n8n Pricing: Is n8n Free, and What Does Cloud Cost?
n8n is free to self-host with the Community Edition on your own server. n8n Cloud costs €20/month for Starter (2,500 executions) and €50/month for Pro (10,000 executions) on annual billing; Business is €667/month and Enterprise is custom. A small VPS in India runs self-hosted n8n for about ₹500–₹1,000 a month. Kode Studio, Hyderabad, sets it up.
| Community Edition | Self-hosted, free to use for your own business workflows |
|---|---|
| Starter (Cloud) | €20/month billed yearly — 2,500 executions, unlimited workflows |
| Pro (Cloud) | €50/month billed yearly — 10,000 executions |
| Business | €667/month billed yearly — 40,000 executions, self-hosted |
| Enterprise | Custom; hosted or self-hosted |
| Checked | n8n.io/pricing on 23 Oct 2026 (EUR, annual billing) |
Is n8n free?
Yes, if you host it yourself. The n8n Community Edition is published on GitHub and you can run it on your own server or VPS. You pay only for the server. It is released under n8n’s Sustainable Use License, which allows using it for your own business’s internal automations; reselling n8n itself as a hosted service to others is restricted, so read the licence if you plan to offer it to clients.
n8n Cloud — where n8n runs the servers for you — is paid, with plans based on monthly workflow executions.
n8n Cloud plans
| Plan | Price (billed yearly) | Approx. ₹/month | Executions/month | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €20/month | ₹2,000 | 2,500 | n8n Cloud |
| Pro | €50/month | ₹5,000 | 10,000 | n8n Cloud |
| Business | €667/month | ₹67,000 | 40,000 | Self-hosted |
| Enterprise | Custom | Quote | Custom | Either |
Rupee estimates assume about ₹100 per euro and exclude taxes. Monthly billing costs more than the yearly rates shown.
What counts as an execution?
One execution is one complete run of a workflow, however many steps it has. A workflow that receives a website enquiry, saves it to Google Sheets, sends a WhatsApp alert and emails the customer is one execution, not four. This is why n8n is often cheaper than tools that charge per step — see n8n vs Zapier vs Make.
Watch out for workflows that run on a schedule every minute: 1,440 runs a day add up to over 43,000 a month.
Real cost of self-hosting n8n in India
- VPS: a 2 vCPU / 4–8 GB plan from Indian-friendly providers costs roughly ₹500–₹1,500 a month.
- Domain: a subdomain like automation.yourcompany.in costs nothing extra if you already own the domain.
- SSL: free with Let’s Encrypt.
- Your time or a developer’s: setup, updates, backups and security patches.
Step-by-step guide: self-host n8n on a Hostinger VPS.
Cloud or self-hosted: which should you choose?
Choose n8n Cloud if…
You have no one to maintain a server, you want n8n to handle updates and uptime, and your volume fits within 2,500–10,000 executions a month.
Choose self-hosted if…
You run many executions, need data to stay on your own server, want unlimited workflows for the cost of a VPS, or have a developer or agency to look after it.
Example monthly costs
| Business | Automations | Best option | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinic | Appointment reminders, review requests (≈1,500 runs) | Starter or self-hosted | ₹600–₹2,000 |
| Online store | Order alerts, invoices, abandoned carts (≈8,000 runs) | Pro or self-hosted | ₹800–₹5,000 |
| Agency | Lead routing for 20 clients (≈50,000 runs) | Self-hosted | ₹1,500 + maintenance |
How to start with n8n cheaply
A low-risk path for a small business.
You'll need: n8n Cloud trial or a VPS · One process to automate
Pick one painful process
For example, copying website enquiries into a sheet and messaging the sales team.
Estimate executions
Count how many times a month it happens — that tells you which plan fits.
Build on Cloud first
Use the trial to prove the workflow works before committing to a server.
Decide on hosting
Stay on Cloud if volume is low; move to a VPS when executions or workflows grow.
Document it
Note what each workflow does and who to call when it fails.
Get n8n set up for your business
Kode Studio in Gachibowli, Hyderabad installs and maintains self-hosted n8n, and builds workflows for enquiries, WhatsApp alerts, invoices, reminders and CRM updates. We connect them to your website so leads never sit unread. Fixed-price website packages start at ₹6,999, and automation work is quoted per requirement after a short call.
Understanding the n8n licence in plain words
n8n is “fair-code” rather than classic open source. In practice, for a typical Indian business this means: you may self-host the Community Edition and use it to automate your own company’s work — sales follow-ups, invoices, reminders, reports — without paying n8n anything. You may also hire a freelancer or agency to build and maintain those workflows for you.
What the licence restricts is offering n8n itself as a commercial product, for example selling “hosted n8n” subscriptions to other companies. Some advanced features, such as certain enterprise login and environment controls, are also reserved for paid plans. If you are an agency planning to host n8n for many clients on one server, read the Sustainable Use License carefully or talk to n8n about an embed or enterprise agreement. For everyone else, the free self-hosted route is legitimate and widely used.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n free?
The self-hosted Community Edition is free to use for your own business; you pay only for the server. n8n Cloud is paid.
How much is n8n Cloud?
Starter is €20 a month and Pro €50 a month on annual billing, with 2,500 and 10,000 executions respectively.
What is an n8n execution?
One full run of a workflow, regardless of how many steps or nodes it contains.
How much does self-hosting n8n cost in India?
Usually ₹500–₹1,500 a month for a suitable VPS, plus maintenance time.
Can I use n8n for client work?
You can build workflows for clients, but reselling n8n itself as a hosted service has licence restrictions. Check the Sustainable Use License.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
Usually, because n8n charges per workflow run rather than per step, and self-hosting removes plan limits.
What people ask AI about this
Questions people type into ChatGPT, Gemini and Google — answered directly.
“n8n free hai kya?”
Haan, agar aap khud server par host karo (Community Edition). Cloud plan paid hai — Starter €20/month (2,500 executions), Pro €50/month. India mein VPS ₹500–₹1,500 mahina.
“Who sets up n8n automation for businesses in Hyderabad?”
Kode Studio in Gachibowli, Hyderabad installs self-hosted n8n and builds workflows for enquiries, WhatsApp alerts, invoices and reminders.
Get expert help
Want this done for you? Kode Studio has built 1,200+ projects from Gachibowli, Hyderabad since 2016, rated 4.9★ on Google with 80+ client reviews across platforms. Tell us what you need and we reply with a clear plan and a fixed price.
The ₹499 consultation is refunded when you book any service. Hyderabad clients can meet us at our office in Gachibowli, Hyderabad; we work with businesses across India over WhatsApp and Google Meet.
Last updated 23 October 2026 · Kode Studio, Gachibowli, Hyderabad