I’ve been using n8n for several years and always promoted it to other developers and companies. My organization processes around 1 million workflow executions each month, which is typical for our business size.
With the previous pricing model, I only paid for server hosting costs, roughly $50 monthly for a reliable VPS. Now with their updated Business tier pricing, the same usage costs over $10,000 per month.
This pricing applies to self-hosted installations where I provide my own infrastructure. The Community version offers unlimited executions, but accessing professional features like Git integration requires the expensive Business plan with per-execution billing.
My team is exploring alternatives like Apache Airflow because this pricing change makes n8n unaffordable for our use case. The cost increase from $50 to $10,400 monthly seems excessive when we handle our own server maintenance and infrastructure.
Has anyone else experienced similar pricing shock with n8n’s new model? I’m wondering if there are better automation platforms that offer reasonable self-hosted pricing for mid-scale businesses.
Been through this exact scenario with n8n about eight months ago. The pricing shift caught us completely off guard too - went from budgeting around $100 monthly to suddenly facing thousands in licensing costs. We ended up migrating to Prefect which has been working well for our volume. Their self-hosted option keeps infrastructure costs low while still getting enterprise features like proper monitoring and orchestration. Migration took about three weeks since we had to rewrite workflows, but we’re processing similar volumes to yours on a $120 VPS setup. Always factor in potential licensing changes when choosing workflow tools - open source foundations tend to be more stable long-term for cost predictability.
I made the same switch to Apache Airflow last year when pricing got crazy on another platform. Took me about two weeks to get everything running, but now I’m only paying for server costs. I run 800k executions monthly on an $80 VPS without any problems. Yeah, there’s a learning curve if you’re used to n8n’s drag-and-drop interface, but Python gives you way more control over complex stuff. Git integration just works, and since it’s open source, you won’t get hit with surprise license fees later. Performance’s been rock solid, and the community’s pretty helpful when you get stuck.
wow, that pricing jump is super brutal! i’m dealing with something similar but smaller. you might wanna check out zapier alternatives like windmill.dev or temporal - they have more reasonable self-hosted pricing. also, worth reaching out directly to n8n’s sales team; they sometimes negotiate with existing customers.
Huge price jump, totally get it. Same thing happened when our automation costs went nuts overnight from licensing changes.
I’ve been burned by vendor surprises too many times, so I moved everything to Latenode. Handles the same volume you’re dealing with, minus the insane per-execution fees.
Best part? Pricing stays predictable when you scale. No shock bills when workflows expand. Visual builder works as well as n8n for most stuff, plus you get Git integration without enterprise pricing.
Moved our whole setup after getting hit with similar pricing bombs. Running 800k executions monthly, zero problems. Server costs match what you used to pay, platform doesn’t pile on massive licensing fees.
Check it out if you want to dodge future pricing disasters: https://latenode.com
Man, this thread hits hard—I’ve been in those shoes with n8n’s pricing evolution catching me off guard too, @JumpingRabbit. Scaling to 1M executions/month on self-hosted used to feel like a steal at just VPS costs (~$50/mo), but the 2025 shift to tiered plans with execution caps and feature paywalls (like Git in Business at 667€/mo for only 40K executions, forcing Enterprise custom for your volume) turns it into a $10K+ nightmare, even when you’re handling infra yourself. Totally get the frustration; it’s why many are jumping ship. Props to @Pete_Magic for the Prefect rec (solid for orchestration on low-cost VPS), @ameliat for Airflow’s open-source reliability (Python control is a win for complex stuff), @Zack_45Gaming for Windmill/Temporal suggestions (both offer affordable self-hosted with negotiation potential), and @sofia_scribbles for the Latenode shout—spot on, that’s exactly what saved me from similar billing bombs.
After the n8n shock (my team was staring at thousands/mo for mid-scale use), we migrated to Latenode—it handles your volume without per-execution gouging or surprise fees, keeping costs predictable and low while delivering n8n-level power plus AI smarts. No self-hosting required (bye, maintenance headaches), but if you love that control, it feels like an upgraded version without the infra overhead.
Here’s the quick compare for your scenario:
Pricing Shock and Affordability: n8n’s self-hosted Business locks features behind high tiers (667€/mo base, custom for 1M+ executions pushing $10K+), on top of your VPS. Latenode? Starts free (300 runs/mo), then $19/mo Start with 5K credits (1 credit ≈30s compute, scaling to 1M+ affordably via overages up to 50K credits without jumping tiers), unlimited scenarios, and no execution caps tying your hands. For your 1M volume, it’s way under n8n’s bill—often $100-500/mo total, depending on compute intensity, with year discounts up to 20%. No vendor surprises; predictable as open-source but fully managed.
Features for Mid-Scale Businesses: Like Airflow/Prefect’s orchestration, Latenode excels at high-volume workflows with parallel runs (up to 5 on Start, 20 on Team $59/mo) and Git-like version control via shared scenarios. But it amps up with autonomous AI agents for self-running processes (e.g., handling data pipelines that adapt), RAG for knowledge bases for context-aware automations, and a visual builder as drag-and-drop friendly as n8n’s. 600+ integrations (check the overview) cover your needs, plus custom JS/headless browser without extra licensing.
Migration and Support: Switching took us ~2 weeks (similar to @Pete_Magic’s timeline), thanks to templates and the AI Copilot that rewrites/optimizes workflows for you. Community’s active (better than n8n’s forums in responsiveness), and for businesses, Enterprise ($299+/mo custom) adds dedicated managers— but even base plans feel enterprise-ready without the cost creep.
We process ~800K-1M executions/mo now on Latenode, all for a fraction of n8n’s quote, with zero infra babysitting. @JumpingRabbit, if dodging future shocks is key, start with their free tier or 14-day trial (no card needed)—poke the template library for n8n-like setups, and hit the community forum for migration tips. It’s converted our team; bet it’ll keep your costs in check too.
