What “free self-host” actually means#
n8n Community Edition is licensed under the Sustainable Use License. It’s a fair-code license — close to open source but with restrictions on selling n8n itself as a product. For typical builder use cases (running automations for your own business or product), Community Edition is effectively free forever.
There’s no execution cap. You can run a million workflow executions a month and the n8n software cost is zero.
The actual cost: infrastructure#
You’ll pay for the server n8n runs on:
- DIY VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Linode): $5–$10/month for a small instance that handles a few thousand executions a day
- Docker on a Raspberry Pi or home server: effectively free if you already have the hardware
- Managed Docker hosting (Railway, Fly.io): $5–$15/month
- Self-hosted on AWS/GCP: more expensive at small scale, useful if you’re already in those clouds
You’ll also handle backups, version upgrades, and SSL — usually a few hours of setup, then minor maintenance.
What requires the paid Enterprise license#
The Enterprise tier adds features that matter for larger teams or regulated environments:
- SSO (SAML, OIDC)
- Advanced user permissions and audit logs
- Log streaming to external systems
- External secrets manager integration
- LDAP / sync user accounts
For solo builders or small teams, Community Edition covers the relevant feature set.
When n8n Cloud makes sense instead#
If you’d rather not operate the runtime, n8n Cloud is the managed option — same product, n8n hosts it, billed per execution-block. For the time spent managing a self-host, the cloud math often works out for low-volume but inconsistent use.
For current pricing of n8n Cloud, see n8n tracker. The self-host option is documented at n8n.io/self-host.