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n8n

Automation

Visual workflow automation platform for building AI agents and integrations

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AISH Bottom Line

n8n is a low-code workflow automation platform built for technical teams who need to connect apps, run AI agents, and automate business processes — deployable on their own infrastructure or via n8n's cloud. It separates itself from most automation tools by combining a visual canvas with full JavaScript and Python code support, self-hosting under a faircode license, and execution-based pricing that charges per full workflow run rather than per step. The cloud Starter plan caps at 2,500 executions per month, and dedicated support is reserved for Enterprise customers, which may limit teams with tight budgets or high-volume needs.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Self-hosting with a faircode license

n8n is available as a self-hosted deployment via Docker or Kubernetes, with the community edition free on GitHub (181k+ stars). It operates under a faircode license — open to inspect and self-host, with paid enterprise licensing for commercial scale. Teams can run n8n fully air-gapped on a private network, giving them complete data sovereignty. Why it matters: Organizations with strict data residency or compliance requirements can run automation infrastructure they fully own and control.

500+ pre-built integrations plus an HTTP fallback

n8n ships with over 400 pre-configured integration nodes covering popular apps, and an HTTP Request node that lets users connect to any API not covered by a native node — including importing curl commands directly. This combination means teams are rarely blocked by missing connectors. Why it matters: Teams can integrate virtually any app or internal API without waiting for n8n to build a dedicated node.

Full code support inside the visual canvas

n8n's Code node accepts JavaScript or Python, and on self-hosted instances users can add npm packages for extended functionality. Expressions using JavaScript and a custom templating language (Tournament) are available within any node for dynamic parameters. This means technical users never hit a logic ceiling imposed by the visual editor. Why it matters: Developers can handle complex data transformations, conditional logic, and custom business rules without leaving the workflow editor.

Cons

Cloud Entry Tier Has Tight Execution Limits

The Starter cloud plan limits users to 2,500 workflow executions per month and only 5 concurrent executions. Teams running scheduled or webhook-triggered workflows at any meaningful frequency will exceed this quickly and need to move to a higher plan tier. Impact: Small teams or individuals evaluating n8n on the cloud may find the Starter tier insufficient for production use without an immediate plan upgrade.

Dedicated Support Is Enterprise-Only

The Business plan explicitly does not include dedicated support — the pricing FAQ confirms it is a self-serve option and directs users to the community forum. Dedicated support with a guaranteed SLA is only available on the Enterprise tier. Impact: Mid-market teams on the Business plan who encounter critical production issues have no guaranteed support response time and must rely on community forums.

Self-hosting requires technical setup and maintenance

Running n8n on-premise via Docker or Kubernetes requires infrastructure knowledge to configure, scale (queue mode for multi-instance setups), and maintain. The features page notes that adding npm packages and running bash scripts are self-hosted-only capabilities, meaning some developer features are not available on the managed cloud. Impact: Non-technical teams or those without DevOps resources will need to use the cloud version, losing some advanced self-hosted features, or invest time in infrastructure management.

Pricing

Model:Free Trial·Currency:USD·Billing:Monthly / Annual·Free tier:Free Trial

Starter

Individuals getting started and exploring n8n's capabilities

$24mo, billed monthly ($20/mo billed annually)
2,500 workflow executions/mo
1 shared project
5 concurrent executions
Unlimited users
Unlimited active workflows
50 AI Workflow Builder credits
1-day workflow history
7-day execution log retention
2,500 max saved executions
Execution logging & error workflows
Debug in editor
Encrypted secrets store
Forum support
Hosted by n8n
Most Popular

Pro

Solo builders and small teams running workflows in production

$60mo, billed monthly ($50/mo billed annually)
Everything in Starter
Custom execution volume
3 shared projects
20 concurrent executions
150 AI Workflow Builder credits
5-day workflow history
30-day execution log retention
25,000 max saved executions
7 days of insights
Admin roles
Global variables
Execution search
AI Assistant
Audit logging
SSO SAML and LDAP
Enforce 2FA
Email support
Hosted by n8n

Business

Companies with fewer than 100 employees needing collaboration and scale

$960mo, billed monthly ($800/mo billed annually)
Everything in Pro
40,000 workflow executions/mo
6 shared projects
Unlimited execution log retention
50,000 max saved executions
30 days of insights
SSO, SAML and LDAP
Different environments
Version control using Git
Scaling options (queue mode, worker view, external S3, multi-main)
Log streaming to external services
AI Workflow Builder (coming soon)
Forum support
Self-hosted

Enterprise

Organisations with strict compliance and governance needs

Custom
Everything in Business
Custom execution volume
Unlimited shared projects
200+ concurrent executions
365 days of insights
1,000 AI Workflow Builder credits (n8n cloud only)
External secret store integration
Log streaming
Extended data retention
Dedicated support with SLA
Invoice billing
Hosted by n8n or self-hosted

Starter

Individuals getting started and exploring n8n's capabilities

$24mo, billed monthly ($20/mo billed annually)
2,500 workflow executions/mo
1 shared project
5 concurrent executions
Unlimited users
Unlimited active workflows
50 AI Workflow Builder credits
1-day workflow history
7-day execution log retention
2,500 max saved executions
Execution logging & error workflows
Debug in editor
Encrypted secrets store
Forum support
Hosted by n8n
Most Popular

Pro

Solo builders and small teams running workflows in production

$60mo, billed monthly ($50/mo billed annually)
Everything in Starter
Custom execution volume
3 shared projects
20 concurrent executions
150 AI Workflow Builder credits
5-day workflow history
30-day execution log retention
25,000 max saved executions
7 days of insights
Admin roles
Global variables
Execution search
AI Assistant
Audit logging
SSO SAML and LDAP
Enforce 2FA
Email support
Hosted by n8n

Business

Companies with fewer than 100 employees needing collaboration and scale

$960mo, billed monthly ($800/mo billed annually)
Everything in Pro
40,000 workflow executions/mo
6 shared projects
Unlimited execution log retention
50,000 max saved executions
30 days of insights
SSO, SAML and LDAP
Different environments
Version control using Git
Scaling options (queue mode, worker view, external S3, multi-main)
Log streaming to external services
AI Workflow Builder (coming soon)
Forum support
Self-hosted

Enterprise

Organisations with strict compliance and governance needs

Custom
Everything in Business
Custom execution volume
Unlimited shared projects
200+ concurrent executions
365 days of insights
1,000 AI Workflow Builder credits (n8n cloud only)
External secret store integration
Log streaming
Extended data retention
Dedicated support with SLA
Invoice billing
Hosted by n8n or self-hosted

Plans and prices can change — always verify pricing on the vendor's site.

Visit n8n

AISH may earn a commission · How we fund this site

Features

Visual Workflow Builder
n8n's leading visual canvas editor lets you build automation workflows by connecting modular nodes without writing boilerplate code. Outputs appear right next to your settings at every step, enabling fast iteration — and you can execute just the last step rather than the entire sequence.
Code-When-You-Need-It (JS & Python)
Write custom transformations in JavaScript or Python using a built-in code editor that integrates directly into workflow nodes. On self-hosted instances, you can also import npm packages for additional power, and use expressions with dynamic parameters in every node.
500+ Pre-Built Integrations & HTTP Request Node
n8n ships with over 500 pre-configured native integration nodes covering apps, databases, AI models, vector stores, and MCP servers — eliminating API boilerplate and credential complexity. For anything not covered, the HTTP Request node lets you connect to any REST API using existing credentials or an imported curl command.
AI Agent Builder
Build production-ready AI agents by connecting an AI Agent node to any LLM, memory module, and tool set on the visual canvas. Supports multi-agent orchestration, planning agents, deep research agents, and RAG agents — with human-in-the-loop checkpoints at any workflow stage.
RAG System Builder
Build complete Retrieval-Augmented Generation pipelines inside n8n without manually stitching separate tools. The platform handles the full pipeline — data ingestion, chunking, embedding, vector store connection, retrieval, and LLM response — using native integrations for popular vector databases and LLMs.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) Support
Enable MCP on your n8n instance to make your workflows callable by any AI platform — including Lovable, Claude, and other MCP clients. You can also call other MCP-enabled tools from within your own workflows, connecting to a growing ecosystem of AI-ready services.
AI Workflow Builder (Natural Language to Workflow)
Describe what you want to automate in plain English and n8n generates a working workflow automatically. Users can then iterate through chat to add nodes, fix errors, or refine logic — skipping the blank canvas entirely and going from idea to production faster.
Advanced Debugging & Execution Monitoring
n8n provides inline logs interleaved with code, AI-assisted error analysis connected to docs, step-by-step test execution with pinned data, and one-click replay of previous executions. Custom error workflows can trigger backup processes and send notifications to any destination.
Git-Based Source Control & Environments
Use a Git push-pull pattern to move workflows between isolated development and production environments. Workflow Diffs let teams compare staging vs. production side-by-side before deploying, while version history allows restoring previous workflow states at any time.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) & Projects
Organize workflows, credentials, and data into isolated projects with granular, custom role assignments per user or team. This limits exposure of sensitive workflows and credentials to only the relevant collaborators, and scales across unlimited projects at the Enterprise tier.

Integrations

AWS Secrets Manager (External Secrets)native
Airtablenative
Auth0 Management APInative
Discordnative
Google Calendarnative
Google Drivenative
HTTP Request (Custom API)api
Fortinet FortiGatenative
MySQLnative
GitHubnative

Use Cases

Enterprise teams in support, HR, and marketing
RAG-Powered Knowledge & Support Systems
Teams build RAG pipelines in n8n to connect LLMs to internal document stores, help center articles, CRM data, and databases — enabling AI chatbots and assistants that return accurate, up-to-date answers grounded in proprietary data. Customer support teams resolve queries instantly from product docs and ticket history; HR teams answer employee FAQs from policy documents; marketing teams generate on-brand content by querying past campaigns and competitive analysis.
IT operations teams
IT Operations Automation
IT teams use n8n to automate the full range of operational tasks: onboarding and offboarding employees across multiple systems, triaging and routing helpdesk tickets with AI-powered categorization, auto-resetting passwords via self-service triggers, monitoring infrastructure uptime with scheduled checks, and sending real-time alerts for incidents. Workflows replace manual, error-prone processes with consistent, auditable automation that resolves issues faster and reduces toil.
Security operations (SecOps) teams
Security Operations (SOAR)
Security teams use n8n as a lightweight SOAR platform — enriching incident tickets with threat intelligence, correlating alerts from SIEMs and TIPs, automating case management in tools like Elastic Security, and triggering playbook responses based on severity rules. The visual builder makes complex Python-based playbooks readable by the entire team, while the built-in code editor handles edge cases that need custom logic.
Sales and marketing teams
Lead and CRM Workflow Automation
Sales and marketing teams use n8n to orchestrate lead management across tools — capturing leads from forms and chatbots, enriching contact data via external APIs, syncing records between CRMs and marketing platforms, triggering follow-up sequences, and generating AI-powered customer insights from reviews. Workflows replace manual data entry and disconnected tool-switching with a single automated pipeline from lead capture to CRM update.
SaaS companies and independent software vendors
Embedded Automation for SaaS Products
SaaS companies embed n8n's workflow builder inside their own products under white-label branding, giving their customers native automation capabilities without building a custom integration engine. Users can create their own automated workflows connecting to the vendor's app and 500+ external services. The embed license supports unlimited instances, workflows, and executions — making it a scalable foundation for a product-level automation feature.
Technical teams and developers
Building and Deploying AI Agents
Teams use n8n to build production-ready AI agents by connecting LLM nodes, memory modules, tool integrations, and human-in-the-loop checkpoints on a visual canvas. Multi-agent systems coordinate specialized sub-agents (e.g., research, writing, QA) to complete complex workflows. Planning agents break large tasks into steps, while RAG agents retrieve real-time data from internal documents, wikis, or databases to generate accurate, grounded responses — all without building custom orchestration infrastructure.
Developers and SaaS engineering teams
Backend Prototyping and API Endpoint Creation
Developers use n8n to rapidly prototype backend functionality by setting up webhook-triggered workflows that act as API endpoints — handling CRUD operations, processing incoming data, calling downstream services, and returning structured responses. This allows teams to test new product features quickly before committing to a full engineering build, reducing the risk of building the wrong thing and accelerating proof-of-concept delivery.

Engine-Analysed

Data extracted and structured by the AISH Analysis Engine, not manually curated or vendor-submitted.

Verified & Dated

Last checked . Pricing, features, and availability verified against n8n's public pages.

Editorially Independent

AISH may earn affiliate commissions. This never influences our analysis, scoring, or recommendations.

Quick Facts

Best ForTechnical teams, developers, and IT/DevOps practitioners who need to automate complex multi-step workflows, build and deploy AI agents with LLM integrations, and require the flexibility to self-host or embed automation into their own products.
Starting Price$24/mo
Free TierFree Trial
ModelFree Trial
PlatformsWeb, API, Self-hosted

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AISH may earn a commission

Engine-analysed, not scraped
No paid placements
Pricing verified against source
Editorially independent