- You’re billed per execution, not per step. A 40-step workflow and a 3-step workflow both cost one execution.
- Cloud starts at $20/mo (annual) for 2,500 executions; Pro is $50 for 10,000.
- Then it jumps to $800/mo for Business. That’s a 16x step with nothing between it and Pro.
- The Community Edition is genuinely free and self-hosted, with unlimited workflows. It’s the real starting point for technical users.
- Users are unlimited on every Cloud plan, which is unusual and saves real money for teams.
n8n is a workflow automation platform in the same category as Zapier and Make, aimed at people comfortable with APIs, webhooks and a bit of code. It’s the tool most often recommended once someone has looked at a Zapier invoice and decided there must be a better way.
Whether it actually is cheaper depends on one thing: how you’re billed.
What n8n actually is
n8n is a visual workflow builder with an unusual amount of escape-hatch power. You drag nodes onto a canvas to connect apps, and when the visual approach runs out you drop into JavaScript or Python, call an arbitrary HTTP endpoint, or import a cURL command directly.
It runs two ways: n8n Cloud, which they host, and the Community Edition, which you self-host for free. Both use the same editor.
What counts as an execution?
This is the whole argument for n8n, so it’s worth being precise.
An execution is one complete run of a workflow, regardless of how many steps that workflow contains or how much data passes through it. On per-task platforms, a workflow that hits eight apps typically bills eight tasks each time it runs. On n8n, it bills one.
n8n makes this the centre of its pitch, and the practical effect is that complexity stops being a cost decision. You can add error handling, enrichment steps and conditional branches without watching the meter, which changes how you design automations.
There’s a caveat worth knowing: this only helps if your workflows are complex. If you run thousands of trivial two-step automations, per-execution billing offers you nothing, and a per-task competitor may work out cheaper.
How much does n8n cost in 2026?
Prices below were read from n8n’s pricing page on 10 August 2026. Annual billing saves 17%.
| Plan | Price (annual) | Executions/mo | Concurrency | Notable limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community | Free | Unlimited | Your hardware | Self-hosted, no SSO, no Git |
| Starter | $20/mo | 2,500 | 5 | 1 project, 7-day log retention |
| Pro | $50/mo | 10,000 | 20 | 3 projects, 30-day retention |
| Business | $800/mo | 40,000 | — | Self-hosted, SSO/SAML, Git |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | 200+ | SLA support, log streaming |
Users are unlimited on every Cloud plan, which is genuinely unusual in this category and is where a lot of the saving comes from for teams. Free trials on Starter and Pro need no credit card.
The $50 to $800 cliff
This is the thing to plan around before you build anything important.
Pro at $50 covers 10,000 executions a month. The next plan up, Business, is $800 a month. That’s a 16x price increase for a 4x quota increase, and there is nothing in between.
Business also isn’t simply “more Pro”. It’s a self-hosted licence aimed at companies, adding SSO, SAML, LDAP, Git version control and separate environments. If what you actually needed was more executions rather than enterprise governance, you’re paying for a lot you won’t use.
Two escape routes exist:
- Self-host the Community Edition. Free, unlimited executions, and the same editor. You give up SSO, Git version control and support, and you take on running it.
- The start-up plan. Companies under 20 employees can apply for 50% off Business, which softens the cliff considerably.
Worth noting for anyone approaching the ceiling: on Business, exceeding your quota doesn’t stop workflows, but overages are billed at 4,000 EUR per additional 300,000 executions.
What you give up on the free self-hosted version
The Community Edition is a real product, not a crippled demo. Unlimited workflows, unlimited executions, all the nodes, code steps.
What you don’t get: SSO and SAML, Git version control, separate environments, insights dashboards, official support, and the AI Assistant on Cloud terms. You also own the uptime. If a workflow is doing something your business depends on, the hosting is now your problem at 3am.
For a technical solo operator, that trade is usually worth it. For a team where someone else has to keep it running, Cloud at $20 or $50 is cheap insurance.
Who should skip n8n?
Skip it if you’re not technical. This is the honest one. n8n assumes you’re comfortable with APIs, JSON and the occasional code node. Zapier is more expensive for a reason, and that reason is that it holds your hand.
Skip it if your workflows are simple and numerous. Per-execution billing rewards complexity. Thousands of two-step automations don’t benefit from it.
Skip Cloud if you’ll land between 10,000 and 40,000 executions. That’s the dead zone. Either stay under Pro’s ceiling or plan for self-hosting.
Consider alternatives if you need enterprise governance on a small budget. SSO and Git version control start at $800/mo, or require self-hosting.
For comparison across the category, see our AI automation tools hub and Zapier alternatives.
Bottom line: is n8n worth it?
Yes, if you’re technical and your automations are complex. Execution-based billing is a genuinely better deal than per-task pricing once workflows have more than a handful of steps, and unlimited users on every plan makes it cheaper again for teams.
Start with the Community Edition if you can host it. It costs nothing, has no execution cap, and tells you within a week whether n8n suits how you think.
Start with Cloud Starter at $20 if you can’t. Move to Pro at $50 when 2,500 executions runs out, and start planning for self-hosting well before you approach 10,000, because the next rung is $800. See n8n’s current plans →
FAQ
How much does n8n cost in 2026? The self-hosted Community Edition is free with unlimited executions. n8n Cloud starts at $20/mo billed annually for 2,500 executions, Pro is $50 for 10,000, and Business is $800 for 40,000. Enterprise is custom. Verified on n8n.io/pricing on 10 August 2026.
Is n8n free? Yes, the Community Edition is free and self-hosted, with unlimited workflows and executions. You give up SSO, Git version control, insights and official support, and you’re responsible for hosting and uptime.
What counts as an execution in n8n? One complete run of a workflow, no matter how many steps it contains. A 40-step workflow costs the same single execution as a 3-step one, which is the main way n8n differs from platforms that bill per task or per step.
Why is there such a big gap between n8n Pro and Business? Pro at $50/mo covers 10,000 executions; Business is $800/mo for 40,000 plus enterprise features like SSO, SAML and Git version control. Nothing sits between them, so plan to self-host if you outgrow Pro but don’t need governance features.
Is n8n better than Zapier? It’s cheaper at scale and more powerful if you’re technical, because you’re billed per workflow run rather than per step and users are unlimited. Zapier is easier for non-technical users and has a larger catalogue of ready-made integrations.
Where is n8n Cloud data stored? On hosted plans, in the EU, on servers in Frankfurt, Germany. If you self-host, your data sits wherever you choose to run it.
🧰 More: AI Automation hub · Zapier alternatives · How we test
Pricing and quotas verified 10 August 2026. AI tool pricing changes often. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
