n8n for SMEs: lots of freedom, and the server is yours

People who tire of Zapier’s meter often end up at n8n. That is a smart choice: n8n charges per execution rather than per step, can be self-hosted and gives technically minded people almost unlimited possibilities. The question is who in the team wants to carry that for the long run.

This article belongs to our series of comparisons: the same six questions for every tool. We read n8n’s information on 14 October 2026; the sources are listed at the end.

What you use today

n8n comes in the cloud (The cloud means computers in a provider’s data centres on which programs run and data is kept, instead of on your own device.) and self-hosted. In the cloud, Starter costs EUR 20.– a month billed yearly and EUR 24.– billed monthly, with 2,500 executions; Pro costs EUR 50.– to 60.– for 10,000 executions. Every plan allows any number of people. Self-hosters use the Community Edition with no licence fee under the Sustainable Use License: allowed for your own business, not as a service in which customers build their own workflows (A workflow specifies what information goes in, what happens to it and who checks the result.). The Business plan with Git and environments costs EUR 667.– to 800.– a month and is self-hosted only.

Where n8n is strong

An execution is a whole run, however many steps it has. More than 2,300 integrations (An integration connects your setup to software you already use, such as your email inbox.) are available, code nodes run JavaScript and Python, and you build AI agents from nodes, with a person’s approval (Approval means a person decides before an AI-prepared message goes outside your firm or money is spent.) before an agent uses a tool. Error workflows catch what goes wrong.

On MCP (MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for connecting an AI harness to other software and data sources.), the open protocol through which AI uses tools, n8n is far along: a workflow becomes an MCP server, an agent calls outside MCP servers, and Claude (An AI assistant is a chat program such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity: you write in plain language, and a language model answers.) or ChatGPT can find and run workflows, on every plan. The cloud stores data in Frankfurt; self-hosted, n8n stands wherever you want, Switzerland included. Workflows export as JSON and import into another instance.

For a team with one technically skilled person who enjoys building, it is a very strong tool for little money.

Where n8n stops

• Self-hosting is operations. n8n itself recommends self-hosting for expert users: mistakes can lead to data loss, security issues and downtime. Updates, backups (A backup is a copy of your files in a second place, from which you restore data that was lost or damaged.) and monitoring are then yours.
• The free version does not share. In the Community Edition, only the instance owner and whoever built a workflow can see that workflow and its credentials. Projects, single sign-on and Git are missing; Git and environments come only with Business and Enterprise.
• The cloud is tightly sized. Starter has 320 MiB of memory, Pro 640 MiB, and an instance can crash when it runs out. Below Enterprise, support is the forum.
• One workflow, one person. What is built in n8n is usually understood by the person who built it. If they are on holiday, a failed run waits until they are back. The contract with n8n GmbH in Berlin is under English law.

n8n connected to our platform

The first way leaves your n8n workflows as they are and connects them to the Jules Solutions Platform in both directions. An n8n workflow calls the platform’s MCP gateway through its MCP node when a document has to be read, a draft written or a decision prepared. In the other direction, the platform’s AI agents use your n8n workflows as tools where a connection is already built there.

The platform brings what a lean instance lacks: document processing, documents from your templates (A template is a prepared structure, for a document, an email or a folder for example, which you only complete for each case.), search across your project files with the passages behind each answer, a database with its own structures. It sends a message to the outside or a payment only once a person has decided; every step is in the log (A log records what a program or an AI agent did and when, so that afterwards you can trace who triggered what and what happened.). It does not run your n8n instance for you.

For five people: Operator System (Operator System is our package for teams at CHF 3'500.– to 5'000.–: the shared base with workflows for the team and connected systems.) as the shared base, CHF 3'500.– to 5'000.– once, with six months of Business seat (The Business seat is one person’s access to our platform (open alpha); Pro Setup includes three months, and with Operator System it is six per person.) per person; then CHF 199.– per person per month, or CHF 169.– billed yearly. You keep paying for or running n8n as you do today.

The whole system

In the whole system, your workflows are workflows with instructions as files: in one person’s vault (The vault is a folder of your working files on your computer; we create it from the vault template.) or in the shared project repository (A Git repository is storage for files that records every change with its date and author; GitHub is a well-known service for it.), with versions and someone who accepts changes. That is Git for everyone, not only from the Business plan up. An AI harness (An AI harness is the workspace on your computer in which AI reads files and carries out agreed steps.) works in it; we recommend Claude Code (Claude Code is an AI harness made by Anthropic: it runs on your computer, reads files and carries out steps you describe in plain language.).

Workflows start with a short command (A command starts a defined workflow. In Pro Setup, we set up three to five commands for your work.), with an incoming email or on a schedule, and run on your device, on a computer in the office, on our platform or with a cloud provider, as the quote sets out. We run the platform, on our own infrastructure in Switzerland; we keep backups locally, on network storage or at Exoscale (Exoscale is a Swiss cloud provider with data centres in Switzerland. It rents out servers and storage in its own data centres.). AI agents handle parts of the work in sealed-off areas and propose changes; a person accepts them.

The platform is in open alpha (Open alpha means the platform is at an early stage: we use it ourselves, and it changes all the time.); we run our own company on it. For five people: Operator System plus one Pro Setup (Pro Setup is our recommended package at CHF 1'490.–: vault, workflows with AI agents, first integrations, an introduction session and three months of Business seat.) per person, CHF 10'950.– to 12'450.– once, with 60 days of follow-up support (Follow-up support means that questions and adjustments by email and phone are included for 30 days (Pro Setup) or 60 days (Operator System) after handover.), then the Business seats and model usage (Model usage means accessing an AI provider’s language model. The cost is not included in the setup price.).

Our verdict

If someone in your team enjoys running servers and building workflows, n8n is an excellent choice, self-hosted even without licence fees. Keep it, and let that person work in peace. But plan for a second person who knows the server.

But if n8n hangs on one person who really has other things to do, updates, backups and debugging cost more than the licence saves. The first way moves the hard parts onto the platform without replacing n8n. The whole system pays off when nobody in the team should run servers and the workflows should still belong to you.

What such a setup costs in its first year is worked out in ‘What does AI automation cost an SME?’.