prices verified june 2026 · 3 workflows · monthly billing

n8n vs Node-RED — pricing & features compared

n8n vs Node-RED logo

Node-RED

Both are open-source, self-hosted and free software, so our figures put them at the same cost — your server (see the table). They serve different builders: n8n is a general-purpose automation tool with 1,868 app integrations, AI/LLM nodes and a visual editor aimed at business workflows, while Node-RED (Apache 2.0) is event-driven and excels at IoT/hardware, wired in a flow editor with Node.js function nodes. Pick n8n for SaaS automation, Node-RED for devices and events. See the price table below for figures.

Price by volume

What you'd pay per month

Cheapest qualifying plan for each tool, including overage, at four typical volumes.

runs / month	n8n	Node-RED
1,000	$8self-hosted*	$8self-hosted*
5,000	$8self-hosted*	$8self-hosted*
20,000	$25self-hosted*	$25self-hosted*
100,000	$45self-hosted*	$45self-hosted*

~ = estimated custom-tier pricing (vendor quotes individually; calibrated against public list prices). Assumes 3 workflows, monthly billing, cheapest qualifying plan. Prices verified June 2026 — see the price changelog. * self-hosted = free open-source software; the figure is the server infrastructure (VPS + DB, not a tool fee), ~$8/mo small to ~$150/mo at high volume — assumes light workflows and excludes your ops time.

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Where they differ

Feature differences that matter

Only the rows where n8n and Node-RED actually differ — identical capabilities are left out.

Feature	n8n	Node-RED
Integrations	1,868+	5,000+
Free tier	Unlimited* · Unlimited*	Unlimited · Unlimited
Execution timeout	No limit*	No limit
Log history	7 days (cloud)	Full history
AI features	✓	✗
Multi-user	✓	✗
License	Sustainable Use	Apache 2.0

Same on both: overage model · steps per workflow · eu data residency · self-hosting · api access · webhooks · code steps.

Trade-offs

Pros & cons

n8n

Truly unlimited self-hosted
Best AI/LLM nodes
Strong community

Setup required for self-host
Big jump from Pro to Business tier

Node-RED

Apache 2.0 — completely free
Node.js code steps
Best for IoT/hardware

No cloud option
Developer-only (no visual UI)
Limited SaaS integrations

FAQ

Common questions

They come out to the same cost across the volumes we track — both are free open-source software, so the figure is just your server bill (see the table above). Price isn't the deciding factor here; the feature and trade-off sections below cover what separates them.

n8n Cloud counts workflow executions — one run is one execution regardless of step count; self-hosted n8n has no metering at all. Node-RED has no metering — it's open-source software you run on your own hardware.

Yes — both n8n and Node-RED can be self-hosted, which caps the real cost at your server bill.

When you're automating SaaS apps and APIs rather than hardware. n8n's 1,868 integrations, native AI nodes and business-oriented editor cover that ground, where Node-RED leans toward IoT, events and low-level wiring.

Taken from official pricing pages and verified June 2026. Values marked ~ are estimates for custom enterprise tiers. Every change we record lands in the price changelog.

Try them

Both have free tiers — test with your real workflow

n8n

Community Edition is free forever self-hosted; Cloud has a free trial — test a real workflow either way.

Visit n8n →

Node-RED

Free and open source — install and run in minutes on a Pi or VPS.

Visit Node-RED →

An objective cost comparison from each vendor's public pricing pages (June 2026) — not a recommendation; rankings reflect price only, so verify current pricing before deciding. We run an affiliate link for Make (the only one of these tools with a public referral program); the others don't offer one, so those are plain links — affiliate status never affects the comparison. See our affiliate disclosure.

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