n8n Cloud vs Self-Hosted
· By AI Compare
Pay for convenience or run it yourself? A clear comparison and checklist to decide.
Install and setup
The short answer
- n8n Cloud if you want zero maintenance and your volume fits the plan limits.
- Self-hosted if you have someone comfortable with servers, run high volume, or need data to stay on your infrastructure.
Comparison table
| n8n Cloud | Self-hosted Community | Self-hosted Business/Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From €20/mo (2,500 executions) | Free software + server ($5–20/mo) | From €667/mo |
| Executions | 2,500 / 10,000 / custom | Unlimited | 40,000+ / custom |
| Maintenance | None | You handle updates, backups, security | You handle infrastructure, with support |
| Data location | n8n's cloud (EU hosting) | Your servers | Your servers |
| SSO, Git version control, environments | Higher plans | No | Yes |
| Support | Included on paid plans | Community forum | Included |
| Scaling | Managed | Manual (queue mode, workers) | Manual, with guidance |
Prices from n8n.io, October 2026.
When n8n Cloud makes sense
- You do not have a developer or ops person.
- You run fewer than ~10,000 executions a month.
- You want to start today without learning Docker.
- Your security team is happy with a reputable SaaS vendor.
When self-hosting makes sense
- High volume: unlimited executions for the price of a server.
- Data residency, client contracts or regulations require you to keep data in-house.
- You need access to internal systems (databases, APIs behind a firewall).
- You want full control over versions, environment variables and community nodes.
The real cost of self-hosting
| Item | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Small VPS | $6–20 |
| Backups | $1–4 |
| Domain | ~$1 |
| Your time: updates, monitoring, fixes | 1–3 hours |
If an hour of your time is worth $50, the "free" option costs $50–150 a month in time at low scale. It becomes clearly cheaper once you run tens of thousands of executions or would otherwise need a higher Cloud plan.
Middle ground: managed hosting
Several hosting companies offer one-click n8n deployments where they handle the server and you manage n8n. This keeps unlimited executions while reducing maintenance.
Decision checklist
- Do you have a technical person with 1–3 hours a month? If no → Cloud.
- Will you exceed 10,000 executions a month soon? If yes → self-host.
- Must data stay on your infrastructure? If yes → self-host.
- Need SSO and Git version control? → Cloud Enterprise or self-hosted Business.
