n8n is free if you host it yourself: the self-hosted Community Edition costs nothing beyond the server it runs on. n8n Cloud is paid: the Starter plan is €24 per month for 2,500 executions, or €20 per month billed yearly, after a free trial with no credit card. No permanent free Cloud plan is listed as of September 23, 2026.
Contents
Key takeaways
- The self-hosted Community Edition is free; you only pay for the server.
- n8n Cloud starts at €24 per month (Starter, 2,500 executions), or €20 per month billed yearly.
- Pro costs €60 per month for 10,000 executions; Business jumps to €800 per month.
- n8n counts one execution per complete workflow run, whatever the number of steps.
- n8n Cloud data is hosted in Frankfurt, inside the European Union.
Tools in this article
| Tool | Stacknota score | From | Free plan | Data in the EU | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 n8nOur pick | 4.3 | €20per month, billed yearly | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Try |
 Make | 4.1 | $9per month, billed yearly | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Try |
 Zapier | 3.5 | $19.99per month, billed yearly | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | Try |
- From
- €20 per month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- ✓ Yes
- Data in the EU
- ✓ Yes
- Make4.1
- From
- $9 per month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- ✓ Yes
- Data in the EU
- ✓ Yes
- Zapier3.5
- From
- $19.99 per month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- ✓ Yes
- Data in the EU
- ✗ No
Is n8n free?
The n8n software is free in its Community Edition, which you install yourself. You only pay for the server that runs it, with the hosting provider of your choice. The version managed by n8n, n8n Cloud, is paid from the first plan.
The distinction matters because the two do not demand the same work. Self-hosted, updates, backups and server security are on you. On n8n Cloud, they are part of the subscription.
How much does n8n Cloud cost in 2026?
Here are the plans read on n8n’s official pricing page on September 23, 2026. n8n lists its prices in euros:
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (per month) | Executions per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €24 | €20 | 2,500 |
| Pro | €60 | €50 | 10,000 |
| Business | €800 | €667 | 40,000 |
| Enterprise | custom quote | custom quote | custom |
Every plan includes unlimited users. Starter allows 5 concurrent executions, Pro 20. Pro also comes in a 50,000-execution tier at €145 per month.
In our reading, the step to watch is the gap between Pro and Business: from €60 to €800 per month. Business mostly adds enterprise features (SAML and LDAP single sign-on, separate environments, Git version control). A team that only needs more executions should look at the 50,000-execution Pro tier before switching plans.
What counts as an “execution” on n8n?
An execution is one complete run of a workflow, however many steps it contains. A ten-step workflow triggered once counts as one execution.
That is the core difference with Zapier, which counts a task for every successful action, and with Make, which deducts credits per operation. For long workflows, this way of counting makes n8n clearly cheaper at equal volume.
Free n8n versus Make and Zapier
All three tools have a free entry point, but not the same one:
| Tool | What is free | First paid plan (yearly) |
|---|---|---|
| n8n | Self-hosted Community Edition, no execution limit | €20 per month, 2,500 executions |
| Make | 1,000 credits per month, 2 active scenarios, runs every 15 minutes | $9 per month, 10,000 credits |
| Zapier | 100 tasks per month, two-step Zaps, 1 user | $19.99 per month, 750 tasks |
If your team does not want to run a server, Make has the lowest entry price of the three. If it can, n8n’s Community Edition is the only free option with no usage cap.
Where is n8n Cloud data hosted?
n8n Cloud stores data inside the European Union, on servers in Frankfurt. n8n provides a data processing agreement (DPA) and publishes a SOC 3 report.
Self-hosted, the data stays wherever you install n8n, which makes it the simplest option for a company that must control where its data lives.
When should you self-host?
Self-hosting makes sense if someone on the team can run a server, or if you must control exactly where data is stored. It does not make sense if nobody can keep it updated: an n8n instance exposed to the internet and never patched is a security risk.
For a first automation without technical skills, the n8n Cloud free trial lets you test without installing anything, before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n really free?
Yes for the Community Edition, which you install on your own server: the software is free and only hosting costs money. No for n8n Cloud, whose first plan costs €24 per month, or €20 per month billed yearly.
Does n8n Cloud have a free trial?
Yes. n8n offers a free trial of its Cloud plans with no credit card required. As of September 23, 2026, no permanent free Cloud plan is shown on the pricing page.
What is the difference between self-hosted n8n and n8n Cloud?
Self-hosted means you install and maintain n8n on the server of your choice, and your data stays with you. With n8n Cloud, n8n runs the hosting in Frankfurt, the updates and the uptime, for a monthly subscription.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
Billed yearly, n8n Cloud Starter costs €20 per month for 2,500 executions and Zapier Professional $19.99 per month for 750 tasks. The units differ: n8n counts a full workflow run, Zapier counts every successful action, so long workflows cost less on n8n.
Sources
- n8n, official pricing page
- n8n, self-hosting documentation
- Zapier, official pricing page
- Make, official pricing page
Review happens after publication, several times a week. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the order of our recommendations.