n8n Self-Hosted vs Cloud: Which One Should You Choose in 2025
The choice between n8n Cloud and self-hosting isn't just about price — it's about control, maintenance burden, and what breaks when things go wrong.
TL;DR
n8n Cloud is the zero-ops choice — you pay for managed infrastructure and execution limits. Self-hosting gives full control and lower costs at scale but requires Docker, a server, and your own maintenance. Choose cloud if your team has no DevOps capacity; self-host if you handle sensitive data or run high execution volumes.
n8n is one of the few workflow automation tools that gives you a genuine choice: run it yourself on your own infrastructure, or let n8n manage it for you in the cloud. Both options are production-ready. The right choice depends on your team’s tolerance for maintenance and what you’re actually automating.
What you’re actually deciding
The decision isn’t about features — both options run the same n8n. It’s about:
- Who handles upgrades, backups, and uptime: you or n8n
- Where your data lives: your server or n8n’s cloud
- Cost at scale: cloud pricing scales with executions; self-hosted scales with your server size
n8n Cloud: what you get
n8n Cloud is the managed option. You sign up, connect your first integration, and workflows run. No server to manage, no Docker compose files, no nginx configs.
Pricing (as of early 2025): Plans start around $20/month for individuals, scaling to hundreds per month for teams with high execution volumes. The ceiling matters — if you’re running 100,000+ executions per month, cloud costs add up fast.
The real advantage: zero ops. When n8n releases a new version, you get it automatically. When their infrastructure has a problem, their team handles it. For small teams without DevOps capacity, this is worth paying for.
The limitation: you’re bound by their execution limits, and if you need a very specific n8n version (some workflow setups can break across versions), you have less control.
Self-hosted: what you actually take on
Self-hosting n8n means running it on a VPS, a cloud VM, or your own servers. The typical setup involves Docker, a PostgreSQL database, and a reverse proxy like nginx or Caddy.
The cost case: a $20-40/month VPS can run n8n for a team with millions of monthly executions — far cheaper than cloud pricing at high volumes. If you’re already paying for infrastructure (a server that runs other things), n8n runs alongside it for nearly free.
What you’re signing up for:
- Upgrades: n8n releases updates frequently. Self-hosted means you manage the upgrade cycle. Skip too many versions and you’ll face a painful migration.
- Backups: Your workflow configs live in the database. If you don’t back it up, a server failure means losing everything.
- Debugging infrastructure issues: When a workflow fails, you need to determine if it’s the workflow logic, the database, the network, or an n8n bug.
- SSL and domains: Setting up HTTPS, managing certificates, pointing a domain.
For teams with one person who knows what they’re doing with Linux and Docker, this is manageable. For teams without that person, it’s a liability.
Credential security: an important difference
In n8n Cloud, your API keys and OAuth tokens are stored in n8n’s encrypted secrets management. In self-hosted, they’re stored in your database — which you’re responsible for securing.
This isn’t a reason to avoid self-hosting, but it’s something to take seriously. If your workflows touch sensitive systems (payment processors, customer data, internal APIs), the security model of your n8n instance matters.
The hybrid approach some teams use
Run n8n Cloud for production workflows that are business-critical. Run a self-hosted instance for development, testing, and high-volume low-stakes automations.
This isn’t necessary for most teams, but it’s worth knowing it’s possible.
Decision guide
Choose n8n Cloud if:
- Your team has no DevOps capacity
- You’re running fewer than 50,000 executions/month
- Uptime SLAs matter and you can’t guarantee your own
- You’re prototyping and want to move fast
Choose self-hosted if:
- You have someone who can manage a Linux server
- Execution volumes make cloud pricing uneconomical
- Data residency requirements mandate your own infrastructure
- You need fine-grained control over versions and configurations
One thing that surprises people
n8n self-hosted doesn’t require a powerful server. A $20/month VPS with 2GB RAM runs it fine for most team workflows. The bottleneck is usually network latency to external APIs, not server compute.
If you’re on the fence, start with Cloud. If you hit a pricing wall or a control need, migrating to self-hosted is straightforward — your workflows export as JSON.
Frequently asked questions
- Is n8n free to self-host?
- Yes. n8n is open-source and free to self-host. You pay only for the server — a basic VPS on Hetzner or DigitalOcean starts around $5-10/month. The n8n software itself has no licensing cost for self-hosted deployments.
- What are the limitations of n8n Cloud?
- n8n Cloud limits executions per month based on your plan, and pricing scales up significantly at high volumes. You also have less control over the n8n version running, which matters if you have workflows that depend on specific behavior from older versions.
- How hard is it to self-host n8n?
- Moderately technical. You need a Linux server, Docker, and basic command line skills. n8n provides Docker compose files that make the initial setup straightforward. The ongoing challenge is handling upgrades, SSL certificates, and database backups yourself.
- Does self-hosted n8n have all the same features as n8n Cloud?
- Yes — both run the same n8n software. The difference is purely operational: who manages the infrastructure, uptime, and updates. All workflow features, integrations, and AI nodes are available on both options.
Independent coverage of AI, no-code and low-code — no hype, just signal.
More articles →If you're looking to implement this for your team, Kreante builds low-code and AI systems for companies — they offer a free audit call for qualified projects.