executions)

• Cloud Pro: $60/month (10,000 executions)

• Cloud Business: $800/month (40,000 executions)

• Enterprise: Custom pricing (SSO, audit logs, dedicated support)

• Startup discount: 50% off Business plan for qualifying companies with fewer than 20 employees

The key difference from Zapier and Make: n8n charges per workflow execution, not per step or task. A 10-step workflow counts as 1 execution on n8n versus 10 tasks on Zapier. That single difference makes n8n dramatically cheaper for complex automations.

At Goodspeed, we build production-grade n8n workflows for teams that need automation they can rely on. Book a call to talk through your setup, or start with a Signal Sprint if you need a scoped plan first.

n8n Cloud Pricing Plans Compared

All n8n cloud plans now include unlimited workflows and unlimited users. That changed in 2025 when n8n removed the active workflow caps that previously restricted lower tiers. Today, the only variable that scales your cost is execution volume.

Here is what each plan includes:

• Starter ($24/month) gives you 2,500 executions. That sounds like a lot until you consider that a single polling trigger checking for new data every 5 minutes uses about 8,640 executions per month on its own. The Starter plan works for event-driven workflows with webhook triggers, not for polling-heavy setups. It is a great entry point for testing n8n in production, but most teams outgrow it within a few months.

• Pro ($60/month) bumps you to 10,000 executions with better performance limits. This is the sweet spot for small teams running a handful of production workflows. If you are syncing CRM data, processing inbound leads, or automating internal reporting, Pro handles it comfortably. The price-to-execution ratio is the best of any cloud plan.

• Business ($800/month) is aimed at companies that need enterprise-grade features without enterprise sales cycles. It includes SSO, Git-based version control, multi-environment deployment, and 40,000 executions. The jump from $60 to $800 is steep, but the feature set is built for teams where workflow failures cost real money.

• Enterprise is custom-quoted and includes unlimited executions (within fair use), dedicated infrastructure, audit logs, and a dedicated support team. If you need HIPAA, SOC 2, or other compliance frameworks, this is the tier.

The execution model is the most important thing to understand about n8n pricing. One execution equals one complete workflow run, from trigger to final output, regardless of how many steps that workflow contains. A 3-step workflow and a 30-step workflow both cost exactly one execution. That is fundamentally different from Zapier, which charges per individual task (each step is a task), and Make, which charges per operation (each action is an operation).

For simple automations, the difference is minor. For complex, multi-step workflows, it is massive.

n8n Self-Hosted Pricing: What It Actually Costs

The n8n Community Edition software is free. You can download it from GitHub, install it on your own server, and run unlimited executions with zero restrictions on features, workflows, or integrations. There is no catch on the software side.

The catch is infrastructure.

"Free" stops being free the moment you need a server, a database, SSL certificates, backups, and someone to maintain all of it. Here is what self-hosting n8n actually costs in practice:

• Server costs: A basic VPS from DigitalOcean or AWS starts at $5/month, but production workloads need more. For a stable n8n instance handling moderate automation loads, plan for at least 4GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs. That puts you in the $20-40/month range on most cloud providers. High-volume setups with many concurrent workflows can push infrastructure costs to $50-150/month.

• Database costs: n8n needs a database (PostgreSQL recommended for production). If you run it on the same VPS, it is included in your server cost. If you use a managed database service for reliability, add $15-50/month.

• DevOps maintenance: This is the cost most teams underestimate. Someone needs to handle updates, monitor uptime, configure backups, troubleshoot issues, and manage security patches. Budget 2-8 hours per month of DevOps time, depending on your setup complexity.

• SSL and domain: Minimal cost ($0-15/year), but required for production.

• Realistic total: Most production n8n self-hosted deployments run $20-150/month in infrastructure, plus the value of internal engineering time for maintenance.

Self-hosting is the right choice if your team has DevOps capacity and you need full data control (especially for compliance-sensitive industries). It is the wrong choice if your team does not have server management skills, your automation is not complex enough to justify the overhead, or your engineering time is better spent on product work.

Not sure whether cloud or self-hosted is the right call for your setup? Book a free consultation with our n8n team. We will give you an honest recommendation in one call.

n8n Pricing vs. Zapier vs. Make

The pricing model difference between these three platforms creates dramatic cost gaps at scale. Here is a concrete comparison.

Take a 10-step workflow that runs 1,000 times per month:

At 1,000 runs of a simple workflow, the costs look comparable. Now scale it.

A 10-step workflow running 5,000 times per month:

• n8n: 5,000 executions. Fits within the Pro plan ($60/month).

• Zapier: 50,000 tasks. Requires the Teams plan at $299/month or higher.

• Make: 50,000 operations. Requires the Teams plan at $79/month or higher.

The gap widens with every additional step and every additional run. For teams building complex, multi-step automations at scale, n8n is consistently the cheapest platform. The execution-based model is the reason.

To put it in real-world terms: a SaaS company running 15 workflows with an average of 8 steps each, triggering 10,000 total runs per month, would use 10,000 executions on n8n (Pro plan, $60/month). The same setup on Zapier would consume 80,000 tasks, pushing into the $299-599/month range. On Make, 80,000 operations would require a Teams or Enterprise plan.

Over a year, that is $720 on n8n versus $3,588-7,188 on Zapier. The savings compound fast.

There is one scenario where n8n is not the cheapest: very simple, low-volume automations with few steps. If you only run basic 2-3 step workflows a few hundred times per month, Make's lower entry price ($9/month) and Zapier's simplicity can make them the better choice. The n8n cost advantage kicks in when workflows get complex, which is exactly when automation delivers the most business value.

This is also why we build on n8n for most client projects at Goodspeed. The cost structure rewards complexity instead of penalizing it.

For a deeper comparison beyond pricing, see our full breakdown of n8n vs. Zapier and n8n vs. Make.

Hidden Costs Most n8n Guides Skip

Every n8n pricing page focuses on the subscription or infrastructure cost. None of them talk about what you will actually spend to get workflows running and keep them running.

• API costs from connected services. If your n8n workflows call OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Cloud, or any third-party API, those costs sit outside your n8n bill. An AI-powered document processing workflow making 500 OpenAI calls per day can easily add $50-200/month to your total automation spend. These costs scale with usage, and most teams do not budget for them upfront.

• Data transfer costs at scale. Cloud providers charge for egress. If your workflows move large volumes of data between services (especially across cloud regions), data transfer fees add up. This is less relevant for small setups but matters for high-volume production deployments.

• Developer or agency time. Building a workflow is the easy part. Building a workflow that handles errors gracefully, retries failed steps, logs issues for debugging, and does not break when an API changes its response format takes significantly more time. The development cost of production-grade automation is the single largest line item for most projects, whether you build in-house or hire an agency.

• Error monitoring and alerting. Production workflows need monitoring. If a workflow fails at 2 AM and nobody notices until Monday, that is a business problem. Tools like Datadog, PagerDuty, or even simple Slack alerting add cost (either in tooling fees or the engineering time to set it up).

• Debugging time. Workflows break. APIs change, data formats shift, rate limits get hit. The cost of debugging and fixing production workflows is ongoing and real. Budget for it.

None of these costs are unique to n8n. They apply to any automation platform. But understanding them upfront prevents the surprise when your "$60/month automation budget" turns into a $500/month total cost of ownership.

Want a clear picture of what your automation project will actually cost? Our Signal Sprint gives you a scoped estimate, priority roadmap, and honest build-or-buy recommendation.

What It Costs to Hire an n8n Agency

This is the section no competitor pricing article covers, because most of them are written by the platforms themselves.

If your team does not have the capacity to build, deploy, and maintain n8n workflows internally, hiring an n8n agency is the alternative. Here is what that typically looks like:

• Project-based pricing ($5,000-$50,000+): Most agencies price n8n work by project scope. A simple integration connecting two systems with basic error handling might run $5,000-10,000. A complex multi-system automation with AI components, conditional routing, compliance requirements, and production monitoring can reach $25,000-50,000+. The cost scales with the number of integrations, the complexity of business logic, and the reliability requirements.

• Retainer-based pricing ($2,000-10,000/month): For teams that need ongoing workflow development and maintenance, retainers cover new workflow builds, monitoring, optimization, and incident response. This model works best for companies where automation is a core operational function, not a one-time project.

• What drives the cost: The number of systems being integrated, the complexity of conditional logic and error handling, compliance or data sensitivity requirements, whether the project includes AI/LLM components, and the depth of ongoing monitoring and maintenance.

n8n reached $40M in annual recurring revenue by 2025 and raised $180M at a $2.5B valuation in October 2025 led by Accel with participation from Nvidia's NVentures. The platform now serves over 3,000 enterprise customers including Vodafone, Softbank, and Seat, with more than 230,000 active users. The ecosystem is growing fast, and the demand for experienced n8n agencies is growing with it.

For a detailed breakdown of agency pricing models, see our full guide on n8n agency pricing.

How to Choose the Right n8n Plan

The right plan depends on four factors:

• Team technical capacity. If your team can manage servers and handle DevOps, self-hosting gives you unlimited executions at the lowest total cost. If not, cloud removes the operational burden so your team can focus on building, not maintaining infrastructure. A good rule of thumb: if your team already runs other self-hosted tools (databases, CI/CD pipelines, internal apps), self-hosting n8n fits naturally into that workflow. If the words "Docker compose" or "PostgreSQL backup" make your team nervous, cloud is the right call.

• Execution volume. Count your expected monthly executions before picking a plan. Remember: one execution equals one complete workflow run. If you are migrating from Zapier, divide your current task count by the average number of steps per workflow to estimate n8n executions. Most teams overestimate how many executions they need because they are used to Zapier's per-task counting. A team using 20,000 Zapier tasks per month with an average of 8 steps per workflow would need only about 2,500 n8n executions. That fits on the Starter plan.

• Compliance requirements. If you need SSO, audit logs, or data residency guarantees, you are looking at Business ($800/month) or Enterprise (custom). If compliance is not a factor, Starter or Pro covers most teams. For data-sensitive industries like healthcare, fintech, or legal services, the self-hosted Community Edition paired with your own compliant infrastructure can meet regulatory requirements at a fraction of the Business plan cost, assuming your team has the DevOps capacity.

• Scale trajectory. If your automation needs are growing, pick a plan that leaves room. Upgrading mid-month is possible, but planning for growth from the start prevents workflow interruptions. Teams building AI-powered workflows should plan for higher execution counts than they expect, because AI workflows tend to expand in scope quickly once the initial value is proven. According to Highland Europe's reporting on n8n's Series B, over 75% of n8n customers now actively use AI tools integrated into the platform, a trend that drives execution volume upward.

For teams running business-critical workflows and needing them built right, an n8n agency handles the platform decision, infrastructure setup, and ongoing reliability. That means your team focuses on the business outcomes automation delivers, not the technical plumbing behind it.

Evaluating n8n for your business? Book a free consultation. We will walk through your use case and recommend the right plan and approach.