I’ve been reviewing the use cases for n8n and I’m unsure about what’s actually allowed when it comes to providing automation services for clients. It appears from their terms that the community version shouldn’t be used if you’re offering these services to paying customers.
I’ve seen many discussions from people wanting to start their own automation businesses using n8n, and I doubt they are aware that this might violate the licensing agreement. The information available on their Sustainable Use License can be quite ambiguous and difficult to understand.
Could anyone with a deeper knowledge of these licensing matters explain what’s allowed and what isn’t? I think it’s important for everyone to be aware of these limitations before they establish their businesses around n8n.
Yeah, n8n’s licensing is confusing - the Sustainable Use License has a lot of gray areas. From what I’ve seen with software licenses, it usually comes down to whether you’re offering n8n as a service to multiple clients or just using it internally for client work. If you’re basically running a SaaS that depends on n8n, you’ll probably need a commercial license. But if you’re just using it to streamline your own processes while helping clients, that might be fine under their standard license. I’d write up exactly how you plan to use n8n before reaching out to their support team - the more specific you are, the clearer their answer will be.
I went through this same headache when starting my consulting business. The Sustainable Use License isn’t as cut-and-dried as people think - it’s all about HOW you’re using n8n. Running automations on your servers for multiple clients? You’ll need a commercial license. Installing n8n directly on each client’s infrastructure so they run it themselves? Different story entirely. Don’t guess on this one - n8n’s licensing team responds pretty quickly if you email them your specific situation. Trust me, you don’t want to figure out you got it wrong after your business takes off.
honestly, this is exactly why i moved to zapier for client work, even tho n8n blows it away feature-wise. the licensing mess wasn’t worth the headache when i’m trying to scale my agency. n8n basically wants commercial rates the second you handle any client data on your instance, and that adds up quick.
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