n8n Pricing 2026: Cloud Plans, Self-Hosting Costs, and Is It Worth It?

n8n has become one of the fastest-growing workflow automation platforms in 2026 — a genuine alternative to Zapier and Make for developers who want more power at a lower price. But n8n's pricing is more nuanced than a simple monthly fee, and many users get tripped up by execution limits they didn't see coming.

This guide breaks down every n8n pricing option in 2026 — n8n Cloud plans, the free Community Edition, and what self-hosting actually costs — then shows you how n8n stacks up against Zapier and Make on real workloads.

n8n Cloud Pricing Plans 2026

n8n Cloud is the fully managed version — n8n hosts everything, handles updates, and you just log in and build. No Docker, no servers, no DevOps. Cloud plans are Starter, Pro and Enterprise; Business is only available on self-hosted n8n.

Note: n8n lists prices in euros. Annual billing saves 17%. A Cloud free trial is available; trial features and requirements vary by plan, and a credit card is required for the Business trial.

What's Included in Each Cloud Plan

Starter (€20/mo annual): 2,500 executions, 1 shared project, 5 concurrent executions and forum support. Good for getting started with webhook-triggered automations.

Pro (€50/mo annual): Everything in Starter, plus 3 shared projects, 10,000 or 50,000 executions depending on tier, 20 concurrent executions on Pro-1 or 50 on Pro-2, admin roles, global variables, workflow history and execution search. This is a practical option for production use.

Business (€667/mo annual, self-hosted only): Everything in Pro, plus 40,000 executions, SSO/SAML/LDAP, Git-based version control, multiple environments, 30-day insights and 6 shared projects. Not available on n8n Cloud.

Enterprise (custom pricing): Custom pricing and custom workflow-execution volume, with unlimited shared projects, 200+ concurrent executions, dedicated support with SLA, log streaming, extended data retention and external secret-store integration. Available cloud-hosted or self-hosted.

How n8n Counts Executions (And Why It Changes Everything)

Before evaluating n8n's execution limits, you need to understand how n8n counts them — it's fundamentally different from Zapier tasks or Make operations, and it works in your favor for complex workflows.

Key rule: One execution = one complete workflow run, regardless of how many steps. A 3-step workflow and a 30-step workflow both use exactly 1 execution.

Zapier charges per "task" — each step in a Zap burns one task. A 5-step Zap uses 5 tasks per trigger. On n8n, that same workflow uses 1 execution. For complex multi-step automations, n8n can reduce the number of billable units, but compare current plan prices for your use case.

The Execution Cap Trap: What Actually Burns Your Budget

The biggest surprise for new n8n Cloud users is how quickly polling workflows use execution allowances. Polling is when a workflow checks for new data on a timer — and it's one of the most common automation patterns.

• Gmail polling every 10 minutes → 4,320 executions/month — 73% over the 2,500-execution Starter allowance from a single workflow
• Slack message check every 5 minutes → 8,640 executions/month — nearly the 10,000-execution Pro-1 allowance from one automation
• Airtable sync every 15 minutes → 2,880 executions/month — exceeds the 2,500-execution Starter allowance
• Webhook-triggered workflows → only fire when data arrives — run when data arrives rather than on a polling schedule

⚠️ Critical: If you approach a Cloud plan's execution allowance, review your usage and current plan options: n8n's Cloud plan details list additional executions for eligible monthly subscribers, while availability can depend on billing terms and tier.

n8n Community Edition: Free Self-Hosted n8n

The n8n Community Edition is the open-source version of n8n you run on your own server. It's free software with no license fees, no execution limits, and no user caps. For most developers and small technical teams, the Community Edition has everything needed for serious automation work.

What's Included in the Free Community Edition

• Unlimited workflows and executions — no caps
• All integrations (nodes) — every connector available
• Full API access, webhook triggers, and scheduled execution
• Code steps — write JavaScript or Python inline in any workflow
• No user limits — add your entire team at no extra cost

What's NOT in the Community Edition

• SSO, SAML, and LDAP single sign-on (paid self-hosted Business/Enterprise plans)
• Git-based version control and multiple environments (available on Business/Enterprise)
• Advanced audit logging and log streaming
• Dedicated support with guaranteed response times (Enterprise only)

The main differences involve enterprise IT concerns — compliance logging, SSO and access controls. Verify the exact feature set for the deployment and plan you choose.

n8n Self-Hosted Costs: What You Actually Pay

"Free software" still needs infrastructure. Here's the realistic cost of running n8n self-hosted in 2026:

The typical setup is a $5–7/month VPS running n8n via Docker Compose. That's unlimited executions, all integrations, full control — compare these infrastructure costs with the published n8n Cloud Starter price of €20/month billed annually.

The trade-off is initial setup time — typically 30–60 minutes if you follow a guide. For a zero-setup alternative, see our roundup of top no-code automation platforms or learn how to build AI agents for free alongside n8n.

n8n Start-up Plan: Check Current Eligibility and Discounts

n8n lists its self-hosted Business plan at €667/month when billed annually. Start-up Plan eligibility and any discount depend on n8n's current terms; verify those terms directly before estimating a price or assuming qualification.

Check n8n's current Start-up Plan page for eligibility and discount terms; do not assume a fixed discount or qualification based only on company size.

n8n vs Zapier vs Make: Full Pricing Comparison 2026

Comparing automation tools Zapier vs Make guide.

For a 10-step automation running 1,000 times per month: n8n Cloud Pro-1 includes 10,000 executions for €50/month billed annually. Zapier and Make use their own billing units; compare costs against your actual usage and current plan pages.

Which n8n Plan Should You Choose?

Choose Community Edition self-hosted if:

• You can follow a Docker setup guide and manage the server, updates and backups
• You want the free Community Edition software and no Cloud execution allowance
• You run polling workflows and want to manage your own infrastructure

Choose n8n Cloud Starter (€20/mo annual) if:

• You want zero-maintenance, fully managed hosting
• Your workflows are webhook-triggered and fit within the 2,500 monthly execution allowance
• You want to evaluate n8n Cloud before choosing a longer-term setup

Upgrade to n8n Cloud Pro (€50/mo annual) if:

• You need a higher Cloud execution allowance: Pro tiers list 10,000 or 50,000 executions
• You need execution history, global variables, and team admin roles
• You're running production automations on Cloud and need more headroom than Starter

Choose self-hosted Business or Enterprise if:

• Your organization requires SSO, SAML, or LDAP for authentication
• You need Git version control and multiple environments
• You need the self-hosted Business features or Enterprise support and custom execution terms

Is n8n Worth It?

For technical teams and developers: n8n's per-run execution model can be useful for complex workflows. Community Edition software is free to self-host; factor in server and maintenance costs and compare current vendor pricing.

For non-technical teams: the learning curve is steeper than Zapier or Make, the execution math can be confusing at first, and the interface is geared toward developers. If ease of use is your priority, Zapier Central or Make's AI workflow builder are more approachable starting points.

💡 Best use case: n8n is suited to developers who want code-level control, custom API calls and self-hosted infrastructure.

Bottom Line: n8n Pricing in 2026

n8n Cloud Starter is listed at €20/month billed annually, and Pro at €50/month billed annually. Self-hosting via the Community Edition has no license fee; server, backups and maintenance add cost. Business at €667/month billed annually is for self-hosted instances, not Cloud. Compare each option using your workload and current vendor terms.building no-code workflow automations.