n8n Pricing, Features and Alternatives

Name: Install n8n Locally With Docker Desktop
Uploaded: 2025-09-23
Description: n8n's official walkthrough, from the n8n YouTube channel.

What does n8n do?

Builds multi-step workflows on a visual canvas from triggers (webhooks, schedules, app events) and nodes, with JavaScript or Python code steps where you need custom logic.
Connects to 2,367 listed integrations, including built-in HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, lemlist, Apollo, Slack, Google Sheets, OpenAI and Anthropic nodes, plus a generic HTTP Request node for any REST API.
Runs AI agent workflows that call LLMs and tools inside the same canvas as your deterministic automation steps.
Bills cloud plans per execution: one execution is one full run of a workflow, regardless of how many steps or how much data it processes.
Can be self-hosted (npm, Docker or a server) so workflow data and credentials stay on infrastructure you control.

Where does n8n fit in a GTM engineering stack?

n8n is the automation and glue layer in a GTM engineering stack: it moves data between tools on triggers and schedules, runs AI agent steps, and connects to Clay through webhook tables and HTTP calls.

1A webhook, schedule or CRM event starts the n8n workflow
2An HTTP Request node posts records into a Clay webhook table for enrichment
3Clay's HTTP API column calls an n8n webhook with the enriched row
4n8n updates HubSpot, adds the lead to lemlist and alerts Slack

See how every layer connects in Clay integrations: how the GTM engineering stack fits together.

How do you use n8n?

n8n's official walkthrough, from the n8n YouTube channel.

Install n8n Locally With Docker Desktop video thumbnail

How much does n8n cost?

Prices as shown on n8n's pricing page on 17 October 2026 (EUR). Free plan: Self-hosted Community edition is free (you pay for your own hosting). There is no free n8n Cloud plan. Free trial: 14-day n8n Cloud trial with Pro features, no credit card, capped at 1,000 executions and Starter-level compute. A 14-day Business trial is also offered and requires a card.

Community edition (self-hosted)

Free

Not applicable

Self-hosted under the Sustainable Use License. No SSO, Git version control, environments, projects, external secrets, log streaming or multi-main mode; workflow and credential sharing limited to owner and creator.

Starter (Cloud)

€20/month

Billed annually

2,500 executions a month, unlimited users and active workflows, 5 concurrent executions, 1 shared project, 7-day execution log retention, forum support.

Pro (Cloud)

€50/month

Billed annually

10,000 executions a month, up to 50 concurrent executions, 3 shared projects, admin roles, workflow history, 30-day execution log retention.

Business (self-hosted)

€667/month

Billed annually

40,000 executions a month, SSO/LDAP, multiple environments, queue mode, Git version control. Licence key checks in daily with n8n's licence server. Overage: €4,000 per extra 300,000 executions. Cloud hosting for Business is on a waitlist.

Enterprise

Contact sales

Custom

Cloud or self-hosted, 200+ concurrent executions, external secret stores, log streaming, extended data retention, dedicated support with SLA.

The pricing page shows a monthly/annual toggle, but only annual-billing prices were displayed when checked. Prices are in euros as shown on n8n.io. Hitting a saved-execution limit does not stop workflows from running; it only limits stored history.

Who is n8n best for?

A good fit if you

GTM engineers comfortable with webhooks, JSON and some code who want branching, looping and custom logic between tools like Clay, a CRM and a sequencer.
Teams running high-step workflows, since n8n counts one execution per workflow run rather than one unit per step.
Teams with data residency or cost reasons to self-host: the Community edition is free and runs on your own server.

Look elsewhere if you

Non-technical users who want a guided, low-maintenance builder; self-hosting requires installation, configuration and ongoing upkeep.
Teams that need SSO, Git version control, environments or shared projects on self-hosted n8n without paying: these are not in the Community edition.
Agencies or SaaS products that want to resell or host n8n for clients: the Sustainable Use License limits use to internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes.

Does n8n integrate with Clay and your CRM?

Clay: Via HTTP API in Clay. n8n is not in Clay's integrations directory and has no Clay node. Clay's team describes the pattern as sending data into Clay through a webhook table (n8n HTTP Request node posts JSON to the Clay webhook URL) and pushing data out of Clay with an HTTP API column that calls an n8n Webhook trigger. Clay webhook sources are capped at 50,000 submissions each outside Enterprise. (source)
Integrations: 2,367 listed integrations, including built-in HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, lemlist, Apollo, Slack, Google Sheets, OpenAI and Anthropic nodes, a partner-built Instantly node, and an HTTP Request node for anything without a node (Attio, for example, has no built-in node page). (source)
GDPR: n8n's security page states that n8n Cloud is hosted on Microsoft Azure and that the hardware and stored data are currently in the European Union, with AES-256 encryption at rest and daily encrypted backups replicated to a separate region in the same country. n8n offers a pre-signed Data Processing Agreement and a sub-processor list, and its Trust Center lists GDPR, SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3 (full SOC 2 report for enterprise customers). Self-hosting keeps data wherever you run it. (source)

What are the best n8n alternatives?

Other automation and AI tools that do the same job in a GTM engineering stack, with their own trade-offs.

Make

Hosted visual automation platform (owned by Celonis) that connects 3,500+ apps in scenarios billed by credits.

Pricing: Free plan; paid from $9/mo (annual)
Free trial: None listed

Automation and AI tools

Which GTM stacks use n8n?

AI-agent GTM stack with Claude CodeRole: Runs scheduled and triggered workflows between tools, posting JSON to Clay webhook tables and receiving calls from Clay HTTP columns.

n8n FAQs

Is n8n free to use?

n8n's self-hosted Community edition is free to use; you only pay for the server you run it on. n8n Cloud has no free plan, but it offers a 14-day trial capped at 1,000 executions. Paid cloud plans start at €20 a month, billed annually.

Is n8n open source?

n8n is source-available rather than open source in the OSI sense. Most of the code is published under the Sustainable Use License, which allows use for internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes, while files marked .ee require an Enterprise licence.

What is the difference between n8n Cloud and self-hosted n8n?

n8n Cloud is hosted and maintained by n8n on Azure in the EU and billed per execution. Self-hosted n8n runs on your own infrastructure, is free in the Community edition and leaves installation, updates, scaling and backups to you. Features like SSO, Git version control and environments need a paid Business or Enterprise licence when self-hosting.

Is n8n better than Make?

n8n and Make suit different users rather than one being better. n8n bills per workflow run and can be self-hosted, which favours long, technical workflows; Make bills per action in credits and is hosted only, with a 3,500+ app library. Compare the cost of your actual workflow volume on both pricing pages.

Can n8n connect to Clay?

n8n connects to Clay through webhooks and HTTP calls rather than a native integration. You post JSON from n8n into a Clay webhook table, and Clay's HTTP API column can call an n8n Webhook trigger to send enriched rows back.

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Sources

Checked on 17 October 2026.

Pricing, integrations and data policies are checked against n8n's own pages. How we research tools.