--- title: "n8n Cloud vs Self-Hosting: Who Owns Your Workflows?" description: "n8n Cloud vs self-hosting — an honest comparison on ownership, data, cost, and maintenance. Plus a third option: your own instance without the DevOps." canonical: https://agentroost.app/en/blog/n8n-cloud-vs-self-hosting-ownership date: 2026-05-23T20:00:00Z --- [Canonical URL](https://agentroost.app/en/blog/n8n-cloud-vs-self-hosting-ownership) When people compare n8n Cloud and self-hosting, the conversation usually gets stuck on features and pricing tables. That misses the more important question: **who actually owns the workflows, the credentials, and the execution logs?** This post gives you a clear, honest framework for deciding. No fluff, no "it depends" non-answers — just the real tradeoffs across four axes that actually matter. --- ## The core question: ownership n8n is open-source software. When you self-host it, the instance, the database, every workflow, and every execution record belongs to you entirely. No vendor has access. You can export, migrate, or shut down whenever you want. n8n Cloud is a managed platform where n8n GmbH runs the infrastructure. Your workflows live on their servers, in a shared environment. The vendor controls the version, the upgrade cadence, the infrastructure, and the data retention policy. You get a login — you don't get ownership in the same sense. Neither of those is inherently bad. But they are fundamentally different, and most people don't think about it until they need to migrate, hit an API they can't reach, or realize their execution logs are subject to a platform's data terms. --- ## Comparing the two honestly | | n8n Cloud | Self-hosted n8n | |---|---|---| | **Who owns the instance?** | n8n GmbH (you rent access) | You | | **Who stores execution data?** | n8n GmbH's infrastructure | Your server / database | | **Credentials stored where?** | n8n Cloud (encrypted, their keys) | Your server (your keys) | | **Upgrade control?** | Vendor-managed, on their schedule | You choose when to upgrade | | **Custom nodes / plugins** | Restricted on lower tiers | Full control | | **Outbound webhook firewall** | Platform-managed | You decide | | **AI nodes (LLM calls)** | Bring your own API key | Bring your own API key | | **DevOps burden** | Zero | Medium to high | | **Monthly cost baseline** | $20–$50+ (starter/pro) | $6–$15 VPS + your time | ### What n8n Cloud does well - No setup. If you have never run a server in your life, you can have an n8n editor in 90 seconds. - Zero maintenance. Version upgrades, SSL, backups — all handled. - If your use case is entirely low-sensitivity (marketing newsletter sync, social media scheduling) and you don't need custom nodes, n8n Cloud is genuinely fine. ### Where n8n Cloud falls short - **Multi-tenancy.** Your data sits on shared infrastructure alongside other customers. For workflows that touch internal APIs, customer PII, financial data, or proprietary logic, this is a real concern. - **API key problem.** Every AI node requires you to bring your own OpenAI/Anthropic/Groq key, manage the billing separately, and handle rate limits yourself. The AI integration doesn't "just work" — it requires setup every single time. - **Platform lock.** Migrating 60 workflows, all your credentials, and your webhook URLs from n8n Cloud to self-hosting is a manual, error-prone process. "Export" gives you the JSON — it doesn't migrate your credentials or re-register your webhooks. - **Execution log retention** varies by plan. On lower tiers, logs age out quickly, which makes debugging intermittent failures painful. ### What self-hosting does well - You genuinely own everything. The database is yours. The credentials are encrypted with your own keys. The version you deploy is the version that runs until you decide otherwise. - Custom nodes, community packages, internal network access — all possible. - Cost can be lower over time, especially if you're already running a VPS for other things. ### Where self-hosting is painful - **Initial setup is real work.** Docker Compose, SSL certificates (Let's Encrypt or your own CA), reverse proxy (Nginx or Traefik), a Postgres instance, environment variables, webhook reachability — that's several hours for someone who hasn't done it before, and ongoing responsibility afterward. - **Upgrades break things.** n8n moves fast. A minor version bump can rename a node, change a behavior, or require a database migration. Every upgrade is your problem. - **No one is on call.** If the container crashes at 3 AM, your workflows stop. You get the page. --- ## The AI node problem nobody talks about Here's something that almost never comes up in n8n Cloud vs. self-hosting comparisons: **on both options, the AI nodes are inert out of the box.** The OpenAI node, the LangChain agent node, any LLM-based workflow component — they all require an API key from the respective provider. You add the credential, you manage the usage, you handle the billing separately, and you're responsible when the key runs out of credits or hits a rate limit at midnight. For casual users, this is manageable. For teams building real automation on top of LLM capabilities, it creates a second billing relationship, a second point of failure, and a second thing to monitor. --- ## A third option: your own instance, minus the DevOps If what you want is ownership — single-tenant, your data, your login, your subdomain — but you don't want to manage a server, this is where [AgentRoost](/en/agents/n8n) is worth looking at. The pitch is simple: you get **your own n8n instance** on a dedicated subdomain (`https://.agentroost.app`). Not a shared platform, not multi-tenant — your instance, your login, your workflows, your execution data. You self-host in spirit without running infrastructure in practice. **How it works in practice:** 1. Sign up at [agentroost.app](/en/pricing) 2. Pick the n8n framework and name your instance 3. Your private n8n editor is live at `https://.agentroost.app` 4. Build a workflow, drop in an AI node — it already has credits. No API key, no credential setup. 5. Webhooks get a public HTTPS URL immediately. No ngrok, no reverse proxy setup. The part that's genuinely different: **AI/LLM credits are included in the subscription.** You can access 350+ models, switch between them in the node settings, and the billing is one flat monthly charge. There is no second OpenAI account, no separate Anthropic dashboard, no surprise usage bill. Pricing starts at $19.99/month all-in (covers the compute, the AI credits, and the setup). That's roughly what you'd pay for a small VPS plus a modest OpenAI allowance, but without the DevOps work and with a 14-day money-back guarantee if it's not the right fit. > One real limitation to acknowledge: if you need to install arbitrary system packages, run a local database inside the same server as n8n, or use community nodes that require native binaries, a fully self-hosted setup gives you more control at the infrastructure layer. AgentRoost is the right fit when your priority is ownership of the n8n instance and data — not deep server-level customization. --- ## Decision framework **Use n8n Cloud if:** - You need zero setup and zero maintenance above all else - Your workflows touch only non-sensitive external SaaS data - You don't use AI nodes heavily (or you're comfortable managing BYOK yourself) - You're running a quick proof of concept, not a production system **Self-host n8n if:** - You need custom nodes, community packages, or internal network access - You want maximum infrastructure control, including OS-level configuration - You have existing DevOps capacity and the ongoing maintenance is not a burden - Cost over 2+ years matters more than convenience **Use AgentRoost (your own n8n instance) if:** - Ownership and single-tenancy matter, but running a server doesn't appeal to you - You want AI-capable workflows that work immediately without credential setup - Predictable all-in monthly pricing is worth more than marginally lower VPS cost - You want to be running workflows in under 10 minutes, not under 3 hours --- ## Practical notes on migration If you're already on n8n Cloud and considering a move: your workflows export as JSON from **Settings → Download as JSON**. Credentials do NOT export (by design — this is actually correct security behavior). You'll re-enter credentials on the new instance. Webhook URLs will change, so any external system that calls your n8n webhooks will need to be updated. If you're self-hosting and want to move to AgentRoost, the same JSON export works. Bring in your workflows, re-add credentials, update webhooks. The n8n import format is stable — it's not proprietary to any host. --- ## The bottom line The Cloud vs. self-host choice is really a question of where you want to place the tradeoff: maintenance burden or ownership/control. n8n Cloud trades ownership for convenience. Self-hosting gives you full control in exchange for operational responsibility. AgentRoost is a bet on a third point in that space — you keep ownership of the instance and the data, hand off the infrastructure, and get AI credits included so the workflows that matter actually work out of the box. [Compare plans](/en/pricing) — or go straight to the [n8n on AgentRoost page](/en/agents/n8n) to see what's included.