Does n8n have a free plan?
Last updated
Short answer: Only if you host it yourself. The n8n Community Edition is free to self-host (you pay for the server). n8n Cloud has no free plan, only a free trial with no credit card; paid Cloud plans start at €20 a month billed annually (Starter).
Free: self-hosted Community Edition
n8n publishes a standard self-hosted version on GitHub. The software is free; you pay for wherever you run it (a VPS or a platform like Railway or Render) and you handle updates and backups.
n8n Cloud: free trial, then paid
The Cloud trial includes Pro-level features with trial limits of 1,000 executions, 5 concurrent executions, a 180-second execution timeout and 1 team project, plus 800 Assistant credits. No credit card is needed for the Cloud trial. After that: Starter €20/month and Pro €50/month (both billed annually), Business €667/month billed annually, Enterprise custom.
If you want a hosted free tier
Make's Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month (15-minute minimum interval between runs) and Zapier's Free plan includes 100 tasks a month on two-step Zaps. n8n bills per workflow execution (one full run counts once, however many steps), which can work out cheaper for long workflows once you pay.
Sources
- n8n pricing (plans and free trial FAQ), checked 2026-10-15
Options and entry prices
| Service | Pricing (vendor page) | Checked | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make | Free: 1,000 credits/month (15-minute minimum interval between runs). Core from $9/mo, Pro from $16/mo, Teams from $29/mo, each starting at 10,000 credits/month; Enterprise custom. Credit-based: most actions use 1 credit. Annual billing is cheaper than monthly. | 2026-10-15 | Try Make affiliate link |
| n8n | Community Edition: free to self-host (you pay for your own server). Cloud: Starter from €20/mo billed annually; Pro from €50/mo billed annually; Business from €667/mo billed annually; Enterprise custom. Cloud pricing is based on monthly workflow executions (one run of a whole workflow counts as one execution, not per step). | 2026-10-14 | Try n8n |
| Zapier | Free: 100 tasks/month, two-step Zaps only (one trigger + one action). Professional from $19.99/mo billed annually (750 tasks/mo entry tier); Team from $69/mo billed annually (2,000 tasks). Enterprise custom. Optional Agents and Chatbots are separate add-ons. | 2026-10-14 | Try Zapier |
This page contains affiliate links (marked "affiliate link"). We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It never affects rankings. Disclosure.
Pricing summaries copied from each vendor's page, not a scored ranking. Units differ between vendors.
Free PDF: the AI Coding Cost Cheat Sheet. Enter your email to download it, plus one email a week when picks or prices move.
FAQ
Is n8n free forever?
The self-hosted Community Edition is free to use; you pay only for hosting. n8n Cloud is paid after the free trial.
Does the n8n Cloud trial need a credit card?
No, per n8n's pricing FAQ. A card is only required for the Business plan trial.
What counts as an n8n execution?
One run of a whole workflow, no matter how many steps it has or how much data it processes.
Where can I self-host n8n cheaply?
Any server that runs Docker works. See our Railway, Render and hosting guide pages for current entry prices.
Next steps
- n8n pricing full plan breakdown
- n8n vs Make vs Zapier side-by-side comparison
- Can you use Vercel's free Hobby plan for a commercial app?
- Is Railway free?
- X Super vs Claude Max for coding: should you switch from Claude Code?
- Codex Plus, Claude Pro, Cursor Premium or Google AI Pro: which AI coding subscription is the best value?
- AI Coding Cost Cheat Sheet (free PDF) what $0, $20 and $100+ a month gets you
- Affiliate disclosure
Spotted an error? Send a correction.
Free: the AI Coding Cost Cheat Sheet (PDF)
What $0, about $20 and $100+ a month gets you across 30+ AI coding tools, with prices copied from vendor pages (checked Oct 14, 2026). Enter your email to download it now. You'll also get our free weekly email: what shipped and which picks or prices moved, about a 2-minute read. Unsubscribe anytime.