Self-hosting means running open-source automation software on your own server, so you pay for the server — not a per-run subscription. n8n, Activepieces, Automatisch, Node-RED are free, open-source and self-hostable: their cost is just the VPS (plus a database at scale), which our engine models from about $8/mo. Against paid cloud the maths is one-sided: self-host runs about $8/mo at 1,000 runs versus $10.59 for the cheapest paid cloud plan, and the gap widens to $45 vs $214.31 at 100,000 runs, because a server bill is roughly flat while cloud is priced per run. One honest caveat: a free cloud tier (Activepieces, up to 10 active flows at $0) can undercut self-host on raw cost for very small usage. And self-host is only “free” if you don’t count your own time to set up, secure, monitor and back up the server.
Cheapest self-host (rented VPS) vs cheapest paid managed-cloud plan, 3-step workflows, generated live from our data. Self-host figures are the server bill (VPS + database), not a tool fee. Free cloud tiers are excluded from the table and discussed below.
| Volume | Cheapest self-host | Cheapest paid cloud | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 runs/mo | $8 n8n | $10.59 Make | Self-host |
| 5,000 runs/mo | $8 n8n | $18.82 Make | Self-host |
| 20,000 runs/mo | $25 n8n | $64.71 Make | Self-host |
| 100,000 runs/mo | $45 n8n | $214.31 Make | Self-host |
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