n8n

What is n8n?

n8n is a workflow automation platform with a fair-code licence: the source code is open, and the Community Edition can be self-hosted for free without restrictions – making it attractive for privacy-sensitive AI workflows. Those who prefer not to manage their own hosting can use the n8n Cloud (Starter from 24 €/month). The platform provides hundreds of integrations and native AI/agent building blocks.

At its core, n8n works like Make with a visual node canvas, but it goes a step further: every workflow can be extended with your own JavaScript or Python code, and via the code node or custom HTTP calls virtually any API can be connected. Its native LangChain and AI-agent building blocks make n8n a popular foundation for building your own AI agents and RAG pipelines — with full control over data and model providers. Our comparison shows how n8n stacks up against more beginner-friendly options for building no-code AI agents.

n8n: Strengths and weaknesses

The clear strength is data sovereignty: if you self-host, all data stays in-house — a genuine argument for GDPR-sensitive use cases. Add to that extensibility via code, a growing library of integrations, and a very active community with ready-made workflow templates. Compared with purely cloud-based tools, self-hosting also removes operation-based limits.

The weakness is the effort: self-hosting requires basic technical know-how (Docker, updates, backups), and the learning curve is steeper than with more guided tools. The fair-code licence is also not classic open source — commercially offering n8n as a hosted service is restricted. If you don't want to run your own infrastructure, Make or Zapier will get you productive faster.

Pricing and plans

n8n is available in two worlds: the self-hosted Community Edition is free and usable without an operations limit — you only pay for your own server infrastructure. For anyone who doesn't want to run hosting, there's the managed n8n Cloud; the Starter plan begins at around 24 €/month and is tiered by workflow executions, with higher plans (Pro, Enterprise) adding more executions, multiple active workflows, and team features. For teams with their own operational know-how, the self-hosting option is by far the cheapest.

Who is n8n for?

n8n is the top choice for technical teams, developers, and privacy-conscious companies that want to run automations and AI agents themselves with full data control. It also shines for complex workflows that require custom code. If, on the other hand, you want to start without running a server and assemble automations purely by clicking, Make or Zapier are a better fit.