n8n Community Edition is free to self-host indefinitely. Its biggest limits are workflow sharing, shared projects, SSO and built-in Git version control. You also need someone to keep the server running, install updates and deal with failed workflows.
If you maintain your own automations, the free edition may cover what you need. The decision gets harder when a colleague needs to take over a workflow or your company requires central access controls. Here is what you can use for free, where the restrictions show up and when paying makes sense.
What Are the Main n8n Community Edition Limits?
| Feature | Free Community Edition |
|---|---|
| Core workflow automation | Included |
| Standard logging | Included |
| Queue mode | Included |
| Workflow and credential sharing | Excluded |
| Shared projects | Excluded |
| SSO through SAML or LDAP | Excluded |
| Built-in Git version control and environments | Excluded |
| Custom variables | Excluded |
| External secret-store integration | Excluded |
| External storage for binary data | Excluded |
| Log streaming | Excluded |
| Multi-main mode | Excluded |
| Folders, debug in editor and custom execution data | Unlocked through free registration |
Check the plan for the feature you need. Some restrictions are removed by Business, while others require Enterprise.
Is n8n Self-Hosted Really Free?
Yes, the Community Edition software is free for permitted use. You install it on infrastructure you provide and manage. n8n Cloud is the separate hosted service, with paid plans and a free trial.
You can connect apps, add custom code and build workflows that call AI models. Each connected service still has its own pricing: a lead-enrichment workflow might cost nothing in n8n software fees but generate a bill from the enrichment provider. Include those charges when comparing the free edition with a hosted plan.
For the broader product overview, see our n8n pricing, features and alternatives.
Does Community Edition Limit Workflow Executions?
Community Edition does not come with a Cloud-style monthly execution allowance. How much it can process depends on your server and workflows. Memory, CPU, database performance and the services you call can all become bottlenecks.
By default, regular self-hosted mode does not cap simultaneous production executions. You can set a concurrency limit so a sudden burst of requests does not overwhelm the instance. This controls how many runs happen at once; it does not set a monthly quota.
For example, a workflow scheduled every five minutes starts 8,640 times in a 30-day month. That number alone tells you little about the server you need. Checking a single record is a different workload from processing a large document on every run.
Saved execution history is a separate limit
Execution records consume database storage. Self-hosted administrators can configure what gets saved and when older records are pruned. You can, for example, retain failed runs while reducing successful-run data.
Pruning old history frees storage, but it also removes evidence you may need to investigate a failure. Before shortening retention, consider how long it usually takes your team to notice and report a problem.
Can Multiple People Collaborate on the Free Edition?
Community Edition supports separate users, but it does not include workflow and credential sharing between teammates. Access is limited to the creator and instance owner. Adding a colleague’s account therefore does not give them a shared workspace for maintaining your automations.
Suppose you build a lead-routing workflow and want a colleague to handle failures while you are away. They need access to the workflow and its credentials, not just their own login. This is where the free edition can become awkward for a team, even when the automation runs well.
If two or more people need to maintain the same workflows, review sharing before you commit to self-hosting. n8n offers it on all Cloud plans and on self-hosted Business and Enterprise. A small team may find Cloud worth comparing before paying for a self-hosted licence.
What Does Free Community Registration Unlock?
Registering your email unlocks three additional features without a paid subscription:
- Folders: Organize workflows.
- Debug in editor: Copy and pin execution data while developing a workflow.
- Custom execution data: Save and find execution metadata.
For an existing instance, open Settings → Usage and plan → Unlock, request the free key and activate it. Registration does not remove the sharing, SSO or Git restrictions.
Can You Scale n8n Community Edition With Queue Mode?
Yes. Queue mode is included, while multi-main mode is excluded. These are different capabilities: adding workers to process jobs does not provide multiple main instances for the same deployment.
Queue mode uses Redis to send jobs to workers, with a database storing the data. You have more components to maintain as a result. For file-heavy workflows, check storage too: n8n does not support persistent binary data on the filesystem in queue mode, and its documented S3 storage route requires a paid feature.
An automation handling text records may be straightforward to scale. One handling images or documents needs a closer look at how those files are stored and passed between workers.
Can You Use n8n Community Edition Commercially?
Yes, for uses permitted by its Sustainable Use License. It is source-available under a fair-code model, rather than an unrestricted OSI-approved open-source licence.
| Use case | Published licensing guidance |
|---|---|
| Automating your own business | Permitted |
| Charging for workflow setup, maintenance or consulting | Permitted |
| Building client automations on your instance | Permitted where clients cannot create or edit them |
| Using n8n behind your product | Can qualify within the stated conditions |
| Selling hosted access so customers build workflows | Not permitted under the Community licence |
| Letting external users configure workflows through your app or API | Not permitted under the Community licence |
| White-labeling n8n and selling it as your product | Not permitted under the Community licence |
For example, using n8n to route your company’s leads fits a different model from selling customers a workflow builder. If your product sits between the published examples, ask n8n about that exact use case before launch. Paying to unlock features does not, by itself, establish resale or embedding rights.
What Costs Remain When the Software Is Free?
Your costs include the server, backups, monitoring, external APIs and maintenance time. Decide who will install updates, investigate failed runs and restore the instance if something breaks. For a small team, that person’s time may matter more than the monthly server bill.
As a hypothetical example, $15 for hosting, $5 for backups and $20 for API usage totals $40 monthly before tax and maintenance labour. Those are illustrative inputs, not a hosting quote or n8n minimum requirement.
If you would rather have hosting managed for you, compare the cost of your actual workflows elsewhere. Our Make pricing profile and Pabbly Connect profile explain their billing models and limits. Include maintenance time in the comparison, alongside usage charges.
When Should You Choose a Paid n8n Plan?
| What you need | Where to start |
|---|---|
| One technical owner maintaining internal automations | Community or Registered Community |
| Managed hosting and shared workflows | n8n Cloud |
| Self-hosting with projects, SSO and Git environments | Business |
| External secrets, log streaming and dedicated SLA support | Enterprise |
| Customers building their own workflows | Separate commercial licensing assessment |
At the check date, advertised annual-billing monthly equivalents were €20 for Cloud Starter, €50 for Cloud Pro and €667 for self-hosted Business. Their displayed execution allowances were 2,500, 10,000 and 40,000 respectively. Enterprise uses custom pricing.
Business unlocks paid features on your own infrastructure. You still manage hosting, and dedicated support with an SLA belongs to Enterprise. Before upgrading, list the features you need and confirm which plan includes them.
What We Checked to Help You Choose
We checked n8n’s official feature lists, licence guidance, hosting documentation and prices to help you decide whether the free edition covers your team’s needs. This is a documentation-based guide, not a hands-on performance review. Cost examples are illustrative, and plan details should be checked again before subscribing.
Which Edition Should You Choose?
Choose Community Edition if you can maintain the server and your workflows do not need shared team access. Free registration adds useful organization and debugging features without a subscription.
If colleagues need to maintain the same automations, compare paid sharing options early. If nobody can own hosting, start by assessing Cloud. For a customer-facing workflow builder, confirm the commercial licence before building around n8n.
