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Find the right AI tool in 2 minutes. Independent reviews and honest comparisons of 880+ AI tools.

  1. Home
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  3. Automation & Workflows
  4. n8n
  5. Free vs Paid
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n8n Doesn't Have a Free Plan — Here's What It Costs

⚡ Quick Verdict

No free plan. The cheapest way in is Starter at Contact for pricing. Consider free alternatives in the automation & workflows category if budget is tight.

See Pricing →See Plans ↓

Who Should Pay for This

👤

Best For

  • ✓Established business
  • ✓Budget for premium tools
  • ✓Need automation & workflows features
  • ✓Professional use case
  • ✓Want official support

What Users Say About n8n

👍 What Users Love

  • ✓Strong visual interface makes complex AI workflows accessible to non-developers
  • ✓Self-hosting options provide complete data control and privacy
  • ✓Native MCP support enables seamless integration with modern AI platforms
  • ✓Built-in monitoring and debugging tools specifically designed for AI workflows
  • ✓Over 175k GitHub stars indicate strong community adoption and trust
  • ✓Comprehensive security features including SOC2 compliance for enterprise use

👎 Common Concerns

  • ⚠Pricing structure based on executions can become expensive for high-volume automations
  • ⚠Learning curve exists for building complex multi-step AI agent workflows
  • ⚠Self-hosted deployments require technical expertise for setup and maintenance
  • ⚠Documentation for AI-specific features may be less comprehensive than traditional automation

🆓 Free Alternatives to n8n

→ Zapier

Free plan includes: basic features

Free PlanCompare →

→ Make.com

Free plan includes: basic features

Free PlanCompare →

→ Dify

Free plan includes: free cloud tier with limited message credits, a small number of apps and team members, basic knowledge base and workflow capabilities, suitable for evaluation and personal projects

Free PlanCompare →

Frequently Asked Questions

How does n8n compare to dedicated AI builders like Flowise?

n8n is a general automation platform with AI capabilities added. Flowise is purpose-built for AI applications. n8n is better when your AI workflow needs to interact with many business tools (CRM, email, PM). Flowise is better for pure LLM application development (RAG, agents, chatbots). Many teams use both: Flowise for the AI-specific parts, n8n for the broader automation.

Can n8n's AI agent really use all 400+ integrations as tools?

Yes, with configuration. The AI Agent node supports 'n8n tools' where you can connect any n8n node as a tool the agent can invoke. The agent receives the tool descriptions and can autonomously decide when to use each tool. In practice, limit the tool set to 5-10 relevant tools per agent to maintain reliable tool selection.

Is n8n truly open-source?

n8n uses a fair-code license (Sustainable Use License), not a traditional OSS license like MIT or Apache. You can self-host, modify, and use it for internal purposes. Commercial redistribution and embedding have restrictions. The community edition is free; enterprise features (SSO, RBAC, environments) require a paid license.

How do I handle long-running AI workflows in n8n?

For workflows with multiple LLM calls or long processing times, use the 'Wait' node for timed pauses, webhook responses for async callbacks, and sub-workflows for modular execution. Set appropriate timeouts for LLM nodes. For very long processes, use the 'Execute Workflow' trigger to chain multiple workflows.

Ready to Get Started?

See n8n plans and find the right tier for your needs.

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More about n8n

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📖 n8n Overview💰 n8n Pricing & Plans⚖️ Is n8n Worth It?🔄 Compare n8n Alternatives

Last verified March 2026