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N8N

Automation & Integration
★4.7
·€20/mo

Open-source workflow automation you can self-host

ABOUT N8N

n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool. Self-host for complete control, or use their cloud offering. Popular for AI agent building and complex integrations.

AUTOMATION PLATFORM DECISION FRAMEWORK

Automation tools should be judged by failure handling as much as happy-path connectors. A workflow that works once can still be fragile at real volume.

What to check before choosing n8n

  • ✦Task or operation pricing
  • ✦Branching logic
  • ✦Error replay
  • ✦Self-hosting needs
  • ✦Team ownership of workflows

Strong fit signal

The platform makes failed runs easy to inspect, replay, and hand off to another teammate.

Watch out

Cheap starting plans can become expensive when polling, retries, and multi-step workflows count as separate operations.

For n8n, start by testing one real workflow from your backlog instead of comparing screenshots. Build the smallest version that includes data entry, permissions, publishing or deployment, and the handoff to whoever maintains it next month.

Our Take on n8n

Verdict: n8n is the automation platform for technical teams that want self-hosting, code when needed, and pricing per workflow execution, not per step. The free self-hosted Community Edition makes it the cheapest serious option for teams that can run a server. It's also become a popular way to build AI agent workflows. Non-technical users will find it steeper than Zapier.

Pricing

Cloud (annual billing):

PlanPriceExecutions / monthConcurrencyNotes
Starter€20/mo2,50051 shared project
Pro€50/mo10,000Up to 503 shared projects
Business€667/mo40,000—Self-hosted, SSO/LDAP
EnterpriseCustomCustom200+Hosted or self-hosted

All cloud plans include unlimited users, workflows and integrations. n8n bills per complete workflow execution, regardless of how many steps it has.

Self-hosted Community Edition: free, with no execution limits beyond your server's capacity.

Why per-execution matters: a 12-step workflow costs 1 execution on n8n. On Zapier it can be up to 12 tasks, and on Make 12 credits. Long workflows are where n8n's pricing wins clearly.

Where n8n shines

  • Self-hosting for free. Your data stays on your infrastructure.
  • Code nodes (JavaScript/Python) when visual nodes aren't enough.
  • AI agent workflows with LLM nodes and tool calling.

Where it falls short

  • Steeper learning curve than Zapier or Make.
  • Self-hosting means ops work: updates, backups, scaling.
  • Business tier jump to €667/month on cloud.

Choose n8n if

  • You run long, complex or high-volume workflows
  • You want to self-host for cost, privacy or compliance
  • Someone on the team is technical

Avoid n8n if

  • You want plug-and-play automations with no setup. Use Zapier
  • Nobody can maintain a server and cloud execution limits are too tight

Compare: n8n vs Pipedream. More in automation tools.

Sources (checked 2026-10-09)

KEY FEATURES

  • ✦Open source
  • ✦Self-hostable
  • ✦Visual builder
  • ✦AI integrations
  • ✦Code nodes
  • ✦Webhooks

PROS & CONS

Pros

  • ✓Free self-hosted
  • ✓Full control
  • ✓AI agent building
  • ✓Extensible

Cons

  • ✗Requires setup
  • ✗Technical knowledge needed
  • ✗Smaller template library
  • ✗Maintenance required

Quick Info

Price
€20/mo

Cloud Starter €20/mo annual; self-hosted free

Free plan
Yes
Rating
★4.7
Category
Automation & Integration
Visit n8n →

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