n8n is free in one case only: installed on your own server, with the Community edition. On n8n Cloud you get a 14-day trial, then a subscription. And n8n is not open source by the Open Source Initiative (OSI) definition: the code is public, but its license, the Sustainable Use License, restricts commercial use. The company says so itself and calls the model “fair-code.”
Is n8n free? Three cases
| How you use n8n | Free? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| n8n Cloud (hosted by the vendor) | No, once the trial ends | 14-day trial, capped at 1,000 executions, no credit card required, then paid plans |
| Self-hosted, Community edition | Yes | No license key; the server and its upkeep are on you |
| Self-hosted, Business and Enterprise plans | No | Paid licenses that add team features |
On n8n Cloud, the first paid plan, Starter, costs €24 per month for 2,500 executions. If you don’t move to a paid plan when the trial ends, the instance is deleted; workflows remain downloadable for 90 days. The full grid is on the n8n pricing page.
What the n8n Community edition includes
According to the docs, the Community edition is what n8n runs without a license key, with almost the complete feature set. n8n docs, “Compare editions” (accessed )
Included, per the pricing grid and the docs:
- unlimited users, active workflows and concurrent executions;
- no per-execution billing;
- the AI Agent node, the MCP Server Trigger and the MCP Client (AI model calls are paid separately, with your own provider keys);
- queue mode, to spread the load across workers;
- custom nodes, which exist only when self-hosting.
Not included: custom variables, environments, external secrets, external storage for binary data, log streaming, multi-main mode, projects, SSO (SAML, LDAP), sharing of workflows and credentials, Git version control.
Unlocked by free registration: register your Community edition with an email address and you receive a free license key that adds folders, debug in editor and custom execution data.
Is n8n open source? No, and the company says so
Anyone can read and modify n8n’s code in its public repository. That alone does not make it open source. The term has a definition, maintained by the OSI, and its sixth criterion says a license must not restrict use of the program in a specific field of endeavor, such as business. Open Source Initiative, “The Open Source Definition” (accessed )
The n8n license sets exactly that kind of restriction. The Sustainable Use License, created by n8n in 2022 (it replaced an Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause arrangement), grants the right to use, modify and redistribute the software, with three limits:
- you may use or modify it “only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use”;
- you may distribute it only free of charge and for non-commercial purposes;
- you may not alter or remove the licensing and copyright notices.
The same page draws the conclusion: because, according to the OSI, an open source license can’t limit use, n8n does not present itself as open source. It files its license under “fair-code,” which is not a license but a model: source code is available, and commercial use is restricted by its authors.
One more point: not everything in the repository is under that license. Files with “.ee.” in their name fall under the n8n Enterprise License and require a paid license. n8n repository, LICENSE.md file (accessed )
What the n8n license allows and forbids, case by case
The license FAQ gives examples. Here they are, grouped by situation.
| Your situation | Allowed under the Community license? |
|---|---|
| Automating your company’s internal processes | Yes |
| Personal projects | Yes |
| Running several instances | Yes |
| Building automations for clients on your instance, when they can’t create or edit them | Yes |
| Charging for setup, maintenance, training or consulting | Yes |
| Using n8n behind the scenes in your own product, with no user access to it | Yes |
| Installing n8n on a client’s server, without also providing the hosting | Yes |
| Hosting n8n as a service where your customers build their workflows | No |
| Letting external users create or configure workflows, through a UI, an API, MCP or an AI agent | No |
| White-labeling n8n | No |
| Forking the code to launch your own automation product | No |
| Using Enterprise features without an Enterprise license | No |
The idea that keeps coming back in that FAQ: what matters is not whose credentials are used, but who controls the workflow logic. If that is you, and your clients only see the result, you stay within permitted use. If your clients build or edit workflows themselves, you need a commercial license.
The Community license applies only to the self-hosted version: n8n Cloud has its own terms.
What “free” does not cover
The Community edition has no price tag, but it has a cost:
- A server, whose price depends on the hosting company (it is not a fact published by n8n, so we don’t put a number on it).
- Time: installation, updates, backups, security. The docs recommend self-hosting for expert users.
- AI models: when you self-host, model calls are paid with your own provider keys.
The guide to self-hosting n8n describes the documented installation paths, and n8n Cloud vs self-hosted compares the two options.
What to do in your case
- You want a free tool for your own automations and you can manage a server: the Community edition fits, and the license allows it.
- You want free without a server: n8n has no free hosted plan. Other tools do; compare quotas in the n8n alternatives and with the cost calculator.
- You run an agency or freelance: building and maintaining workflows for clients on your instance is allowed; handing them the editor is not.
- You want to embed a workflow builder in your product or resell it: the Community license forbids it. You need a commercial license from n8n, or a tool under a permissive license. Activepieces, for example, releases its core under a different license: MIT ("MIT Expat") for the core; commercial license for the Enterprise edition folders source. See Activepieces Cloud vs self-hosted.
For everything else (features, integrations, AI), the n8n profile gathers the recorded facts.
Data recorded from the official pages: n8n (), Activepieces ().
CalculatorAutomation cost calculator: Make, Zapier, n8n and moreFrequently asked questions
Is n8n free?
Yes when you self-host it with the Community edition, which runs without a license key. No on n8n Cloud: the pricing page offers only a 14-day free trial there, then paid plans. Prices are in the plan table, with the date they were recorded.
Is n8n open source?
Not by the Open Source Initiative's definition. The source code is public, but it is released under the Sustainable Use License, which limits commercial use. The n8n docs state that the company does not call itself open source and use the term "fair-code" instead.
What is the n8n Community edition?
It is the free edition you install on your own server. According to the docs it includes almost the complete feature set, and the pricing grid lists unlimited users and active workflows. It leaves out SSO, projects, environments, sharing of workflows and credentials, and Git version control, among others.
Can I use n8n for free for client work?
Yes in some cases described in the license FAQ: building automations for clients on your own instance, as long as they can't create or edit them, and charging for setup, maintenance or consulting. Hosting n8n so that clients build their own workflows is not allowed.
Do I need a license key for the Community edition?
No. The Community edition is what n8n runs without a key. Registering for free with your email gets you a key that unlocks three more features (folders, debug in editor, custom execution data), and the edition stays free.