Stage 2 · Lesson 6 of 8
n8n Cloud or self-hosting with Docker
There are two ways to run n8n. is run by n8n itself: you pay a monthly plan based on (full runs of a workflow) and never touch a . Self-hosting means running the free Community Edition yourself. That is usually in , a tool that packages software so it runs the same anywhere, on a small rented .
You then look after your own domain, HTTPS, backups, updates and monitoring. Self-hosting has no execution fee, and it keeps data on a server you control, which some clients need. But you now own every outage.
As of 2026-09, the n8n pricing page lists Starter, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans, with Starter from 20 euros a month billed annually for 2,500 executions.
Common trapself-hosting for a client without a plan for backups, updates and who fixes it at 2 a.m.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 2 cheat sheet entries come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with
- CourseFreen8n Academy
n8n · Beginner
Free official courses from Essentials to APIs and AI, each with a certificate and badge