Open-source workflow automation with self-hosted and cloud options. Free to self-host but server costs, maintenance, and execution limits on cloud create hidden expenses.
Advertised Price
$24
/month
Estimated True Cost
$300
/month (typical usage)
Surprise Factor
12.5×
more than expected
Confidence
74%
Data source: manual
What the pricing page doesn't tell you
Community Edition is free but requires infrastructure: VPS ($20-100/mo for adequate CPU/RAM), PostgreSQL database, SSL certificates, and backup storage. Minimum viable self-hosted setup: $30-50/mo.
Trigger: selfHosted > 0
+$40
/monthly
Cloud Starter: 2,500 executions/mo. Pro: 10,000. A single workflow running every 5 minutes = 8,640 executions/mo, exceeding Pro limits. Must upgrade or pay overage.
Trigger: executions > 2500
+$36
/monthly
Self-hosted Community Edition has no official support — only community forums and GitHub issues. Production-critical automations without support is a real risk. Cloud Pro includes email support.
Trigger: selfHosted > 0 AND support == 'none'
+$0
/monthly
Self-hosted requires: updates, security patches, monitoring, backup management, and scaling. Budget 2-5 hours/month of DevOps time ($100-500/mo equivalent).
Trigger: selfHosted > 0
+$200
/monthly
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Key Limits | Overage Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Community (Self-Hosted) | $0 | $0 |
| No overages |
Starter (Cloud)POPULAR | $24 | $20 |
|
|
Pro (Cloud) | $60 | $50 |
|
|
Enterprise (Cloud) | $120 | $100 |
|
|
n8n Community Edition is free and self-hosted — but requires a VPS ($20-100/mo), Docker setup, and ongoing maintenance. n8n Cloud starts at $24/mo (Starter) with 2,500 executions, $60/mo (Pro) with 10,000 executions, and $120/mo (Enterprise) with 50,000 executions. No official support on Community edition.
n8noffers a free plan, but with significant restrictions. Here's exactly what you get — and what forces you to upgrade.
⚠️ When you'll need to upgrade:
Most teams outgrow the free plan within 1-3 months. The first paid tier (Starter (Cloud)) costs $24/mo.
Compare cheaper options in Automation ranked by true cost, not advertised price.
See n8n Alternatives →