Table of Contents
Is n8n Really Free?
Yes — n8n Community Edition is 100% free and open-source. You can download it, self-host it, and use it for personal or commercial purposes at no cost. There are no execution limits, no workflow caps, and no user limits on the self-hosted version.
The only "cost" is the infrastructure to run it. Here's a quick summary of your options:
| Option | Cost | Best For | Webhooks Work? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local (npx/Docker) | $0 | Testing, learning | No (no public URL) |
| n8n Cloud trial | Free 14 days | Quick evaluation | Yes |
| Managed hosting | From $2.99/mo | Production use | Yes |
| DIY VPS | ~$4–6/mo | Full control | Yes |
Zapier's free plan limits you to 100 tasks/month and 5 active Zaps. Self-hosted n8n has no such limits — you can run thousands of automations per day for free.
How to Use n8n Locally for Free
Running n8n on your local machine is completely free and takes under 2 minutes. It's ideal for exploring n8n, building workflows, and testing integrations before going live.
Method 1: npx (No Installation Required)
If you have Node.js 18 or higher installed, you can start n8n instantly without installing anything:
npx n8nThat's it. Open http://localhost:5678 in your browser. n8n will ask you to create an owner account on the first run. All your data is saved in ~/.n8n automatically.
Method 2: Docker (Recommended)
Docker gives you a more stable, isolated environment and is the recommended way to run n8n locally:
docker run -it --rm \
--name n8n \
-p 5678:5678 \
-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
n8nio/n8nOpen http://localhost:5678. The -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n flag mounts your local directory so your data persists between runs.
To run it in the background (detached mode), replace -it --rm with -d:
docker run -d \
--name n8n \
-p 5678:5678 \
-v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \
--restart unless-stopped \
n8nio/n8nLimitations of Running n8n Locally
Local n8n is great for learning and building, but has real limitations for production use:
- No public URL — Webhook triggers won't receive calls from external services like Stripe, GitHub, or your web forms.
- Stops when your computer does — Scheduled workflows pause whenever your machine is off or sleeping.
- HTTP only — Many APIs and services require HTTPS endpoints, which isn't available on localhost.
- Not accessible to your team — Only you can access it from your machine.
If you need webhooks to fire while testing locally, install ngrok and run ngrok http 5678. Copy the HTTPS URL ngrok gives you and set it as your WEBHOOK_URL environment variable when starting n8n.
n8n Cloud Free Trial
n8n offers a 14-day free trial on their cloud product. No credit card is required to start. After the trial, cloud plans start at $24/month (Starter) for 2,500 executions/month.
The cloud trial is useful for quickly evaluating n8n without any setup, but it's not a long-term free option — the pricing after trial is significantly higher than self-hosting.
| n8n Cloud | Self-Hosted (OpenHosst) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days | 7 days |
| Price after trial | $24/month | $2.99/month |
| Executions | 2,500/month | Unlimited |
| Workflows | Limited by plan | Unlimited |
| Server management | None (managed) | None (managed) |
Try n8n free — no DevOps needed
7-day free trial, unlimited executions, full n8n. From $2.99/month after trial.
Cheapest Way to Run n8n Online
If you want n8n running 24/7 with a real domain and working webhooks — but don't want to manage a server — managed hosting from OpenHosst starts at $2.99/month with a 7-day free trial.
This is the cheapest way to use n8n online with everything included: SSL certificates, automatic updates, daily backups, and 99.9% uptime. Compare that to DIY VPS hosting where you'd spend $4–6/month on the server alone, plus hours of setup time.
Getting started takes about 5 minutes:
- Go to portal.openhosst.com/apps and select n8n
- Start your free trial — no payment required
- Point a subdomain (e.g.
n8n.yourcompany.com) to your instance - Log in and start building workflows
Using n8n for Lead Generation
Once you have n8n running, lead generation is one of the most powerful use cases — automatically capturing web form leads into Google Sheets, monitoring social media for buying signals, and sending personalised outreach sequences, all for free.
We've covered this in a dedicated guide: How to Create Lead Generation Using n8n for Free. It includes three step-by-step workflows with all node configurations you can copy directly into your n8n instance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is n8n really free with no hidden limits?
Yes. The Community Edition has no execution limits, no workflow caps, no user limits, and no expiry. It is free forever as long as you self-host it. The paid tiers (n8n Cloud, n8n Enterprise) add managed infrastructure and enterprise features — but everything you need for automation is in the free version.
Can I use n8n without Docker?
Yes. Run npx n8n on any machine with Node.js 18+ and n8n starts immediately at http://localhost:5678. No Docker, no installation, no configuration required.
How many workflows and executions can I run for free?
On self-hosted n8n there are no artificial limits. You can have hundreds of active workflows running thousands of executions per day. The practical ceiling is your server's resources — a 2 GB RAM VPS handles 50–100 concurrent executions comfortably.
What's the cheapest way to run n8n with webhooks (accessible online)?
Managed n8n hosting from OpenHosst starts at $2.99/month with a 7-day free trial. This includes a real domain, HTTPS, automatic updates, and daily backups — all without any server management on your part.
Does n8n have a permanent free cloud plan?
No. n8n's cloud product offers a 14-day free trial, then requires a paid plan starting at $24/month. The free option is self-hosting — either locally, on a VPS, or via a managed provider like OpenHosst.
Ready to start? If you want to test n8n immediately, run npx n8n on your local machine. If you're ready to build real production automations with working webhooks, start a 7-day free trial on OpenHosst — no payment required, no DevOps skills needed.
For more on what n8n can do, read What is n8n? or explore our n8n lead generation guide.