n8n Pricing and Plans for 2026: Is It Right For You?

Written by Everett Butler
Head of Marketing

Everett broke down n8n pricing across self-hosted, Starter, Pro, and Enterprise plans, weighing workflow executions, self-hosting control, and per-step billing against Zapier.

Last Updated: August 6, 2025

n8n pricing starts at $24/month for the basic cloud plan but costs can climb quickly depending on executions and team size. If you’re considering n8n to cut costs or run workflows with more control, it’s worth understanding how execution-based pricing and self-hosting tradeoffs actually shake out.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What n8n is and why it’s used
• A breakdown of its pricing across deployment types
• When n8n makes sense
• How it compares to tools like Zapier, Make, and Lindy
• Ideal users and use cases of n8n

What is n8n?

n8n is an open-source automation platform that connects apps and automates workflows without writing full code. It's flexible and developer-friendly. You can use it to build anything from lead enrichment flows to internal ops automations.

Most developers choose n8n because they can self-host or use the cloud version.

Core features

n8n includes features built for teams who need more control than drag-and-drop automation offers. These are:

• Visual workflow builder: Use a node-based editor to connect apps, define logic, and control how data flows.
• Built-in logic handling: Add conditionals, loops, and branching without writing code.
• Over 350 native integrations: Includes tools like Slack, Airtable, Notion, GitHub, and CRMs.
• Custom API and function nodes: Call third-party APIs or write JavaScript when you need flexibility.
• Extensibility via plugins: Build your own nodes or modules to extend core functionality.

Ideal users

n8n works best for users who are comfortable designing flows and have the technical resources to execute them. It’s ideal for:

• Developers building backend automations, internal tools, or custom integrations.
• Ops teams looking to automate across SaaS tools without handing everything off to engineering.
• Technical founders who need infrastructure-level control without paying for multiple SaaS subscriptions.

n8n pricing plans (2026 breakdown)

n8n offers both hosted and self-hosted options. The main cost difference depends on how much infrastructure you manage and how many executions you’ll run each month. These are the plans:

Self-hosted plan

• Price: Free
• What’s included:
  • Unlimited workflows and executions
  • Access to all core features
  • Run it locally or via Docker, CLI, or cloud server
  • Community support

Starter plan

• Price: $24/month, billed monthly
• What’s included:
  • 2,500 workflow executions/month
  • Managed hosting on n8n infrastructure
  • Basic support on forum

Pro plan

• Price: Starts at $60/month, billed monthly
• What’s included:
  • 10,000 executions
  • Role-based access control
  • Insights dashboard

Enterprise plan

• Price: Custom pricing
• What’s included:
  • Unlimited executions
  • Advanced developer tools
  • Audit logs, SSO, and team management
  • Email and dedicated SLA support

Is n8n worth it?

n8n is worth the price if you’re a developer or technical team that wants long-term flexibility without recurring SaaS fees, especially the n8n self-hosted version. You get full control, a growing ecosystem, and a strong open-source community behind it.

n8n cloud pricing can confuse people. The $24/month plan includes only 2,500 executions. This doesn’t mean you can run 2,500 workflows. n8n treats each step in your workflow as a separate execution. So if your flow has five steps and runs once, that’s five executions gone.

When n8n might not be a fit

Users who want a simple, no-code tool may find n8n overly technical. Here are a few cases where it might not be the best option:

• You need built-in dashboards or analytics: n8n logs executions and errors, but there’s no native reporting UI.
• You don’t have technical resources: Even on n8n cloud, workflows sometimes break without clear reasons.
• You need enterprise-grade onboarding and support: n8n does offer a Business plan with support for SLAs, but it still lacks things like hands-on onboarding and live chat.