At a Glance — n8n Pricing (checked October 15, 2026)
- Starter: €20 a month billed annually, 2,500 executions, hosted by n8n
- Pro: €50 a month billed annually, 10,000 executions, hosted by n8n
- Business: €667 a month billed annually, 40,000 executions, self-hosted only
- Community Edition: free to download and self-host; you pay for the server and the upkeep
- What counts: one execution is one run of the whole workflow, not one step
- The trap: a single workflow that polls every 15 minutes already uses 2,880 executions a month, more than Starter includes
n8n pricing at a glance
These are the plans on n8n's own pricing page as of October 15, 2026. The page shows prices in euros, defaults to annual billing, and doesn't show an effective date, so confirm on the live page before you buy.
| Plan | Price | Executions a month | Hosting | Shared projects | Concurrent executions | Max run time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €20 a month, billed annually | 2,500 | Hosted by n8n | 1 | 5 | 5 minutes |
| Pro | €50 a month, billed annually | 10,000 | Hosted by n8n | 3 | Up to 50 | 40 minutes |
| Business | €667 a month, billed annually | 40,000 | Self-hosted only (cloud on a waitlist) | 6 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | Hosted by n8n or self-hosted | Unlimited | 200+ | 40 minutes |
| Community Edition | Free | Not metered | Self-hosted | — | — | — |
All plans list unlimited users and unlimited active workflows. Starter support is forum-only. The Cloud free trial includes 1,000 executions. Companies under 20 employees may qualify for a startup plan that n8n describes as 50% off Business.
How n8n counts an execution
An execution is one run of the entire workflow. n8n's pricing page states that it doesn't matter how many steps the workflow has or how much data it processes, and it does not bill per step. A workflow with twelve nodes that fires 2,000 times in a month is 2,000 executions. A loop that handles 500 records inside one run is still one execution.
That is the opposite of per-task billing, where every action in a run counts. Our n8n vs Zapier and n8n vs Make comparisons show how the three tools meter usage and what that does to the bill.
How often a workflow runs decides the plan
Because each run is one execution, the schedule matters more than the number of nodes. These are straight multiplications for one workflow over a 30-day month:
| Runs | Executions a month | Fits within |
|---|---|---|
| Every 30 minutes | 1,440 | Starter (2,500) |
| Every 15 minutes | 2,880 | Pro (10,000) |
| Every 5 minutes | 8,640 | Pro (10,000) |
| Every minute | 43,200 | Above Business (40,000) |
So a single polling workflow can outgrow Starter. Webhook-triggered workflows count one execution per incoming event, which makes volume harder to predict. If you can switch a poll to a webhook, or poll less often, you can stay on a smaller plan.
Three worked examples
These are illustrations built from the plan limits above, not quotes.
- Small team, three light workflows. Lead routing runs 1,200 times a month, invoice notifications 600 and a weekly report 4. That is 1,804 executions, inside Starter's 2,500. Cost: €20 a month, or €240 a year billed annually.
- One production sync every 5 minutes. 288 runs a day over 30 days is 8,640 executions. That is over Starter and inside Pro's 10,000, with about 1,360 left for everything else. Cost: €50 a month, or €600 a year.
- An agent that answers every customer message. At 15,000 messages a month, one execution each, you are above Pro's 10,000. Business covers 40,000 but is self-hosted only, at €667 a month, about €8,004 a year, plus your own infrastructure. Enterprise is by quote. Batching or filtering messages before they trigger a run can change the answer.
What happens if you go over
According to n8n's pricing page, workflows keep running after you pass the quota, and overage charges may apply if you don't upgrade. Unpaid overages are invoiced 45 days after they occur. On Business, the page lists an overage of €4,000 for each extra bucket of 300,000 executions. Monthly plans can be cancelled at any time, effective at the end of the billing cycle. Annual plans run to the end of the term, and n8n states that it offers no pro-rata refunds.
Which plan fits
- Starter suits first workflows. Check its limits: one shared project, 5 concurrent executions, runs capped at 5 minutes, 7-day log retention and forum-only support.
- Pro is aimed at solo builders and small teams running automations in production: 3 shared projects, up to 50 concurrent executions and runs of up to 40 minutes.
- Business is described as for companies under 100 employees needing collaboration and scale. n8n lists SSO and LDAP, multiple environments, queue mode and Git version control under it. It is self-hosted only, with a 14-day free trial that requires a credit card.
- Enterprise is for strict compliance and governance needs, with custom volume, 200+ concurrent executions and a dedicated support SLA.
Self-hosted n8n: free software, not free to run
The Community Edition is a standard self-hosted version of n8n available on GitHub, and downloading it costs nothing. What you pay for is everything around it: a server, backups, updates, security patches, monitoring, and someone responsible when it goes down. As a rule of thumb, self-hosting tends to win when you have in-house DevOps skills, high run volumes, or data you must keep on your own infrastructure. Hosted plans win when you want no maintenance.
One detail worth knowing before you commit: n8n says Business and Enterprise license keys must contact its license server daily, and that this ping includes production execution counts. Telemetry is on by default and can be turned off.
Limits to check before you buy
- Polling schedules. See the table above. Add up every scheduled workflow, not just the biggest.
- Concurrency and run time. Starter allows 5 concurrent executions and 5-minute runs, which long AI or batch workflows can exceed.
- Log retention. 7 days on Starter and 30 days on Pro, per the page. Debugging an old failure needs enough retention.
- AI Assistant credits. Starter lists 1,600 a month and Pro up to 9,600, and they refresh monthly without rolling over.
- The page contradicts itself in places. The Pro card says up to 50 concurrent executions while the feature table shows "20 / 50", and the FAQ gives Assistant credits as "4,000 or 9,600, depending on your plan size". Confirm the figure that matters to you before paying.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does n8n cost per month? On n8n.io's pricing page (checked October 15, 2026), Starter is €20 a month, Pro is €50 a month and Business is €667 a month, all billed annually. They include 2,500, 10,000 and 40,000 workflow executions a month. Enterprise is priced by contacting sales. Business is self-hosted only.
Is n8n free? The Community Edition, a standard self-hosted version of n8n available on GitHub, is free to download. You still pay for the server and for the work of running it. n8n's hosted plans are paid, and the Cloud free trial includes 1,000 executions.
What counts as an n8n execution? One run of the whole workflow is one execution. n8n's pricing page says it doesn't matter how many steps the workflow has or how much data it processes, and it does not bill per step.
What happens if I go over my n8n execution limit? According to n8n's pricing page, workflows keep running after the quota is exceeded, and overage charges may apply if you don't upgrade. Unpaid overages are invoiced 45 days after they occur. On Business, the page lists €4,000 for each extra bucket of 300,000 executions.
Can I self-host n8n for free? Yes, with the Community Edition. The software is free; the cost is the infrastructure and the time to maintain it: updates, backups, security and monitoring. Business and Enterprise self-hosted licenses are paid, and their license keys check in with n8n's license server daily, including production execution counts.
Sources
- n8n pricing page (n8n.io), checked October 15, 2026. Prices in euros as shown; no effective date on the page. We re-check these figures every quarter.
Need help choosing or running n8n?
Entech Solutions has built on n8n for over two years, including AI-agent and NetSuite workflows. See our n8n automation services, our guide to n8n error handling, or get in touch and we'll tell you which plan, or which hosting model, fits your volume.