An honest comparison so you pick the right option — free guide, no sales pitch
n8n gives you two ways to use it: n8n Cloud (they host it, you pay monthly) and Self-Hosted (you run it yourself, free forever). Picking the wrong one wastes either money or time. This guide helps you choose in 15 minutes.
n8n Cloud: 14-day free trial. Then $24/month (Starter), $60/month (Pro), or $120/month (Enterprise).
Self-Hosted: FREE FOREVER. You pay only for the server ($0 on your own computer, $5-20/month for a cloud server).
We do not get paid by n8n. This is a genuine comparison based on our own experience running both.
| Category | n8n Cloud | Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24-120/month | $0 forever (+ server cost) |
| Setup time | 60 seconds | 15-30 minutes |
| Technical skill needed | None | Basic command line |
| Updates | Automatic | You update manually |
| Uptime / reliability | 99.9% SLA | Depends on your server |
| Backups | Automatic | You handle it |
| Workflow limit | 5 (Starter) to unlimited | Unlimited |
| Execution limit | 2,500-50,000+/month | Unlimited |
| Custom nodes | Limited on lower tiers | Full access |
| Data stays where | n8n's servers (EU) | Your server (anywhere) |
| Team features | Built-in | Available (Enterprise license) |
| Support | Email + priority | Community forum |
| SSL / domain | Included | You configure it |
n8n Cloud is the "just works" option. You sign up, you build workflows, you never think about servers. n8n handles updates, backups, security, and uptime. You focus on your automations.
Choose n8n Cloud if:
| Plan | Price | Workflows | Executions | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $24/month | 5 active | 2,500/month | Solopreneurs, testing |
| Pro | $60/month | 15 active | 10,000/month | Growing businesses |
| Enterprise | $120/month | Unlimited | 50,000/month | Teams and agencies |
Pro Tip: Start with Starter. You can upgrade anytime. Most people stay on Starter for months before needing more.
Self-hosted n8n runs on your own machine. Your laptop. A Raspberry Pi. A $5/month cloud server. Anywhere. You own everything. You pay nothing to n8n. Free forever.
Choose self-hosted if:
| Option | Cost | Difficulty | Good For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own computer | $0 | Easy | Testing, learning |
| DigitalOcean Droplet | $6/month | Medium | Production use |
| Hetzner Cloud | $4/month | Medium | Budget production |
| Railway.app | $5/month | Easy | Fast deploy, no SSH |
| Raspberry Pi | $0 (one-time $50 hardware) | Medium | Home office, always-on |
| Scenario | n8n Cloud (Starter) | Self-Hosted (DigitalOcean) | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 cost | $288 | $72 | $216 saved |
| Year 2 cost | $576 total | $144 total | $432 saved |
| Year 3 cost | $864 total | $216 total | $648 saved |
| Execution limit | 2,500/month | Unlimited | — |
But here is the trade-off: Self-hosted costs less in dollars but more in time. You handle updates, backups, security, and troubleshooting. If you value your time at $50/hour and spend 2 hours per month on maintenance, that is $100/month in hidden cost. For some people, n8n Cloud is actually cheaper when you count your time.
Answer these three questions:
Our honest recommendation: Start with n8n Cloud. Use the 14-day free trial. Learn the tool without worrying about servers. If you outgrow it or want to save money, switch to self-hosted later. Your workflows transfer over.
Move from Cloud to self-hosted when: you hit execution limits regularly, you need data to stay on your own servers, or you are comfortable managing a server and want to save money. Most people hit this point around month 6-12.
Our recommendation: We use Claude AI for our own business and recommend it to everyone we work with. It follows instructions precisely, writes at a professional level, and takes your privacy seriously. You can use Claude inside n8n workflows too. Try Claude.
Join thousands of people who use CreatorHQ to work smarter with AI and automation.
Explore CreatorHQ