Self-host n8n: the best VPS and a setup guide
Run n8n on your own server for a fraction of n8n Cloud's price: which VPS to use, what size you need and a step-by-step setup.
Updated
This guide is being written. Below is the outline and our current price data; test results will be added once our testing is complete.
Quick comparison
| Provider | From | Starting plan | Free tier | Our rating | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HostingerChecked | $2.99/mo | Premium (web hosting)20 GB SSD | No (30-day money-back guarantee) | Not rated | VisitOfficial site |
| Hetzner CloudChecked | $6.49/mo | CX23 (Cost-Optimized, Intel/AMD)2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVMe | No | Not rated | VisitOfficial site |
| DigitalOceanChecked | $4/mo | Basic Droplet 512 MiB1 vCPU · 0.5 GB RAM · 10 GiB SSD | Occasional promo credit for new users | Not rated | VisitOfficial site |
| VultrChecked | $2.50/mo | Cloud Compute Regular Performance, IPv6-only 0.5 GB1 vCPU · 0.5 GB RAM · 10 GB SSD | No free tier | Not rated | VisitOfficial site |
| ElestioChecked | $11/mo | Linode 'Micro' (cheapest shown)1 vCPU · 1 GB RAM · 25 GB SSD | 3-day trial with $20 credit | Not rated | VisitOfficial site |
| n8n CloudChecked | See site | Prices being checked | Free trial only (self-hosting is free) | Not rated | VisitOfficial site |
Self-hosted n8n vs n8n Cloud
What you gain (no execution limits, full control, lower cost) and what you take on (updates, backups, security). Licence basics for the Community Edition.
What size server you need
| Use | vCPU | RAM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal, a few workflows | 1–2 | 2–4 GB | SQLite is fine |
| Small team | 2 | 4–8 GB | Use Postgres |
| Heavy AI workflows | 4+ | 8–16 GB | Queue mode with workers |
[Confirm against n8n’s current documentation before publishing.]
Our VPS picks
Cheapest reliable, easiest one-click (Hostinger’s n8n template, Elestio), and best for scale. Backed by our uptime tests. [Results to be added.]
Setup step by step
Docker Compose with Postgres, a domain and HTTPS, basic auth, automatic backups, and updating safely.
Running AI agents in n8n
Connecting model APIs or a self-hosted model; see self-hosted AI agents.