A twelve-node n8n workflow that runs 2,000 times a month counts as 2,000 executions
n8n's pricing page counts one execution per workflow run, from EUR 20 a month for 2,500 executions up to EUR 667 for 40,000, a DEV Community review says. In the review's examples, the run schedule decides which tier a team lands on.
The Engineer · Build desk
Key figures: a sync every 5 minutes produces 8,640 executions over 30 days. The Starter plan includes 2,500 executions a month and the Pro plan 10,000, so the sync is over Starter's quota and inside Pro's.
| Figure | Value | Note | Claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executions from a sync every 5 minutes, over 30 days | 8,640 executions | 7 | |
| Starter plan, a month | 2,500 executions | 1 | |
| Pro plan, a month | 10,000 executions | 1 |
What happened
- Pro costs EUR 50 a month for 10,000 executions, and Enterprise is priced by quote.
- A loop that handles 500 records inside one run still counts as a single execution, the review says.
- A sync that runs every 5 minutes produces 8,640 executions in 30 days, over Starter's 2,500 and inside Pro's 10,000.
- Workflows keep running past the quota, and unpaid overage charges are invoiced 45 days after they occur.
- On Business the page lists an overage of EUR 4,000 for each extra bucket of 300,000 executions.
Why it matters
- What it limits constraint Packing work into one run saves executions. Starter, though, caps concurrency at 5 executions and run length at 5 minutes, and long AI or batch workflows can go past those limits.
- What it costs cost A team that outgrows Pro's 10,000 pays about 3.3 times more per included execution on Business, and takes on its own servers.
- Who's exposed exposure On Business and Enterprise, the daily license check sends production execution counts to n8n, with telemetry on by default.
- What doesn't add up contradiction For Pro, the plan card gives a concurrency ceiling of 50 executions but the feature table lists 20 / 50. Confirm the limits on the live page before buying.
The metering favours long workflows. A per-task meter, as the review describes it, counts every action in a run [5]. If each of the twelve nodes in the review's example counted as an action, 2,000 runs would register as 24,000 units [22]. n8n counts that workflow as 2,000 executions [3].
The review points to separate n8n vs Zapier and n8n vs Make comparisons for how the three tools meter usage [23]. It does not list their prices. For the gap to reach the invoice, a team's workflows need many billable steps per run, and the rival's price per unit must not be low enough to cancel the step count.
Run count is the meter, so the schedule sets the tier. Webhook-triggered workflows count one execution per incoming event, so volume is harder to predict [8]. The review says switching a poll to a webhook, or polling less often, can keep a team on a smaller plan [14].
Per included execution, Starter works out to EUR 0.008 [18] and Pro to EUR 0.005 [19]. Business is about EUR 0.0167 [20].
The review's agent example shows where that lands. At 15,000 messages a month, one execution each, a team is above Pro's 10,000 [9]. Business covers 40,000 at about EUR 8,004 a year, self-hosted only, plus the team's own infrastructure [15]. The review adds that batching or filtering messages before they trigger a run can change the answer [16].
We think this is the right trade for teams with long workflows that fire on events, and the wrong one for teams that poll on short intervals. The context is the tier gap. In the review's listing, the step above Pro's 10,000 executions is a self-hosted tier at EUR 667 [1].
The review checked the pricing page on October 15, 2026. The page shows prices in euros, defaults to annual billing and does not show an effective date [6].
What to watch
- A priced comparison of one twelve-node workflow on n8n, Zapier and Make would show whether the metering gap becomes a bill gap.
- An effective date on n8n's pricing page, and a single concurrency figure for Pro, would remove the page's own contradictions.
- Any hosted tier between Pro's 10,000 executions and the self-hosted Business tier would change the budget for mid-volume teams.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence55
- Adoption
- Not scored
- Hype gap
- Not scored
- Incentives50
- Confidence60
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
n8n Cloud costs EUR 20 a month (Starter, 2,500 workflow executions), EUR 50 a month (Pro, 10,000) or EUR 667 a month (Business, 40,000, self-hosted only), all billed annually; Enterprise is by quote.
- [2]
n8n counts one execution per workflow run, however many steps it has.
- [3]
A workflow with twelve nodes that fires 2,000 times in a month is 2,000 executions.
- [4]
A loop that handles 500 records inside one run is still one execution.
- [5]
Per-task billing is the opposite of n8n's model: every action in a run counts.
- [6]
The review checked n8n.io/pricing on October 15, 2026. The page shows prices in euros, defaults to annual billing, and doesn't show an effective date.
- [7]
A production sync every 5 minutes runs 288 times a day, so 8,640 executions over 30 days, which is over Starter's 2,500 and inside Pro's 10,000.
- [8]
Webhook-triggered workflows count one execution per incoming event, which makes volume harder to predict.
- [9]
An agent that answers every customer message at 15,000 messages a month, one execution each, is above Pro's 10,000 executions.
- [10]
Starter allows 5 concurrent executions and 5-minute runs, which long AI or batch workflows can exceed.
- [11]
According to n8n's pricing page, workflows keep running after the quota is passed and overage charges may apply if you don't upgrade; unpaid overages are invoiced 45 days after they occur.
- [12]
n8n says Business and Enterprise license keys must contact its license server daily, and the ping includes production execution counts. Telemetry is on by default and can be turned off.
- [13]
The review says the pricing page contradicts itself in places: the Pro card says up to 50 concurrent executions while the feature table shows 20 / 50.
- [14]
If you can switch a poll to a webhook, or poll less often, you can stay on a smaller plan.
- [15]
Business covers 40,000 executions but is self-hosted only, at EUR 667 a month, about EUR 8,004 a year, plus your own infrastructure.
- [16]
Batching or filtering messages before they trigger a run can change the answer.
- [17]
On Business, the page lists an overage of EUR 4,000 for each extra bucket of 300,000 executions.
- [18]
Starter costs about EUR 0.008 per included execution.
- [19]
Pro costs EUR 0.005 per included execution.
- [20]
Business costs about EUR 0.0167 per included execution.
- [21]
Business costs about 3.3 times Pro per included execution.
- [22]
If every one of the twelve nodes counted as a billed action, 2,000 runs would register as 24,000 units.
- [23]
The review points to its n8n vs Zapier and n8n vs Make comparisons for how the three tools meter usage and what that does to the bill.
Get this ledger inside ChatGPT. Ask about any of our stories and the answer brings its figure, each claim’s verdict and the sources. Free, no account.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- dev.ton8n Pricing in 2026: What Each Plan Costs and What You Actually Get
1 article · October 16, 2026
Topics and entities
Follow any of these and your For You feed starts watching them — no settings page required.
Topics
- Workflow AutomationFollow
- Workflow automation pricingFollow
- Self-HostingFollow