What does n8n cost? License, server and build
The short answer: self-hosted the software is free, n8n Cloud starts around 20 euros a month. The rest is server costs, the one-time build and ongoing operation. This page works through the four blocks one by one, with real numbers instead of from-prices.
Four cost blocks, not one
Anyone asking for the price of n8n rarely means just the license. In practice the real price is made up of four parts: the software itself, the server it runs on, the one-time build of the workflows and the ongoing operation. Depending on how you use n8n, these blocks shift a lot.
Self-hosted you essentially only pay for the server, the software is free. With n8n Cloud the software and operation move into a monthly subscription, but the server maintenance falls away. And the build is a one-time item that comes up whether you host yourself or use the cloud. One at a time.
- Is n8n free?
- The self-hosted Community Edition of n8n is free and has no execution limit – you only pay for the server. n8n uses a fair-code license: the source is open and running it yourself in a company is free, reselling it as your own product is restricted. It only costs money with n8n Cloud or the Enterprise features.
What each block really contains
1. Software license
Self-hosted: 0 euros. The Community Edition covers everything most companies need and runs with no execution limit. n8n Cloud is the paid variant with Starter and Pro plans (around 20 and 50 euros per month, as of 2026), where n8n handles the operation. If you just want to start quickly and never touch a server, Cloud is a good fit. If you want control over location and cost, you host yourself.
2. Server and hosting
Only applies with self-hosted. For small to medium instances a VPS in the low double digits per month is enough, often around 5 to 20 euros. Server costs depend on load, not on the number of executions: a workflow running ten times a day costs no more on the server than one running ten times an hour, as long as the machine isn't at its limit. What comes on top of the plain server – updates, backups, monitoring – is covered in detail in the guide on hosting and running n8n.
3. Building the workflows
The item that varies the most, because it has nothing to do with the license and everything to do with your actual automation. A single workflow that writes a form into the CRM is built in a day. A chain that connects several systems, checks data, catches duplicates and reacts cleanly to errors is far more work. This is a one-time effort, not a recurring one – what's built runs afterwards with no further build costs. What you can build with it is shown on the n8n agency page.
4. Ongoing operation
With self-hosted the server wants maintenance: applying updates, checking backups, keeping an eye out for a workflow that fails overnight. You can do this yourself or hand it off as monthly operation. With n8n Cloud this part is already in the subscription. Operation is the block many forget when doing a first back-of-the-envelope estimate, and the one that makes the difference over the months.
The license is rarely the issue. n8n gets expensive when a self-hosted server runs unmaintained and, in an emergency, an important workflow sits idle for days. Factor operation in from the start, not just the server price.
Running costs: self-hosted, Cloud or SaaS
The three routes differ mainly in what the costs depend on: server load, a fixed subscription, or usage volume.
Where exactly the threshold sits at which self-hosted becomes cheaper, and how the tools differ beyond price, is covered in the comparison n8n vs. Zapier vs. Make.
Not sure whether self-hosted or n8n Cloud pays off for your volume?
Have it worked out →Example: running costs per year
Running costs only, without the one-time build. Calculated with the n8n Cloud Pro plan against a self-hosted instance on a small server.
The roughly 456 euros a year sounds small, but grows as more executions pile up and push the Cloud plan to the next tier. Conversely, an unmaintained self-hosted server eats that lead quickly the moment it causes trouble. That's why the honest calculation is never just the server price, but the operation with it.
When self-hosted is cheaper, when n8n Cloud is enough
Self-hosted pays off
- You have many or frequently running workflows where a plan with execution limits would get expensive
- Data location matters and needs to demonstrably stay in the EU
- Someone handles operation, in the team or as an outsourced retainer
- You want full control over setup, versions and configuration
n8n Cloud is enough
- You have few, non-critical workflows and want to start quickly
- Nobody on the team wants to or can maintain a server
- A short outage would be survivable and wouldn't stress anyone
- Predictable fixed costs matter more to you than the last euro saved
Common questions about n8n costs
What n8n costs in your case
Write briefly which processes you want to automate and whether an instance is already running. I'll get back with an estimate of what build and operation mean for you and which route – self-hosted or Cloud – is cheaper in your case.
- Free intro call, about 15 minutes
- Honest recommendation self-hosted vs. n8n Cloud
- Build and ongoing operation from one hand
Rather browse first? To the n8n agency: workflows, hosting, HubSpot connection
I taught myself to code at 18 and have built and run many n8n workflows for B2B companies since. What n8n ends up costing, I see in real projects – from the free server setup to ongoing operation. This page passes the numbers on the way I'd quote them.
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