Automate anything
with n8n
We build powerful open-source automation workflows with n8n, self-hosted or cloud. Connect your databases, APIs, and apps with advanced logic, custom code nodes, and complete data ownership.
The best tool for
open-source automation
n8n is a powerful open-source workflow automation platform. Unlike Zapier or Make, n8n can be self-hosted (full data ownership), supports custom JavaScript code nodes, and has no per-operation pricing, ideal for complex, high-volume automations.
What we build with n8n
From MVPs to enterprise platforms, here's how we use n8n to ship faster.
Complex Automations
Multi-step workflows with branching logic, error handling, and custom code, beyond what Zapier can do.
Data Pipelines
ETL pipelines that extract, transform, and load data between your databases, APIs, and data warehouses.
Self-Hosted Workflows
For teams with strict data residency or compliance requirements, n8n on your own server.
AI Agent Workflows
Orchestrate LLM agents, vector search, and multi-model AI pipelines using n8n's AI nodes.
Certified n8n experts
We don't just use n8n, we master it. Our team is certified and has shipped dozens of projects with it.
Apps delivered
We've shipped over 50 production apps using n8n and the broader no-code stack, from seed-stage MVPs to enterprise platforms.
Faster delivery
n8n lets us build in weeks what traditional dev teams take months to deliver, giving you a decisive speed advantage.
Fixed pricing
Every project comes with a clear scope, fixed price, and weekly demos. No surprises, no scope creep, just results.
Tools we combine with n8n
We integrate n8n with the best tools in the no-code ecosystem for end-to-end solutions.
The Complete Guide to n8n Development
n8n is the open-source workflow automation platform that gives developers and technical teams unlimited flexibility, self-hosting options, and no per-operation pricing.
n8n vs Make vs Zapier: The Honest Comparison
Zapier is the consumer-grade automation tool, easy to learn, expensive at scale, and limited in technical flexibility. It excels at simple two-step automations for non-technical users who need to connect common SaaS tools quickly. The per-task pricing model becomes prohibitive for high-volume workflows, and the lack of custom code support means complex business logic requires workarounds. Make (formerly Integromat) is the mid-market choice. It supports complex multi-step workflows with visual scenario builders, conditional routing, and iterators. Pricing is based on operations rather than tasks, which is more affordable than Zapier for complex workflows. Make has excellent support for webhooks, data transformations, and a wide library of app modules. For teams that need power without server management, Make is excellent. n8n is the developer-grade option. It is open-source, self-hostable, and has no per-operation pricing, you pay a flat subscription for the cloud version, or just hosting costs for self-hosted. Custom JavaScript and Python code nodes let you implement any logic you can write. The workflow canvas is powerful and flexible, though the learning curve is steeper than Zapier or Make. n8n is the right choice when data residency matters, when workflow volume is high, or when your automations require custom code that other tools cannot support.
Self-Hosting n8n: VPS Setup and Maintenance
Self-hosting n8n gives you complete data sovereignty, every workflow execution happens on your own infrastructure, your credentials never leave your server, and you control the upgrade schedule. The recommended deployment is Docker on a VPS. A 2GB RAM instance is sufficient for most small-to-medium workflow loads. DigitalOcean, Hetzner, and Vultr are popular choices for cost-effective VPS hosting. The n8n Docker image pulls in minutes and the initial configuration is straightforward. For production deployments, you need to configure persistent storage (so workflow data survives container restarts), a reverse proxy like Nginx or Caddy for HTTPS, and environment variables for your database, encryption key, and webhook base URL. n8n uses SQLite by default but PostgreSQL is strongly recommended for anything beyond personal use, it handles concurrent workflow executions reliably and makes backups simpler. The n8n documentation includes a detailed production deployment guide that covers all of these steps. Maintenance is real but manageable. You are responsible for keeping the n8n version updated, monitoring disk space, and ensuring your VPS is patched. Setting up automated daily backups of the PostgreSQL database is non-negotiable for production systems. For teams without a DevOps function, n8n Cloud removes all of this overhead at a cost comparable to a low-end VPS plus your time. The self-hosting decision should be driven by compliance requirements or cost at scale, not by a vague preference for control.
n8n Workflow Design: Nodes, Triggers, and Branching
An n8n workflow is a directed graph of nodes connected by edges. Every workflow starts with a trigger node, a webhook, a schedule, an app event, or a manual trigger for testing. From there, data flows through processing nodes that transform, filter, and route it. Output nodes write data to destinations: databases, APIs, notification services, or other workflows. n8n's data model passes arrays of items between nodes. Each item is a JSON object with a data property and an optional binary property for files. When a node processes multiple items, it applies its logic to each one individually by default. This means a single HTTP Request node can make a separate API call for each item in the array it receives, a powerful pattern for batch processing. Understanding the item model is the single most important conceptual step in becoming productive with n8n. Branching is handled by the IF node for binary conditions and the Switch node for multi-path routing. Both nodes evaluate expressions against item data and route items down different branches of the workflow. Merge nodes combine branches back together when needed. For complex branching scenarios, n8n's expression system supports JavaScript expressions that can access any property of the current item or any previous node's output. This makes n8n's conditional logic more expressive than any other visual automation tool's.
Error Handling and Monitoring in n8n
Production automation workflows fail. APIs return 500 errors, rate limits are hit, data arrives in unexpected formats. n8n's error handling system is one of its strongest features. Each node can be configured with a retry policy, how many times to retry on failure, with configurable delay between attempts. Error branches let you route failed items to a separate recovery path rather than stopping the entire workflow. Workflow-level error workflows are a powerful pattern. You designate a separate workflow as the error handler for a production workflow. When the main workflow fails, n8n automatically triggers the error workflow with data about the failure, which node failed, what the error message was, and what data was being processed. Your error workflow can then send a Slack alert, create a ticket, or attempt a manual remediation step. This gives you observability over automation failures without building a custom monitoring system. n8n's execution log records every workflow run, successful or failed, with the full input and output data for each node. This is invaluable for debugging. When a production workflow behaves unexpectedly, you can pull up the failed execution, inspect exactly what data each node saw, and identify the problem in minutes. For self-hosted deployments, configure log retention based on your storage capacity. On n8n Cloud, execution history is retained for 90 days on paid plans.
n8n for SaaS Backend Automation Patterns
For SaaS products and applications built on no-code platforms, n8n functions as a powerful automation backend. The most common pattern is triggering n8n workflows via webhook from the frontend application. A user takes an action in your WeWeb or Bubble app, the app fires a webhook to n8n, and n8n handles the complex multi-step processing: querying a database, calling an external API, generating a document, sending a notification, and writing results back. The app remains clean; the logic lives in n8n. AI-powered workflows are a growing use case. n8n has native LangChain integration and OpenAI/Anthropic nodes. A typical pattern: a user submits a form, n8n sends the input to an LLM with a system prompt, post-processes the response, stores the result in a database, and triggers a follow-up notification. This pattern powers everything from AI-generated reports to automated content moderation to intelligent lead qualification. The workflow canvas makes the logic visible and auditable in a way that raw API code does not. Scheduled data sync workflows are another core SaaS pattern. n8n's Cron trigger runs workflows on any schedule. Common implementations: syncing CRM data to a warehouse every hour, generating and emailing weekly summary reports, cleaning up expired records every night, or checking the status of asynchronous third-party jobs and updating your database when they complete. These background jobs are the unsexy but essential plumbing of any production SaaS, and n8n handles them reliably.
n8n Pricing: Cloud vs Self-Hosted Cost Breakdown
n8n Cloud's pricing is subscription-based with tiers defined by the number of active workflows and workflow executions per month. The Starter plan covers small teams and moderate automation volume. The Pro plan removes execution limits and adds more users and advanced features. Enterprise covers large organizations with SSO, dedicated infrastructure, and SLA commitments. The key advantage over Zapier and Make is that the pricing is flat, high-volume workflows do not generate per-operation overage charges. Self-hosted n8n is free for the core product under the Sustainable Use License. You pay only for your VPS hosting, which can be as little as ten dollars per month for a basic instance. The enterprise license adds features like LDAP, advanced audit logging, and source control, with pricing based on negotiation. For startups and small teams doing significant automation volume, self-hosted n8n has an enormous cost advantage over cloud automation platforms, often ten to twenty times cheaper at equivalent scale. The total cost of ownership calculation must include maintenance time. Self-hosting requires monitoring, updates, and infrastructure management. If your team has an engineer who can own this, the cost saving is real. If it requires hiring someone or distracting a developer from product work, the economics may favor n8n Cloud or even Make. A practical threshold: if your workflow volume would cost more than $200 per month on Make, model the self-hosted option seriously. Below that, the convenience of managed cloud is usually worth the premium.
How n8n compares
See how n8n stacks up against other popular tools.
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