Buyer guide · Updated 2026-10-28

n8n Self-Hosted vs Cloud: Costs, Limits, and Who Should Run the Server

Compare self-hosted n8n and n8n Cloud using current published prices, plan limits, infrastructure disclosures, backups, refund terms, and the operations work each requires.

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Quick answer
Choose self-hosted n8n when you can operate and secure a server and want control over the host; choose n8n Cloud when avoiding server administration is worth paying for a managed service. For a checkable price example, n8n Cloud Starter is currently listed at €20 per month when billed annually, for 2,500 executions/month; the monthly-billing amount is not present in the official pricing text retrieved for this check, so confirm it in the live Monthly selector before buying. A DigitalOcean Basic Droplet with 2 shared vCPUs and 4 GiB RAM has a $24 USD monthly cap; n8n Community Edition is free to self-host, but you operate it. Cloud CPU/RAM and data-center location are not publicly specified on the plan page. Source check: October 28, 2026.

Original decision diagram. “Managed” means n8n hosts Cloud; it does not mean every infrastructure field or recovery detail is published.

Compare the bill and the work you take on

Self-hosting and Cloud are different purchases. A VPS invoice buys compute; you still manage the operating system, Docker, n8n updates, security, monitoring, and recovery. n8n Cloud bundles hosting and charges according to monthly workflow executions, not per workflow step. Compare the complete monthly obligation and your ability to operate the service, rather than treating a VPS sticker price as the full cost.

Price examples with billing terms attached

Option	Published price and billing	CPU / RAM	Executions / inclusions	Renewal information
n8n Cloud Starter	€20 per month, billed annually (EUR; annual commitment; price page shows 17% annual saving). Monthly-billing amount: confirm in the live pricing selector; the official text captured for this check exposed the annual selection only.	Not publicly specified by n8n	2,500 workflow executions/month; unlimited steps; 1 shared project; 5 concurrent executions	No separate renewal amount is published on the pricing page. Subscription terms say plans automatically renew unless cancelled; check the then-current amount before renewal.
n8n Cloud Pro	€50 per month, billed annually (EUR; annual commitment; price page shows 17% annual saving). Monthly-billing amount: confirm in the live pricing selector; the official text captured for this check exposed the annual selection only.	Not publicly specified by n8n	10,000 workflow executions/month; unlimited steps; up to 50 concurrent executions (as shown in current pricing page)	No separate renewal amount is published on the pricing page. Subscription terms say plans automatically renew unless cancelled.
n8n Community Edition on DigitalOcean Basic	$24 USD/monthly cap for the 2-vCPU/4-GiB Basic Droplet. Bundled plan bills per second, with a 60-second minimum and a monthly cap. No intro term shown.	2 shared vCPUs / 4 GiB RAM	n8n Community Edition has no license fee without a license key; compute, backup, taxes, and other services are separate.	DigitalOcean publishes this as its current ongoing monthly cap, not a promotion; its price page shows no separate renewal rate. Recheck at checkout.

DigitalOcean's current Basic table also lists 1 shared vCPU/2 GiB RAM at $12, 2 shared vCPUs/2 GiB at $18, and 4 shared vCPUs/8 GiB at $48 monthly cap. Those are distinct server sizes, not n8n-certified capacity levels. n8n does not publish a universal CPU/RAM minimum; workflow payloads and concurrency change memory use.

Backup, region, and refund terms can change the decision

Decision field	n8n Cloud	DigitalOcean Basic Droplet example
Data-center location	Not publicly specified on the pricing page. Ask n8n about the region that applies to your account and data before purchase if location is a requirement.	Basic is listed in NYC1/NYC2/NYC3, AMS3, SFO2/SFO3, SGP1, LON1, FRA1, TOR1, BLR1, SYD1, plus some regions with CPU-variant limits. Availability depends on the selected CPU variant and must be checked at creation.
Backups	Backup schedule and active-plan retention are not publicly specified on the plan page. On cancellation, n8n says backups are deleted within 90 days after the subscription ends; export workflows before the billing period ends.	Optional system-level disk images: Basic weekly adds 20% of Droplet monthly cost; daily adds 30%. DigitalOcean documents weekly retention for four weeks and daily retention for seven days. Keep an independent n8n data backup.
Refunds	n8n Help Center says monthly subscribers can request that month's payment back within 14 days of billing if they cancel. Self-serve terms generally say fees are non-refundable, subject to certain statutory withdrawal rights. Verify eligibility for your country and billing term before purchase; do not assume the monthly help-center rule applies to annual billing.	DigitalOcean's published policy says it does not offer refunds; it directs customers with extenuating circumstances to support.

Which option fits which buyer?

Self-hosted is a better fit when you can administer a Linux server and containers, want control of the host, and will maintain updates, network security, monitoring, and a tested recovery path. n8n says self-hosting requires server/container, resource/scaling, security, and configuration knowledge; it recommends self-hosting for expert users. The DigitalOcean $24 plan is an example with explicit resources and published ongoing price, not a promise that it will run every workflow.

Cloud is a better fit when the monthly execution allowance matches your needs and avoiding VPS maintenance is worth an ongoing subscription. The Starter plan's published 2,500 monthly execution allowance and five concurrent executions give concrete limits to compare; workflows with higher execution volume or concurrency need another plan or architecture. Cloud infrastructure details such as CPU, RAM, and data-center location are not publicly specified on the pricing page, so do not buy it on the assumption of a particular server size or region.

Neither is an automatic fit if you have not counted executions, need a disclosed data region that Cloud does not publicly name, require infrastructure guarantees not stated in a plan, or cannot accept the provider's backup and refund terms. First list those requirements, then confirm the exact plan and checkout terms.

Calculate what you are actually comparing

For Cloud, compare your expected monthly full workflow runs with the plan's allowance. n8n counts a workflow execution as a run; steps inside that run do not each become separate executions.
For self-hosting, add the chosen VPS monthly cap, backup add-on, taxes, and any paid storage or services. The n8n Community Edition license itself has no fee when used without a paid license key.
Add your own operational requirement: who patches, monitors, secures, and restores the instance. Do not convert that work into a guessed dollar amount.
Check the billing selector (monthly or annual), currency, upfront commitment, current renewal wording, refund eligibility, location, and backup terms immediately before purchase.
Export workflows and verify an independent backup before cancelling either service. n8n Cloud subscriptions stop workflows when the paid period ends; the provider says its backups are removed within 90 days thereafter.

Official sources

n8n Cloud Pricing — current plan prices, execution allowances, annual-billing display, and hosted status.
n8n: Use Docker Compose — self-hosting skill requirements and n8n's recommendation for users without server experience.
n8n: Fix memory issues — workload factors affecting resource use.
n8n Help Center: Refund policy and n8n Self-Serve Terms — monthly refund conditions, billing and cancellation terms.
n8n Help Center: Cancel a paid subscription — service end, backups and account-data retention after cancellation.
DigitalOcean Droplet Pricing — Basic size, current USD rates, and billing basis.
DigitalOcean Droplet Availability, Backups Pricing, Backup Quickstart, and Refund Policy.

Source check: October 28, 2026. Cloud annual prices are shown exactly as the official pricing page's annual selection displays them; the Monthly selector is available, but this source capture did not return its amount. CPU/RAM and region for Cloud are not stated on that page. Recommendations depend on the buyer's needs and operational ability, not a performance test. Confirm current terms at checkout.