What is n8n? It's a workflow automation tool that connects the apps you already use, like Gmail, Google Sheets and Slack, so routine tasks run on their own. You build each automation by linking blocks on a visual canvas. Unlike Zapier, you can also run n8n on your own server for free, and you can add a little code when the blocks aren't enough.
The name is short for "nodemation" and you say it "n-eight-n," according to founder Jan Oberhauser. n8n's site lists over 500 ready made integrations, and the hosted version starts at €20 a month billed annually (prices checked on n8n.io on October 7, 2026). You don't need to be a developer to build your first workflow, but it helps to know where the code shows up, so this guide is honest about that too.
What is n8n used for?
n8n handles the copy, paste and remind work that eats your week. A few everyday examples:
- New lead, instant follow up. Someone fills out the form on your website. n8n adds them to your customer list, posts a note in your team's Slack channel and drafts a welcome email.
- The Monday report. Every Monday at 8 a.m., n8n pulls last week's sales from a spreadsheet, totals them and emails you a summary.
- Invoices out of your inbox. When an email with an invoice arrives, n8n saves the attachment to a folder and logs the amount in a sheet.
- AI on your own data. n8n can pass text to an AI model, for example to summarize support tickets or sort incoming emails by topic, then act on the answer.
If you do the same steps in the same apps more than a few times a week, that's a workflow n8n can probably run for you.
How n8n works: triggers, nodes and workflows
Think of a recipe card. It has a starting point ("when the oven is hot"), steps in order, and a finished dish. n8n uses the same idea with three words you'll see everywhere:
- Trigger. The event that starts everything. A form submission, a new email, a time of day.
- Node. One step. Each node does one job, like "read this sheet," "send this message" or "ask the AI to summarize."
- Workflow. The full chain of nodes, from trigger to finish, drawn as boxes connected by lines on the canvas.
You add a node, pick the app, connect your account once and choose what the step should do. Data flows from one node to the next, so a name collected by a form can land in a spreadsheet and then in an email. When something fails, n8n shows you which node broke and why.
A real n8n workflow, step by step
The best way to see n8n is to walk through one that actually runs. At a 4Geeks workshop, we built an AI job search workflow in n8n with 13 nodes. Here's what it does, in plain terms:
- A form collects your profile. Name, the role you want, your country, key skills, years of experience and one concrete achievement.
- It finds real job postings. A node asks a job search service for current openings that match your role and country, then keeps up to five.
- It finds the person hiring. Another service looks up the recruiter or hiring manager at each company and their work email.
- AI drafts a short message. Claude, an AI model, writes 80 to 120 words that mention something real from the posting and connect it to your achievement.
- It saves everything. Each result becomes a row in a Google Sheet.
- It creates a Gmail draft, and stops. Nothing gets sent. You read each draft and decide.
- It tells you when something breaks. A separate branch posts any error to Slack, with the node that failed.
Two honest notes. This workflow uses a few code nodes to clean up data between steps, and it needs paid accounts for the job search and contact services. It's a great example of what n8n can do, not a first project. The full build, node by node, is in the original article.
Is n8n a no code tool?
Mostly, with an exit door. n8n calls itself a tool where you "build visually, go deep with code." That's a fair description.
For common jobs, like moving data between Google apps, Slack and a CRM, you can build everything by clicking. Prebuilt nodes handle the connection, and you never see code. When an app has no prebuilt node, or the data needs reshaping, n8n gives you two options. You can call the app's API directly, which means talking to it through its public address and rules, or you can add a Code node and write a few lines of JavaScript or Python.
You won't need either on day one. It's still good to know they exist, because they're why people outgrow simpler tools and stay with n8n.
How much does n8n cost?
There are two ways to run n8n: let n8n host it, or run it yourself.
Hosted by n8n (n8n Cloud). Plans are priced by workflow executions, meaning full runs of a workflow, no matter how many steps it has. On n8n's pricing page on October 7, 2026, with annual billing:
| Plan | Price | Executions per month |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | €20 a month | 2,500 |
| Pro | €50 a month | 10,000 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
All plans include unlimited users and workflows, and the Starter and Pro plans have a free trial with no credit card required. Monthly billing costs more than these annual prices. There's also a Business plan at €667 a month for 40,000 executions, which you run on your own server.
Self hosted, for free. The Community edition is free to run on your own computer or server, indefinitely. You pay only for the server. It includes "almost the complete feature set," though team features like sharing workflows and single sign on need a paid plan. Two catches: setting up a server takes some technical comfort, and n8n's Sustainable Use License allows use "only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use." Automating your own work is fine. Reselling n8n as a service isn't.
n8n vs Zapier: which should you pick?
Both connect apps. The biggest differences are how you pay and how far you can push them.
| n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Self hosted Community edition | Free plan with 100 tasks a month |
| Paid plans start at | €20 a month, billed annually | $19.99 a month |
| What you pay for | Executions: one full workflow run counts once | Tasks: each successful action step counts |
| Run it yourself | Yes | No |
| Add your own code | Yes, Code node in JavaScript or Python | Yes, with Code by Zapier |
| Feels easiest for | People willing to learn a little | Total beginners |
Prices from n8n and Zapier on October 7, 2026.
The billing difference matters more than the sticker price. Zapier counts each successful action as a task, so a Zap with two actions that runs ten times uses 20 tasks. In n8n, that same workflow running ten times is ten executions. Long workflows get cheaper on n8n. Short, simple ones often cost about the same.
Our pick: start with Zapier if you want the gentlest first week and only need a few simple automations. Pick n8n if your workflows have many steps, you want AI in the middle, or you'd like the option to run it yourself.
How to start with n8n this week
- Pick one boring task. Something you do at least weekly in two apps, like copying form answers into a sheet.
- Use the free trial or a template. n8n has thousands of ready made workflow templates. Start from one close to your task and change it.
- Build it with a test account first. Send the emails to yourself until the workflow behaves.
- Add AI last. Once the plain version works, add one AI step, like a summary or a draft, and keep a human check before anything goes out.
If you'd rather learn this with a plan and a live class, AI Fluency is a 4 week program for working professionals, no coding required. You leave with a working automation built around your actual job. Our guide to AI automation courses compares it with other options if you want to shop around.
Go deeper
- How to use AI to find a job, the full 13 node n8n build
- AI automation course: is it worth it?, how to choose a way to learn automation
- AI tools hub, tested picks sorted by the task you want done