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n8n Pricing Guide: Navigating Self-Host Costs
Confused by the 2026 n8n pricing? Avoid high execution fees by self-hosting the Community Edition on Zeabur. Discover how to cut costs today.
Ling WuTL;DR
- The Shift: n8n’s 2025/2026 pricing update unlocks unlimited workflows for everyone but pivots to a new execution-based billing model.
- The Cost: A new self-hosted Business plan introduces per-execution fees, causing costs to spike significantly for high-volume automation users.
- The Good News: The Community Edition remains 100% free with unlimited executions for self-hosters.
- The Fix: Zeabur’s containerized hosting offers the sweet spot—running the unlimited Community Edition on efficient, auto-scaling infrastructure to avoid enterprise-level bills.
The 2026 n8n Pricing Shift: What You Need to Know
If you are managing automation pipelines, you have likely noticed the turmoil regarding the latest n8n pricing update. For years, n8n was the darling of the open-source community because of its "fair-code" model. However, recent updates have introduced a complex split between casual users and high-volume business users.
To understand the true n8n self-hosted cost, we must look at the fundamental changes in their billing philosophy which build upon the technical foundation established in What's New in n8n 2.0.
Key Changes in the New Model
- Unlimited Workflows: n8n has eliminated limits on the number of active workflows. You can now run as many distinct automation scripts as you want.
- Execution-Based Billing: Instead of charging by "workflow count," n8n Cloud and the new Business plan charge by "execution" (a complete run of a workflow).
- New Self-Hosted Tiers: The introduction of a paid Self-Hosted Business plan has created a paywall for features that were previously expected by growing teams, such as SSO and Git integration.
Vital Terminology Explained
Before calculating costs, it is crucial to understand the technical terms driving the new price tags:
- Execution vs. Task: Unlike Zapier, which charges per step (task), n8n charges per execution. Whether your workflow has 5 steps or 500 steps, one run equals one execution.
- Git Workflows: A version control system allowing teams to track changes, rollback updates, and collaborate on automations without overwriting each other's work.
- Queue-Mode Scaling: An architecture that allows n8n to handle massive concurrency by offloading tasks to worker nodes (Redis-backed), preventing server crashes during traffic spikes.
- SSO (Single Sign-On): Security protocol allowing employees to log in using company credentials (e.g., Google Workspace, Okta), essential for SOC2 compliance.
Why Self-Hosting Costs Are Rising for Businesses
The confusion surrounding n8n self-hosted cost stems from the new Business Plan. Previously, self-hosting meant you only paid for your server infrastructure (VPS). Now, if you need "Business" features, you pay a licensing fee based on executions.
The "Sticker Shock" Math: The new self-hosted Business plan pricing is dynamic.
- Base Allocation: Includes a set number of executions.
- Overage: High-volume usage is billed aggressively. Reports indicate that charging €4,000 for every 300,000 additional executions results in a cost of roughly $0.015 per execution.
For a company running high-frequency data syncing or AI agents, this scales poorly:
- 100,000 executions: ~$1,500/month
- 1,000,000 executions: ~$15,000/month
Note: Failed workflows still count as executions.
This creates a massive gap. Users on Reddit have voiced frustration, noting that simple polling triggers or chat-bots can burn through execution limits in days, leading to monthly bills that rival enterprise software suites.
Community vs. Business: Which Version Do You Need?
The good news? The n8n Community Edition remains free. The decision to upgrade rests entirely on feature requirements, not execution limits.
| Feature | Community Edition (Free) | Business Plan (Paid) |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Execution Limit | Unlimited (Hardware dependent) | Capped / Pay-per-execution |
| User Accounts | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| SSO / LDAP | No | Yes |
| Git Integration | No | Yes |
| Log Streaming | Basic | Advanced |
| Support | Community Forum | Dedicated Support |
Who should stay on Community? Indie developers, startups, and technical teams who are comfortable managing their own infrastructure should absolutely stay on the Community Edition. By pairing the Community Edition with a smart hosting provider like Zeabur, you get unlimited executions for the price of a coffee.
Who must upgrade? Large organizations with strict governance requirements (SOC2, HIPAA) that mandate Single Sign-On (SSO) or non-technical teams that need dedicated support.
The Ultimate Comparison: n8n vs. Zapier vs. Make
How does n8n stack up against the competition in 2026? Here is the landscape of workflow automation tools:
| Feature | n8n (Self-Hosted Community) | Zapier | Make (Integromat) | n8n (Cloud/Business) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Infrastructure Only (Cheapest) | Per Task (Expensive) | Per Operation | Per Execution |
| Cost Scaling | Flat rate (Server cost) | Linear (Pay for every step) | Linear (Pay for every step) | High for heavy usage |
| Data Privacy | 100% Control (GDPR Friendly) | US Cloud Hosted | EU/US Cloud Hosted | Cloud Hosted |
| Complexity | High (Code-friendly) | Low (Linear) | Medium (Visual) | High |
| Best For | Developers, High Volume, Privacy | Simple Integrations | Visual Data Mapping | Enterprise Teams |
The Verdict:
- Zapier is great for simple, low-volume tasks but becomes prohibitively expensive at scale due to "per-task" billing.
- Make offers better visual logic than Zapier but still suffers from operation counting.
- n8n Self-Hosted is the only option that offers unlimited steps and unlimited executions for a flat infrastructure fee.
The Hidden Costs of Infrastructure (and How to Fix Them)
If you choose the self-hosted Community route to avoid licensing fees, you still have to pay for servers.
Standard VPS Costs (AWS/DigitalOcean):
- vCPU & RAM: To handle concurrency, you might need 4 vCPUs and 8GB RAM ($40-$80/month).
- Database: Managing a Postgres database ($20/month).
- DevOps Time: Configuring Docker, SSL, Nginx, and Redis for queue mode (Hours of engineering time).
- Total: ~$100/month + Maintenance headaches.
How Zeabur Minimizes n8n Hosting Costs
Zeabur changes the calculus by offering Serverless Containerization. Instead of paying for a massive VPS that sits idle 50% of the time, Zeabur charges for the actual resources (CPU/RAM) your n8n instance uses.
1. The "Free Tier" Sandbox Start with Zeabur’s free plan. It is perfect for testing triggers, learning the n8n interface, and building lightweight bots without spending a dime.
2. The $5 Developer Plan Once your automations are live, the $5 Developer Plan offers a usage credit. Because n8n is often idle between webhooks, Zeabur’s architecture scales down resources, meaning your $5 credit goes much further than a $5 static VPS.
- Insider Tip: Most average n8n deployments on Zeabur cost between $5 and $20 per month—a fraction of the n8n Business plan.
3. Bring Your Own Server (BYOS) For maximum control, Zeabur allows you to connect your own clouds (AWS, GCP) or use dedicated servers. You get the Zeabur deployment experience (one-click updates, easy logs) on your own hardware.
Conclusion: Build More, Pay Less
The 2026 n8n pricing update has drawn a line in the sand: Enterprise users pay for convenience, while Community users pay for infrastructure.
Don't let the fear of "self-hosting complexity" push you toward expensive Business plans. Zeabur bridges the gap, giving you the unlimited power of n8n Community Edition with the ease of cloud hosting.
Ready to start? Try out our free plan today. Zeabur is the best sandbox for builders. If you decide to upgrade, use the referral code below to get an additional $5 USD credit (equivalent to a free month of the Dev plan!).
[Build your FREE n8n Workflow via One Click Deploy button NOW!]
