Is n8n free? What you actually get, and the open-source system you can own
n8n is free to self-host in its Community edition, and its Cloud trial is time-limited. The catch is what free leaves out and the terms n8n attaches. Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, is free to self-host: code you can read, fork, and audit.
n8n's free tier next to an open-source system you own
n8n self-hosts free with limits; Kortix is open source and you keep the repo.
| Criteria | Kortix | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| 01Open source | Yes: Yes — Kortix | No: No, fair-code and not OSI open source — n8n |
| 02Free tier | Free is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. — Kortix | Free Community edition; time-limited Cloud trial — n8n |
| 03What self-hosting costs | Self-host is free. — Kortix | Free Community edition; paid keys unlock some features — n8n |
| 04What "free" gets you | Agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one repo you own. — Kortix | Most features; SSO, projects, and Git version control need a paid plan — n8n |
| 05Where it runs | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or your own on-prem network. — Kortix | Your own infrastructure, or n8n Cloud — n8n |
| 06How work lands | Session work reaches main through a change request. — Kortix | A run executes the same fixed steps each time — n8n |
n8n facts read from n8n’s own docs and repository, checked October 2026.
The self-host path
$ curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash$ kortix self-host init --domain kortix.example.com --admin-email you@example.com$ kortix self-host startSelf-host is free.
What n8n's fair-code model actually allows
n8n calls itself a fair-code workflow automation tool, and fair-code is not OSI open source. Its own docs use that label on the first line, and the repo README lists "source available" among n8n's properties (n8n's docs). The terms give you the free right to use, modify, and redistribute the source, with limits: you may run it for your own internal business purposes, and offering it to your customers as part of a product needs a separate commercial agreement. n8n does not call itself open source.
Kortix takes the other path. Kortix is open source, so the code is yours to read, fork, and audit, and the repo is yours to keep (Kortix on GitHub). Your agents, skills, memory, and connectors live in one git repo, which means the system a team builds on stays with the team even if a vendor relationship ends.
The line between n8n's free and paid editions
Self-hosted n8n has a real free tier. The Community edition runs indefinitely without a paid key, and n8n sets no cap on how many workflows you build or how often they run. Registering your email unlocks folders, in-editor debugging, and custom execution data, still free (n8n's edition comparison).
The paid line begins where a team reaches for controls. SSO, environments, projects, external secrets, and log streaming are paid, and so are Git version control and workflow and credential sharing. On n8n Cloud the free path is a 14-day trial, and the Business plan is self-hosted only for now (n8n's pricing, checked October 2026).
What to compare if you want "free forever"
The question that matters is whether the system stays yours and the bill stays predictable as the team grows. n8n answers the first part by keeping the source visible and the Community edition free. It answers the second part less neatly, because the controls a growing team reaches for sit behind the paid plans.
Kortix is open source and free to self-host, and the free tier is $0 with 200 credits per month and 1 project. The team plan is $40 per seat per month with 2,500 credits per month per seat, pooled (Kortix). The choice is between a fixed-flowchart tool with feature gates and an open-source system whose repo you own. The n8n vs Kortix comparison sets the two side by side, and the open-source n8n alternative guide covers the self-hosting path step by step.
n8n's free tier, answered
The short answers readers ask after the numbers.
Yes, if you self-host. n8n’s Community edition has no end date: you keep running it indefinitely, and registering the instance by email adds folders, debugging, and custom execution data at no cost. The features that stay locked are the paid team controls.
Fourteen days with Pro-level features, up to 1,000 executions, 5 concurrent executions, a 180-second execution timeout, and one team project. No credit card is needed for the Cloud trial (n8n’s pricing, checked October 2026).
An execution is one full run of a workflow, however many steps it holds, so usage is more predictable than per-step billing. Cloud plans cap concurrent executions and saved history, and the Business plan bills overages in blocks of 300,000 executions (n8n’s pricing, checked October 2026).
Self-host it and keep the repo
Kortix is open source and free to self-host, or start on the free cloud tier.
Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem