For most people, a small virtual private server with n8n in Docker is the cheapest reliable way to host it. If you never want to touch a server, n8n Cloud is the better choice. The decision usually turns on two things: how much upkeep you will accept, and whether your workflows handle customer data.
This guide compares the routes from n8n's documentation and each host's own pages, read on 27 October 2026. The price boxes show the current cost of each route, first term and renewal.
Who this is for
- you want n8n running all the time for your own business or a client's
- you are choosing between n8n Cloud, a managed n8n server and installing it yourself
- you need webhooks that work and a database that will not let you down
Not for you if you already run n8n and want to lock it down: see securing self-hosted n8n.
Key numbers
- 2,500 executions a month on n8n Cloud's Starter plan, five at a time Official page,
- 640 MiB the memory n8n Cloud gives its Starter plan, by n8n's documentation Official page,
- 5678 port the port n8n listens on inside the server; a reverse proxy serves it on 443 Official page,
- 0 licence fee for the Community edition, which runs without a licence key Official page,
Which n8n route fits you
Three questions settle it:
Where should your n8n run?
Question 1 Would you rather never run a server yourself?
- Yes: n8n Cloud or a managed n8n server
- No: go to question 2
Question 2 Do you want n8n installed for you when you order?
- Yes: a one-click n8n server
- No: go to question 3
Question 3 Will you run many workflows at once, or need workers?
- Apps and webhooks (forms, shops, chat bots): connects to Reverse proxy (webhook calls).
- Reverse proxy (HTTPS on port 443): connects to n8n and its database (forwards to n8n).
- n8n and its database (port 5678, Postgres or SQLite): connects to Model APIs and services (API calls).
- Model APIs and services (called over HTTPS)
n8n Cloud: what it includes and where its limits are
n8n Cloud is n8n run by the company that makes it, with data kept in Frankfurt, Germany. Plans are priced by executions: one execution is one complete run of a workflow, however many steps it has.
Starter includes 2,500 executions a month with five running at a time, and Pro 10,000. Every plan has unlimited workflows and users.
| Plan | Price | New-customer offer | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n Cloud Starter | €20/month yearly plan, paid up front for 12 months and not refundable; works out at this price per month checked 25 Oct 2026 | Free trial of n8n Cloud with Pro-level features and no card needed checked 29 Oct 2026 | Visit |
| n8n Cloud Pro | €50/month yearly plan, paid up front for 12 months and not refundable; works out at this price per month (the 10,000-executions-a-month option) checked 26 Oct 2026 | Free trial of n8n Cloud with Pro-level features and no card needed checked 29 Oct 2026 | Visit |
Prices exclude taxes. A free trial without a card is capped at 1,000 executions.
Our comparison of n8n Cloud and self-hosting prices both for three example workloads.
Managed n8n on a hosting company's server
ScalaHosting sets up n8n on a managed cloud server with PostgreSQL, Redis queue mode and automated daily backups. By its own page, it can install n8n updates for you and sets no cap on executions.
Its longer terms are paid in advance at a lower first-term price. The plan is not in our price records yet, so check the renewal price on its page.
One-click n8n servers: what each host sets up
Hostinger, DigitalOcean, Kamatera and Contabo can install n8n when you order a server. What their own pages say they install around it differs:
Only Contabo's pages describe HTTPS and a reverse proxy in full; on all four, updates are your job or not described.
| Host | How n8n runs | HTTPS | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | in Docker; settings in /docker/n8n/docker-compose.yml | an https address; the page does not say how it is set up | you run docker compose pull, down and up |
| Contabo | Docker Compose in /opt/n8n, with Caddy as the reverse proxy | yes, a Let's Encrypt certificate | your job, its help page says |
| DigitalOcean | a 1-Click app on Ubuntu 24.04 from an outside vendor, Automaze | not stated on the listing | not stated |
| Kamatera | a marketplace image | not stated on the pages we found | not stated |
| Plan | Price | New-customer offer | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger KVM 1 1 vCPU, 4 GB | $6.49/month 24-month term, paid up front; Black Friday first-term price, then $11.99 checked 25 Oct 2026 | Black Friday prices on VPS plans and AI automation apps, for the first subscription term only checked 30 Oct 2026 | Visit |
| Hostinger KVM 2 2 vCPU, 8 GB | $8.79/month 24-month term, paid up front; Black Friday first-term price, then $14.99 checked 25 Oct 2026 | Black Friday prices on VPS plans and AI automation apps, for the first subscription term only checked 30 Oct 2026 | Visit |
| DigitalOcean Basic Droplet, 2 vCPUs, 4 GiB 2 vCPU, 4 GB | $24/month billed per second (60-second minimum), capped at this monthly price · VAT not stated checked 25 Oct 2026 | New accounts get a $5 credit that lasts 90 days and covers every product except SaaS add-ons checked 29 Oct 2026 | Visit |
| Kamatera Cloud server Type B (General Purpose), 2 cores, 4 GB 2 vCPU, 4 GB | $39/month monthly, no long-term contract · VAT not stated checked 25 Oct 2026 | A 30-day trial of one cloud server in a configuration worth up to $100 checked 29 Oct 2026 | Visit |
| Contabo Cloud VPS 4 4 vCPU, 8 GB | €4.40/month 24-month term, paid up front; the price applies to the first 24 months and to the EU region in Germany; other regions cost more each month checked 25 Oct 2026 | No offer | Visit |
Some of the lowest prices need a long term paid in advance; the term and any renewal price are under each price.
n8n in Docker on a plain VPS
n8n's own install options are a one-line setup, Docker, Docker Compose and npm. Docker Compose with a reverse proxy and Postgres is the set-up most guides end up with, and n8n's documentation has a Docker Compose page.
Our step-by-step guide to self-hosting n8n with Docker sets up HTTPS, backups and updates you can undo. Our five picks of servers for n8n match a plan to each need.
| Plan | Price | New-customer offer | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting.com Self Managed Linux 4GB 2 vCPU, 4 GB | $6.49/month 3-year term, paid up front; introductory price for the first three years, then $19 checked 25 Oct 2026 | No offer | Visit |
| Liquid Web Cloud VPS (General), 2 vCPUs, 4 GB 2 vCPU, 4 GB | $17/month monthly · VAT not stated checked 25 Oct 2026 | No offer | Visit |
| UpCloud Starter, 2 CPU cores, 4 GB 2 vCPU, 4 GB | €12/month billed by the starting hour, at most 28 days a month; no minimum term checked 25 Oct 2026 | No offer | Visit |
| Cherry Servers Cloud VPS 4 (Gen 2) 4 vCPU, 4 GB | €9/month monthly, no long-term contract checked 25 Oct 2026 | No offer | Visit |
Prices in euros and US dollars as each provider shows them.
SQLite or Postgres: which database to run
By default, n8n stores workflows, credentials and past executions in SQLite. It also supports PostgreSQL 16, 17 and 18. n8n's own guidance gives every instance a dedicated database on SSD storage.
Postgres becomes necessary once you need queue mode. In that mode one main instance takes the triggers and worker instances run the executions, with Redis passing the jobs between them. The documentation says running that set-up over SQLite is not supported.
Webhooks behind a reverse proxy: what breaks and how to fix it
n8n builds its webhook addresses from its own host and port settings. Behind a reverse proxy that is wrong, because n8n listens on port 5678 inside the server while the proxy serves it on 443. Set the public address yourself, as n8n's documentation shows:
bash
N8N_WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.example.com/
N8N_PROXY_HOPS=1N8N_WEBHOOK_URL replaces the older WEBHOOK_URL, which n8n has marked deprecated from version 2.35.0.
How big a server you need
n8n's own illustrative table gives 320 MB to 2 GB of memory, and n8n Cloud runs its Starter plan on 640 MiB. On your own server, add room for the system and the database. Our guide to how much RAM and CPU n8n needs has n8n's figures and the sizes we would start with.
Is self-hosted n8n free?
The Community edition, which is what n8n runs without a licence key, costs nothing. Its licence, the Sustainable Use License, allows use for your own internal business purposes and for non-commercial or personal use. It does not allow selling access to n8n as a service. Registering the edition with your e-mail adds a few extra features for free.
The paid editions add, among other things, SSO, projects, environments, log streaming, version control with Git and the sharing of workflows and credentials. Queue mode is in the Community edition; running several main instances is not.
Security and backups in brief
n8n's documentation covers SSL, security audits, switching off the public API and protection against server-side request forgery. Our guide to securing a self-hosted n8n server goes through them step by step.
For backups, n8n's own export commands cover workflows and credentials but not execution history, users or instance settings. Credentials are stored encrypted, so keep the encryption key with your backup, or they cannot be restored:
bash
n8n export:workflow --backup --output=backups/workflows/
n8n export:credentials --backup --output=backups/credentials/The routes side by side
n8n Cloud is the only route in this table where someone else installs the updates.
| Route and plan | Who sets n8n up | Who installs updates | First-term price | Renewal price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n Cloud Starter | n8n | n8n | €20 a month (checked 25 October 2026) | €20 a month (checked 25 October 2026) |
| One-click: Hostinger KVM 2 | Hostinger's template | you | $8.79 a month (checked 25 October 2026) | $14.99 a month (checked 25 October 2026) |
| One-click: Contabo Cloud VPS 4 | Contabo's install | you | €4.40 a month (checked 25 October 2026) | €4.40 a month (checked 25 October 2026) |
| Docker: UpCloud Starter, 2 cores, 4 GB | you | you | €12 a month (checked 25 October 2026) | €12 a month (checked 25 October 2026) |
How we checked
We read n8n's documentation, its pricing page and each host's own pages on 27 October 2026. Prices come from our weekly price checks, each with its own date.
Our own measurements will be added here, with their dates, when our test bench runs them.
Mistakes to avoid
Leaving the webhook URL unset behind a proxy
Instead: Set N8N_WEBHOOK_URL and N8N_PROXY_HOPS.
Turning on queue mode with SQLite
Instead: Move to Postgres first; n8n does not support queue mode over SQLite.
Backing up workflows but not the encryption key
Instead: Keep N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY with the backup, or credentials cannot be restored.
Comparing a first-term price with n8n Cloud's monthly price
Instead: Compare renewal prices too.
Selling access to a self-hosted n8n
Instead: The licence allows internal business and non-commercial use; check before reselling.
Other questions
Can I host n8n for free?
The Community edition is free, so on a computer you already own the software costs nothing. A server costs its monthly price, and n8n Cloud has a free trial without a card capped at 1,000 executions.
Does n8n need a lot of memory?
No. n8n's own illustrative table gives 320 MB to 2 GB, and n8n Cloud runs its Starter plan on 640 MiB. Files and many runs at once raise the need.
Can I move from n8n Cloud to my own server?
Yes. n8n Cloud's workflow backups contain workflows only, never credentials, so you re-enter the credentials on the new server.
Sources and test notes
- n8n documentation: choose how to use n8n, read
- n8n documentation: Community edition features, read
- n8n licence (Sustainable Use License), read
- n8n documentation: choose n8n's database, read
- n8n documentation: webhook URLs behind a reverse proxy, read
- n8n documentation: enable queue mode, read
- n8n documentation: install options, read
- n8n documentation: back up and restore, read
- n8n documentation: OEM prerequisites (illustrative sizing), read
- n8n Cloud: memory on each plan, read
- n8n pricing, read
- ScalaHosting: self-hosted n8n cloud, read
- Hostinger: how to use the n8n VPS template, read
- Contabo: what is n8n and how do I use it on Contabo, read
- DigitalOcean Marketplace: n8n, read
- Kamatera: what can I do with n8n on Kamatera, read
Every page read on 27 October 2026.
Guides about n8n hosting
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Securing n8nA checklist that matches each self-hosted n8n risk to a setting, with n8n's 2026 security advisories and what four hosts' ready-made n8n servers set up.
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n8n requirementsn8n's own figures on RAM and CPU: memory on each n8n Cloud plan, n8n's load test on a 4 GB server, and which server size to pick for your workflows.
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n8n Cloud or self-hostedn8n Cloud against a self-hosted server for three example workloads at this week's prices, with the model bill and the costs people forget.
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Best VPS for n8nFive servers for self-hosted n8n, each matched to a need: memory for the money, one-click installs, hourly billing, dedicated cores and EU data centres.
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Self-host n8n with DockerFrom an empty server to n8n with HTTPS, a task runner, daily backups and updates you can undo, using n8n's own Docker and Caddy example, step by step.