n8n Review: Self-Host vs Cloud, the Fair-Code License, and What It Really Costs

A workflow automation tool that bills per workflow run (not per step) and ships a free self-hostable Community Edition. The catch: the savings only materialize if you can run a Linux box. Here's the cost crossover, the license fine print, and who should pick which path.

by Ivar Berg · updated May 2026 · how we test

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The verdict: n8n is the most credible Zapier alternative for technical operators who count executions, not steps. The wedge is real: one execution = one full workflow run regardless of how many nodes it touches, so multi-step automations that would shred a Zapier task budget cost the same as a one-step run. If you can run a $5-18 VPS and spare 1-3 maintenance hours a month, self-hosting the free Community Edition wins decisively above ~10k executions/mo. Below that, or if you can't own ops, n8n Cloud Starter/Pro (from EUR 20/mo) is the saner call once you price in your own time. The one thing to read before adopting: it is fair-code (Sustainable Use License), not OSI open-source — fine for internal use, restricted if you want to resell n8n-as-a-service.

The pricing model is the whole story

n8n's defining decision is what it bills. One execution equals a single run of the entire workflow, regardless of how many steps or how much data it processes (n8n.io/pricing, as of 2026-05-30). That is the opposite of Zapier, which charges per task — i.e. per step. A 12-step workflow that fires 1,000 times is 12,000 Zapier tasks but only 1,000 n8n executions.

This single difference is why technical operators leave Zapier for n8n. If your automations are multi-step (enrich → branch → format → write to three systems), the per-execution model can cut billable volume by 5-15x for the same real work.

Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links (n8n Cloud trial). We are not paid for self-host coverage and earn nothing when you run the free Community Edition. Editorial coverage of Zapier and others is unpaid.

n8n Cloud pricing, tier by tier

All figures from the official pricing page (annual billing, as of 2026-05-30):

Starter — EUR 20/mo: 2,500 workflow executions, 5 concurrent.
Pro — EUR 50/mo: 10,000 executions, 20 concurrent, 3 shared projects.
Business — EUR 667/mo: 40,000 executions, SSO/SAML/LDAP, self-hosted option.
Enterprise — custom: custom execution volume, 200+ concurrent, self-hosted or cloud.

Note the gap between Pro and Business: there is no public mid-tier between 10k and 40k executions. Above the Business cap, n8n sells overage in large buckets — EUR 4,000 per 300,000 extra executions (n8n.io/pricing, as of 2026-05-30) — so even slightly exceeding 40k triggers a full bucket. That step-function is exactly where the self-host math gets loud.

If Cloud is the right fit for you, you can start a trial here: try n8n Cloud.

Self-hosted Community Edition: free software, real ops

The Community Edition is free under the Sustainable Use License, with unlimited executions and workflows and all integrations (docs.n8n.io, as of 2026-05-30). Your only hard cost is the box it runs on.

A Hetzner CX22 is EUR 4.49/mo (Hetzner docs, as of 2026-05-30), roughly $5. That single instance comfortably carries 5k-50k executions/mo. Past ~100k you want a larger instance and queue mode for headroom, which still lands around $9-18/mo.

The honest cost is not the VPS — it's the operating competence. Running Community Edition requires Linux, Docker, and reverse-proxy fluency, plus an estimated 1-3 maintenance hours per month for updates, backups, and the occasional broken webhook. Those maintenance-hour figures are reasonable secondary-source estimates, not a vendor SLA. If you don't have that skill on the team, the $5 box is a trap that costs you a weekend.

Cost at scale: where the crossover actually is

The table above is the core of this review. The pattern (consistent with a third-party cost breakdown, as of 2026-05-30):

Under ~10k executions/mo: Cloud Starter/Pro often wins on total cost once your ops time is priced in. EUR 20-50/mo buys you zero maintenance.
10k-100k/mo: self-host on a $5-20 VPS wins decisively — if you have 1-2 maintenance hrs/mo. At 50k, the comparison is roughly $5-9/mo of VPS versus Cloud Business (EUR 667 for 40k included) plus a EUR 4,000 overage bucket the moment you pass 40k. That gap is the entire reason this category exists.
500k/mo: Cloud is custom/Enterprise (no public sticker); self-host stays in the ~$9-18/mo range with a bigger instance. The dollar delta is enormous, but so is the reliability burden you now own.

Translation: Cloud sells you time, self-host sells you margin. Pick based on which one your team is short of.

The fair-code license — read this before you adopt

n8n is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License, not OSI open-source, with a separate n8n Enterprise License on top (docs.n8n.io, as of 2026-05-30). The distinction matters for what you're allowed to do.

Allowed: self-hosting, internal and operational use, modifying it for your own use, and personal or educational use.

Restricted (requires a commercial license): reselling n8n as a service, embedding n8n as the backend that powers a customer-facing feature in your own app, or building a competing SaaS on it.

For the target reader here — an ops team automating their own internal workflows — this is a non-issue. If your plan is to white-label n8n inside a product you sell, talk to n8n first.

Integrations and traction

n8n ships 400+ official/core integrations per the GitHub README (as of 2026-05-30). Secondary sources cite 600+ community nodes on top, but we treat 400+ core as the verified number — the larger community-node figures aren't on an official count page. Beyond the catalog, the HTTP Request and Code nodes let you hit any API, so the practical integration ceiling is "anything with an endpoint."

The project carries roughly 190k GitHub stars (GitHub, as of 2026-05-30), among the highest in the automation category — a meaningful signal for a self-hosted tool whose long-term viability depends on community momentum.

Who fits — and who should skip it

Self-host n8n if: you run multi-step automations above ~10k executions/mo, you're comfortable with Linux/Docker/reverse proxy, you can spare 1-3 maintenance hrs/mo, and you want execution costs to stop scaling with usage.

Pick n8n Cloud if: you're under ~10k executions/mo, you value zero-ops over margin, or you need SSO/SAML and don't want to operate it yourself. Start with n8n Cloud.

Look elsewhere if: you have no technical operator on the team and a small task budget — a per-task tool's simplicity may beat both n8n paths. And if your use case is reselling automation inside your own product, factor the commercial license before committing.

For per-operation pricing as a middle ground between Zapier's per-step model and self-hosting, Make is the other tool worth pricing against your real volume.

FAQ

How is an n8n execution different from a Zapier task?

One n8n execution is a single run of the entire workflow, regardless of step count or data volume; Zapier bills per task, meaning per step. A 12-step automation run 1,000 times is 1,000 n8n executions but 12,000 Zapier tasks (n8n.io/pricing, as of 2026-05-30).

Is self-hosted n8n really free?

The Community Edition software is free under the Sustainable Use License, with unlimited executions and all integrations. Your only cost is the server — about $5/mo for a Hetzner CX22 — plus an estimated 1-3 maintenance hours per month. It is not free of operating effort (docs.n8n.io, as of 2026-05-30).

Is n8n open source?

No, not in the OSI sense. It is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License, with a separate Enterprise License. Self-hosting and internal use are allowed; reselling n8n as a service, embedding it to power a customer-facing feature, or building a competing SaaS require a commercial license (docs.n8n.io, as of 2026-05-30).

At what volume does self-hosting beat n8n Cloud?

Roughly above 10k executions/mo, if you can run a VPS and spare 1-2 maintenance hrs/mo. At 50k executions, self-host runs about $5-9/mo of VPS, while Cloud Business (EUR 667 for 40k included) adds a EUR 4,000 overage bucket once you pass 40k. Below ~10k, Cloud often wins once your ops time is counted (n8n.io/pricing; mooreiq.ai cost breakdown, as of 2026-05-30).

How many integrations does n8n have?

400+ official/core integrations per the GitHub README, plus the HTTP and Code nodes for any other API. Secondary sources cite 600+ community nodes on top, but only the 400+ core figure is officially documented (github.com/n8n-io/n8n, as of 2026-05-30).

What does n8n Cloud cost for 500k executions a month?

There is no public sticker price; 500k/mo falls into the Enterprise tier with custom pricing, custom execution volume, and 200+ concurrency. Self-hosting the same volume stays around $9-18/mo of VPS with a larger instance and queue mode (n8n.io/pricing, as of 2026-05-30).