# n8n — Workflow Management

n8n by n8n GmbH holds a panel rating of 3/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: EU-Made; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: n8n GmbH (https://n8n.io)
- Category: [Workflow Management](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): EU-Made
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/n8n
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/n8n/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/n8n/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-20 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-01

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: n8n GmbH
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Starting price: “Starter Build and run your first workflows and agents. 20€ /mo, billed annually 2.5k workflow executions with unlimited steps Start free tri...” (vendor’s words) [S2]

## The panel's verdict

n8n is a fair-code workflow automation platform from n8n GmbH of Berlin, with a self-hosted edition next to a managed cloud. The strongest scores come on hosting and portability, clustering at 7-8: the engine deploys with Docker, on-premise and air-gapped if needed, the source code is on GitHub, and workflow definitions export from the cloud and import into self-hosted. Run reliability and governance and audit cluster at 6-7, resting on published execution limits (log retention of 7 days to unlimited, concurrency from 5 to 200+), reusable error workflows, and SAML and LDAP single sign-on with an encrypted credential store. The weakest scores are sovereignty at 3-4, where we found no public information on where cloud workflows execute or on any subprocessor list, and pricing transparency, where the judges genuinely split across a 1-to-4 range: the head of IT credited the published per-tier allowances, while the data protection officer scored 1 because no tier carries a price figure, so no monthly cost can be computed from public pages.

**Speaks for it:**
- A self-hosted edition deploys with Docker, on-premise and air-gapped if needed, with the source code on GitHub
- Workflow definitions export from the cloud dashboard and import into a self-hosted instance, with Git version control on the Business plan
- Execution limits are published per plan — run duration of 5 to 40 minutes by tier, log retention from 7 days to unlimited, concurrency from 5 to 200+
- A dedicated error workflow emails a machine-readable JSON error, and single steps can be re-run without re-running the whole workflow
- SAML and LDAP single sign-on, admin roles, an encrypted credential store, external secret stores and enforced two-factor authentication are listed

**Held against it:**
- The captured pricing pages publish plan contents without any monetary figure, so a monthly cost is not computable from them
- The captured pages give different figures for the integration count — "over 500 integrations", 772 listed apps, and "1000+ apps and services" as the generic HTTP Request node's reach
- We found no public information on cloud execution location, data residency or any subprocessor list, including for the AI model providers behind AI steps
- Migration from cloud to self-hosted is documented as manual only, and credentials cannot be exported from the cloud
- We found no public information on automatic retries with back-off, a public status page or an uptime commitment

**Best for:**
- You want to run the automation engine on your own servers, air-gapped if needed, and keep workflow definitions in Git
- Your team needs to reach systems behind the firewall through a documented HTTP Request node, inbound webhooks and a public API
- You want published execution limits, single-step re-runs and reusable error workflows for operating processes around the clock
- You need SAML or LDAP single sign-on and an encrypted credential store before a department ships automation

**Avoid if:**
- You must verify data residency and a subprocessor list, including where AI model calls are processed, before signing
- You need to compute your monthly cost from published prices rather than through sales-assisted procurement
- You depend on an automated, two-way path between cloud and self-hosted with exportable credentials
- You need approvals routed to platform roles or substitutes rather than a named reviewer email or a ClickUp assignee

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The Process Owner | The Integration Engineer | The Operations Analyst | The Head of IT | The Data Protection Officer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Process design, forms & approvals | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 |
| Connectors, API & on-premise reach | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Execution, error handling & monitoring | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Governance, credentials & audit trail | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Hosting options & portability | 3.5/5 | 4/5 | 3.5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 3.5/5 |
| European sovereignty | 2/5 | 2/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 1/5 | 1.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 2/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **2.5/5** | **3/5** | **2.5/5** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **2.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Process Owner** (v1.0): Runs purchase approvals and invoice release for a 400-person Mittelstand company. Wants approvers set by role rather than by name, a substitute when someone is on holiday, deadlines that escalate, and a process change that does not break the forty requests already in flight.
- **The Integration Engineer** (v1.0): Wires the ERP to the shop, the shop to DATEV and the CRM to everything else. Wants connectors documented by action rather than counted in logos, a generic HTTP step for the rest, an on-premise agent that reaches the SQL server without a hole in the firewall, and a failed run replayable from the step that failed.
- **The Operations Analyst** (v1.0): Is asked every Monday why invoices took eleven days. Wants a searchable execution history, cycle times per step, alerts that reach a channel rather than an unread mailbox, runtime and throughput limits published before the month-end run hits them — and to know what a loop over 5,000 rows costs in tasks.
- **The Head of IT** (v1.0): Answers for every automation a department builds without asking. Wants SSO, separate test and production, an inventory of workflows with their owners — and an exit: definitions exportable as BPMN or documented JSON, a self-hosted edition, and an engine licence that will still apply in five years.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Reads every workflow as a chain of transfers. Asks where the execution log keeps its copy of the payload and for how long, which subprocessors and AI model providers a step sends data to, whether payloads can be masked, and what the approval trail records about employees before the works council asks.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Knows that "7,000 integrations" counts connectors nobody maintains, that "unlimited workflows" says nothing about the tasks each run consumes, and that "no-code" ends at the first API without a connector. Reads for what counts as a task, how long failed runs are kept, which model an "AI agent" step sends data to, and whether the workflows can leave the platform at all.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Ownership | Not determined | — | — |
| Data residency | Not determined | — | — |
| Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Confidentiality period: 2 [S14]
- DPA: yes [S3]
- DPA link: data processor · data controller · https://n8n.io/legal/data-processing-agreement [S14]
- DPA presigned: processor · yes [S5]
- International transfers: yes · yes [S3]
- Ip indemnity: IP infringement indemnity covering US, UK, EU intellectual property rights [S14]
- Privacy policy: yes [S5]
- Privacy policy recruiting: yes [S5]
- Security docs: yes · yes [S5]
- Trust center: yes [S5]

**Data**
- Anonymisation: yes [S3]
- Ip anonymisation: yes [S3]
- Retention schedule: yes [S3]
- Usage data optout: yes · yes [S14]

**Hosting**
- Air gapped: yes · yes · yes [S1]
- Deployment options: yes · yes [S1]
- Docker: yes [S1]

**Integrations**
- Agent features: yes · yes · yes · yes · yes [S2]
- All integrations: all integrations included on all plans [S2]
- Count: over 500 integrations [S1]
- Count: pre-built nodes plus custom API connections · 500+ [S1]
- Http request count: 799 [S9]
- Http request docs available: yes [S9]
- Http request listed count: 772 [S9]
- Http request total: HTTP Request integrates with 1000+ apps and services in n8n [S9]
- Notable connected apps: Google Sheets · Gmail · OpenAI · Slack · Telegram · Airtable · Google Drive · Microsoft Excel 365 · Notion · Supabase · Discord · Postgres · MySQL · GitHub · Google Calendar [S9]
- Popular examples: Google Sheets · Gmail · OpenAI · Slack · Telegram · Airtable · Google Drive · Microsoft Excel 365 · Notion · Supabase · Discord · Postgres · MySQL · GitHub · Google Calendar [S9]
- Prebuilt nodes and custom API: yes · yes [S1]
- Sort options: Popularity [S9]
- Total services: Over 1000 apps and services can be integrated with HTTP Request [S9]
- Tracing: self-hosted · self-hosted, preview [S2]
- Webhook app count: 1000+ apps and services [S8]
- Webhook category: Development [S8]
- Webhook category: Development [S8]
- Webhook count: 1000+ [S8]
- Webhook docs: yes [S8]
- Webhook listed count: 799 [S8]
- Webhook listed count: 772 [S8]
- Webhook popular: Google Sheets, Gmail, OpenAI, Slack, Telegram, Airtable, Google Drive, Microsoft Excel 365, Notion, Supabase, Discord, Postgres, MySQL, GitHub, Google Calendar [S8]
- Webhook popular: Google Sheets · Gmail · OpenAI · Slack · Telegram · Airtable · Google Drive · Microsoft Excel 365 · Notion · Supabase · Discord · Postgres · MySQL · GitHub · Google Calendar [S8]

**Legal**
- Acceptable use policy: yes [S5]
- Address: 10115 · Berlin · Novalisstr. 10 · Germany [S4]
- Address: 10115 · Berlin · Novalisstr. 10 · Germany [S3]
- AI terms: yes [S5]
- Commercial register: Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, Berlin · HRB 212509 B [S4]
- Content responsible: Jan Oberhauser [S4]
- Credit terms: yes [S5]
- Entity: n8n GmbH · HRB 212509 B [S3]
- Entity: n8n GmbH · Novalisstr. 10, 10115 Berlin, Germany · HRB212509 B [S14]
- Entity gmbh: n8n GmbH [S5]
- Eula resellers: yes [S5]
- Governing law: England and Wales · exclusive jurisdiction of courts of England and Wales [S14]
- Last updated: 2026-09-28 [S3]
- Last updated: 2025-12-09 [S14]
- Marketing logo license: n8n may use customer name and logo in marketing material [S14]
- Master enterprise terms: yes [S5]
- Product owner: n8n.io is a product of n8n GmbH [S4]
- Self serve terms: yes [S5]
- Termination for breach: 30 [S14]
- VAT id: DE327574983 [S4]

**Pricing**
- Annual discount: 17 [S2]
- Annual discount: 17 [S2]
- Billing model: per monthly workflow executions · yes [S2]
- Billing model: bank transfer · net 15 days · in advance on signature · 12 [S14]
- Business features: yes · yes · 30 · 6 · yes [S2]
- Business price: annually · 40000 · 667 [S2]
- Custom plan billing timing: start of next billing cycle · no [S10]
- Enterprise features: 365 · unlimited · 200+ · yes [S2]
- Enterprise hosting: cloud · self-hosted [S2]
- Enterprise price: Contact Sales [S2]
- Enterprise price: contact sales · custom [S2]
- Execution billing: charged per full workflow execution, not per step or user [S2]
- Execution billing model: yes [S2]
- Free tier: yes [S1]
- Inclusions: yes · yes [S2]
- Invoice payment: yes · yes [S2]
- Late payment interest: 4% per annum above ECB base rate [S14]
- Model: monthly workflow executions [S2]
- Payment provider: Paddle [S3]
- Pro1 executions: Pro-1 · 10000 [S10]
- Pro2 custom plan executions: 500000 · 50000 · Pro-2 monthly [S10]
- Pro2 executions: Pro-2 · 50000 [S10]
- Pro2 monthly self serve: Pro-2 monthly · yes [S10]
- Pro features: 7 · 3 · up to 50 · 9600 [S2]
- Pro price: 10000 · 50 [S2]
- Pro price: annually · 10000 · 50 [S2]
- Renewal terms: then current list price · 12 · 30 [S14]
- Starter price: yes · n8n cloud · 2500 · 20 [S2]
- Starter price: annually · 2500 · 20 [S2]
- Startup discount: Business · under 20 employees · 50 [S2]
- Startup plan: Business · under 20 employees · 50 [S2]
- Taxes: Customer except Supplier income tax · yes [S14]

**Product**
- Account deletion: yes [S3]
- Action routing: No Operation Nodes (Placeholders) · Represent different action branches per department [S12]
- Active workflows: unlimited on all plans [S2]
- AI agent community support: Community forum discussions available for HTTP Request integration setup [S9]
- AI capabilities: AI agents preview, MCP server trigger and client, instance-level MCP, human approval, hosted and embedded chat [S2]
- AI evaluation: yes [S1]
- AI workflows: AI agents and workflows visible and controllable [S1]
- Air gapped: yes · yes · yes [S1]
- Any model support: yes · yes [S1]
- API key header: X-N8N-API-KEY [S13]
- Approval flow: end workflow · feedback sent for revision · store & mark completed · Gmail send + wait for response [S6]
- Author: Ziana Mitchell [S13]
- Author: Olek · 7 months ago [S11]
- Author: Yehor EGMS · 8 months ago [S12]
- Billing options: yes · yes [S2]
- Branch1 inventory: Creates a Google spreadsheet inventory of workflows with credentials, filtering out workflows without credentials [S13]
- Branch2 impact map: Creates a spreadsheet mapping each credential to workflows using it, with credential name, id, type, created/updated timestamps [S13]
- Business includes: SAML and LDAP · yes · 30 · 6 [S2]
- Category: DevOps [S13]
- Category: DevOps [S11]
- Clickup chat notifications: yes · yes [S7]
- Cloud to selfhosted automated migration: no [S15]
- Code languages: JavaScript · Python [S1]
- Collaboration users: unlimited · 1 · 3 · unlimited [S2]
- Community forum webhook: yes [S8]
- Community github stars: 206.4k · yes [S1]
- Community members: 200k+ [S1]
- Community size: 200000 [S1]
- Configurable polling: poll interval · max attempts · reminder threshold [S7]
- Configuration steps: copy workflow to workspace · set This workflow can be called by · define app url, recipient email, sender name in Config node · create Gmail credentials · pick error workflow in main workflow settings [S11]
- Cookie types: essential · functional/performance · advertising/analytics [S3]
- Credentials not exportable from cloud: security reasons · no [S15]
- Credslist endpoint: /api/v1/credentials [S13]
- Cross platform adaptable: Slack · Discord · internal chat tools [S12]
- Custom code: JavaScript · Python [S1]
- Customer integration usecase: n8n positions HTTP Request node for reducing time on customer integrations, faster POCs, and separating customer-specific functionality without coding [S9]
- Data mocking: yes [S1]
- Data subject rights: withdraw consent · access · rectification · erasure · restriction · portability · objection · complaint to supervisory authority [S3]
- Debugging: yes · yes · yes [S1]
- Debugging: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Debugging audit: execution logging, error workflows, debug in editor, search executions by data, audit logging [S2]
- Debugging features: yes [S1]
- Deployment options: yes · yes [S1]
- Developer tools: code steps JS/Python, custom HTTP/GraphQL requests, cURL import, webhooks/queues triggers, API and CLI control [S2]
- Developer tools: JS/Python · yes · yes · yes · self-hosted · self-hosted · yes · yes [S2]
- Employee database lookup: Data Table Node · Fetches user Position and Type from internal employee table [S12]
- Encryption untouched: audits environment without touching encrypted data [S13]
- Enterprise includes: 365 · unlimited · 200+ · yes [S2]
- Environments: yes · 2 (dev, prod) · yes [S2]
- Environments instances: 2 (dev, prod) · Git [S2]
- Error workflow setting: Main workflows designate this via the Error Workflow field in workflow settings [S11]
- Execution inspection: yes [S1]
- Execution inspection: yes [S1]
- Execution limits: 2.5 · 25 · 50 · 5 min · 40 min · 40 min · 7 days · 30 days · unlimited · 2500 · 25000 · 50000 · 5 · 20/50 · 200+ [S2]
- Flowslist endpoint: /api/v1/workflows [S13]
- Forum account deletion: email privacy@n8n.io [S3]
- Free use: yes [S7]
- Free use: yes [S13]
- G2 rating: 4.7 · G2 [S1]
- G2 rating: 4.7/5 · G2 [S1]
- Github stars: Top 50 · 207.1k [S1]
- Hosted by n8n: n8n-hosted cloud [S2]
- Http request category: Development [S9]
- Http request development category: Development [S9]
- Human in loop approvals: yes · yes [S1]
- Human in the loop: yes · yes [S1]
- Insights: 24h to 365 days · 7-14 days · Hourly, Daily, Weekly · Days [S2]
- Insights filtering: 7-14 days · 24h to 365 days · days · hourly/daily/weekly [S2]
- Integration gmail: sending error notification emails · Gmail [S11]
- Integrations: Google Forms · Google Sheets · Gmail · Groq · Mistral · OpenRouter [S6]
- Last update: 6 months ago [S13]

**Support**
- Channels: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Courtesy execution reset: 0 · once per customer · Trial · Starter · Pro-1 [S10]
- Help center requests: Help Center request [S10]
- Http request docs: yes [S9]
- Privacy contact: privacy@n8n.io [S3]

83 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/n8n

## Questions

### Is n8n European?

Yes. whats-best.ai classifies n8n as EU-Made.

### Where does n8n store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### Does n8n have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to n8n?

As of 15 Oct 2026, the panel rates [Tray.ai (3/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/tray-ai), [Camunda (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/camunda) and [Frends (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/frends) highest among the other 16 Workflow Management products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Camunda](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/camunda) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [n8n alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/n8n/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 30 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 6 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 4 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 4 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 2 support facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://n8n.io/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S2] Pricing page: https://n8n.io/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S3] Privacy policy: https://n8n.io/legal/privacy/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S4] Legal notice: https://n8n.io/imprint/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S5] Legal hub with terms of service: https://n8n.io/legal/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S6] Process design, forms & approvals — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/workflows/8768-google-form-ai-seo-geo-optimization-human-approval/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S7] Process design, forms & approvals — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/workflows/17914-gate-human-approvals-with-clickup-tasks-and-clickup-chat/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S8] Connectors, API & on-premise reach — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/integrations/webhook/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S9] Connectors, API & on-premise reach — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/integrations/http-request/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S10] Execution, error handling & monitoring — found from sitemap: https://support.n8n.io/article/how-to-modify-your-custom-plan-execution-limits-yermygbc2tk96rqg24r4ajdp (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S11] Execution, error handling & monitoring — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/workflows/3075-error-handling-send-email-via-gmail-on-execution-or-trigger-level-errors/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S12] Governance, credentials & audit trail — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/workflows/10171-role-based-access-control-rbac-for-telegram-automations/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S13] Governance, credentials & audit trail — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/workflows/14423-audit-workflow-credential-usage-to-google-sheets-using-google-drive-and-sqlite3/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S14] Hosting options & portability — found from sitemap: https://n8n.io/legal/self-hosted-enterprise-terms/ (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S15] Hosting options & portability — found from sitemap: https://support.n8n.io/article/migrating-from-cloud-to-self-hosted (checked 2026-10-13)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "n8n — Workflow Management", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-20. https://whats-best.ai/software/workflow-management/n8n

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/549?target=page