n8n: who it fits, what it costs, and the catch
Who n8n fits, and who it does not
- Checked 2026-10-14
- 2 sources
Scored against the other verified automation tools. How we score tools. What we earn is not part of it.
- Good for
- Developers wanting granular control and custom code
- Teams needing self-hosting for data privacy
- Agencies and freelancers building automations for clients
- SMBs and enterprises (SSO, SAML, audit logs on enterprise plan)
- Not for
- Non-technical users (steeper than Zapier or Make)
- Teams without skills for self-hosting
- Users who need the largest connector/template catalog
- The catch
- Maximum flexibility and self-hosting, but a steeper learning curve and fewer connectors than Zapier or Make; large workflows get hard to manage.
Data last verified: 2026-10-14
What n8n costs over five years
Five years for a team of 5, paid yearly: $1,200
On the Starter plan, at today's price. We do not assume a rise.
- Paid monthly, one year
- $288
- Paid yearly, one year
- $240
Paying yearly saves $48 a year (17%).
Change the number to see your own total. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Vendor pricing page · checked 2026-10-19We have tracked n8n's prices since 2026-10-19; no change so far. All price changes
The free plan, as n8n describes it.
- Free plan
- No free Cloud plan listed; a standard self-hosted version is available on GitHub
- Vendor page · checked 2026-10-18
What you risk by starting
Trial, refunds and getting your data out of n8n.
What we verified n8n can do
Open a row for the vendor's own wording and the page we read it on.
Visual builderYes
Several steps in one runYes
Workflow executions with unlimited steps on Starter, Pro and Business
Vendor page · checked 2026-10-14If-this-then-that rulesYes
'Route with switches and if nodes, loop and merge the branches back together'
Vendor page · checked 2026-10-14Runs on a scheduleYes
Starts from other apps (webhooks)Yes
Retries when a step failsYes
Ready-made app connectionsYes
Add your own codeYes
Team sharingYes
Shared projects: 1 (Starter), 3 (Pro), 6 (Business), unlimited (Enterprise)
Vendor page · checked 2026-10-14Earlier versions keptYes
Workflow history 1 day (Starter), 5 days (Pro), 365+ days (Enterprise); Git version control on Business
Vendor page · checked 2026-10-14If n8n isn’t right for you
Where these facts come from
What to do next
- Work out the cost for your own team size
- Compare the runner-up, Make
- See how we score, so you can check our work
You can leave now. Nothing here expires.
Data last verified: 2026-10-14