n8n

n8n connects application events, APIs, databases, and AI steps in a visual workflow. It fits teams that need to inspect data between steps and add code when a connector cannot express their logic. A useful first project is a webhook that validates a support request, looks up its account, and drafts a response for approval.

Deployment and license

Use n8n Cloud for managed hosting or run Community Edition on your own infrastructure. The latter requires an owner for upgrades, backups, credentials, and monitoring. Community Edition omits capabilities such as shared projects, SSO, and Git environments. These are edition and plan decisions, not automatic benefits of self-hosting.

n8n is source-available under the Sustainable Use License, with separate enterprise licensing. Internal business and personal uses are permitted within its terms. Offering hosted access or embedding n8n in a customer product requires a license review. Calling it unrestricted open source would be inaccurate.

Cost and rollout checks

Paid plans meter production workflow executions rather than individual steps. Current documentation excludes manual runs, sub-workflow executions, and error workflows from that quota. Cloud also has concurrency, duration, and retention limits. External model providers can add their own charges.

Start with duplicate events, expired credentials, and a failed destination API. Add an idempotency key before writing records, alert an owner on failure, and review saved execution data for sensitive content. Self-hosting moves operating work to your team; it does not establish compliance by itself.

Official sources checked on October 23, 2026. Pricing, execution accounting, editions, and license.