n8n keeps a free self-hosted edition while Cloud starts at €20 a month

n8n is keeping its Community Edition free to self-host, with no limit on workflows or executions. Teams that run the software on their own infrastructure can do so at no cost.

For teams that want a hosted option, n8n Cloud starts at €20 per month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions. The Pro plan is €50 per month. n8n bills per workflow execution rather than per step, so a ten-step workflow counts once per run. By comparison, Make bills per operation and Zapier bills per task, so the same automation can produce very different bills across the three tools.

Why it matters

The split gives buyers a free self-hosted path and a paid managed option with a clear starting price. Per-execution billing means the length of a workflow does not change the count, which can matter for multi-step automations. Because each vendor counts usage differently, comparing headline plan prices alone can be misleading.

What to do

If you are evaluating n8n, estimate how many workflow runs you need each month rather than how many steps your workflows contain. Compare that figure against the 2,500-execution Cloud tier and the Pro plan. Confirm current limits, self-hosting terms, and plan details on n8n’s pricing page before you commit.