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Choose n8n Cloud if you want n8n to operate the hosting infrastructure; choose self-hosted n8n if you need to select and manage the environment yourself. Cloud has a recurring plan fee tied to monthly workflow executions. Self-hosting can avoid a Community Edition platform subscription, but it does not make compute, storage, backups, security work, or operator time free. The better fit depends on your workload, required plan features, and who will run the service.
How the two options differ
| Factor | n8n Cloud | Self-hosted n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | n8n operates the hosting infrastructure. | You choose and operate the environment, for example by installing with npm or Docker. |
| Payment model | Cloud plans are priced by monthly workflow executions, regardless of workflow complexity. The pricing page also lists paid self-hosted Business plans. | Community Edition is available as a standard self-hosted version on GitHub; hosting and operational costs still apply. Paid Business licensing has its own price and usage reporting. |
| Maintenance ownership | n8n handles the hosting infrastructure. | You are responsible for operating the deployment, including updates, recovery, monitoring, and configuring security controls. |
| Placement and encryption | n8n specifies Cloud data storage in the EU, in Frankfurt, Germany; verify current terms before procurement. | You choose where to run it and must arrange transport and storage encryption. |
For official details on infrastructure and deployment options, see n8n’s deployment documentation. Security responsibilities are described on n8n’s security page.
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At the time the official pricing page was checked on 4 October 2026, n8n listed these annual-billing prices and monthly execution allowances. They are page values, not guaranteed current offers; confirm the billing period, currency, region, limits, and plan terms on the live pricing page before buying.
| Plan shown on n8n pricing page | Monthly workflow executions | Price shown | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud Starter | 2,500 | €20/month, billed annually | Cloud |
| Cloud Pro | 10,000 | €50/month, billed annually | Cloud |
| Business | 40,000 | €667/month, billed annually | Self-hosted |
| Community Edition | Not stated as a plan allowance on the cited pricing page | No price stated on the cited pricing page | Self-hosted; standard version available on GitHub |
Executions, rather than workflow complexity, are the pricing basis stated by n8n. Compare your expected monthly execution count with the plan allowance, but do not treat the listed Community Edition as cost-free to operate: infrastructure and the time needed to maintain it are separate costs.
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Features can change the price decision
The plan comparison also distinguishes saved execution history, concurrency, shared projects, and other capabilities. The pricing page identifies SSO/SAML/LDAP, Git-based version control and environments, and queue-mode scaling as Business-level features; Enterprise adds further governance, support, and storage options. At the time checked, the page described Business as self-hosted and said Cloud Business was not yet available. Because eligibility and limits can change, check the current plan comparison rather than assuming a feature is included.
Saved execution history is not the same as whether workflows continue to run. n8n says Cloud history is subject to saved-execution counts, storage, and retention windows; when a history limit is reached, older retained data is removed, but workflows keep running. This matters if you rely on historical executions for troubleshooting.
Is self-hosting really cheaper?
It can reduce direct platform charges if you use Community Edition, but there is no universal answer about total cost. A fair comparison adds up the costs each option actually creates:
- Cloud: the suitable subscription tier, based on execution volume and required features.
- Self-hosted: compute, storage, backups, any applicable license, and the labor or service cost of operating and securing the deployment.
- Either option: the value of capabilities you need, such as collaboration, concurrency, history, scaling, or support.
The official prices do not provide an apples-to-apples total for your workload or staffing. Before choosing, estimate executions and required features, price a realistic hosting and backup setup, and account for who will patch, monitor, and recover the instance. A low infrastructure bill can still be a poor bargain if operating it consumes scarce staff time.
What self-hosting makes you responsible for
Choosing a server is only the first operational decision. n8n explicitly says self-hosters must configure TLS in front of the instance and handle encryption at rest for n8n data and its database. In practice, operating a deployment also means planning for access control, updates, backup restoration, and service monitoring.
- Protect connections: configure TLS for public endpoints and keep access to the instance restricted to the people and services that need it.
- Protect stored data: arrange encryption at rest for n8n data and its database, and make sure backups are encrypted and access-controlled.
- Keep the deployment current: maintain the host and n8n version, and review security changes that apply to your setup.
- Prove recovery works: test backup restoration rather than assuming a successful backup job guarantees a recoverable service.
- Monitor operations: watch availability, storage, and failures so an unattended problem does not go unnoticed.
These operating practices follow from running the service yourself; they are not a claim that n8n’s documentation prescribes one universal architecture. The exact design depends on your workload and environment.
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n8n’s security audit documentation describes a built-in audit available with n8n audit or through the API. It reports issues such as credential risks, database-query risks, filesystem access, risky built-in and community/custom nodes, unprotected webhooks, missing security settings, and an outdated instance. Use the report to find things to review; a clean or improved report is not proof that the whole deployment is secure.
Git-based environments require a deliberate promotion path
n8n documents Git-based source control as a Business/Enterprise feature. Its environment documentation warns that pushing and pulling on the same instance can overwrite work and cause data loss. Public repositories can also expose workflows, tags, and variable or credential stubs. If you use this feature, prefer private repositories and define how changes move between environments before syncing.
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External binary storage is a specialized option
For execution binary data, n8n documents external S3 storage as a self-hosted Enterprise feature. Operators need a bucket lifecycle rule if they want old binary data deleted, and the documentation includes version-specific upgrade cautions. This is relevant to some larger deployments, not a baseline requirement for every self-hosted installation; see n8n’s external storage documentation.
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Self-hosting gives you more direct control over the environment and placement, but it does not make a deployment automatically private, secure, or compliant. Those outcomes depend on configuration, access, connected services, and the obligations that apply to your organization. n8n’s security page describes Cloud as hosted on Microsoft Azure, with physical infrastructure and platform data in the EU, encrypted data at rest and in transit, private networking for the database, Azure storage encryption, and encrypted database backups. Its pricing FAQ identifies Frankfurt, Germany, as the Cloud data location. These are current product claims to verify with n8n before relying on them for procurement or residency requirements.
Self-hosting also does not necessarily mean that no information reaches n8n. n8n’s privacy policy says certain usage data is processed by default unless the operator opts out as documented. For paid self-hosted licenses, n8n says the license server is contacted daily and usage information such as production execution counts is reported; the privacy policy also describes reporting of license identifiers and usage counts for paid licenses. Review the current policy and opt-out documentation if these details matter to your data-control decision.
A practical way to choose
- Estimate actual use. Work out expected monthly workflow executions and whether your workload may exceed a Cloud tier’s allowance.
- List non-negotiable features. Check history, concurrency, collaboration, SSO, Git environments, scaling, storage, and support against the live plan matrix.
- Set your operating boundary. Decide whether your team can own TLS, encryption, patching, monitoring, backups, recovery, and security review—or whether managed hosting is worth the subscription.
- Confirm data requirements. Establish which region and controls you need, then verify Cloud’s current hosting details or design and validate your own self-hosted controls.
- Compare complete costs. Include subscription or license, infrastructure, storage, backups, security configuration, and operator time rather than comparing a plan price with a server’s headline cost.
If you want n8n to run the infrastructure and the available Cloud plan fits your execution and feature needs, Cloud is the simpler operational choice. If you need to select the environment and can reliably take responsibility for its security and upkeep, self-hosting offers more direct control. Neither is automatically the cheaper or more private option for every organization.
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