n8n is the hottest "ai native" automation tool on the market right now. Basically no-code for AI workflows, BUT the pricing can be a bit daunting, with the cheapest paid plan starting at 24/month with a lot of limitations. Alternatively, you can self-host n8n! In this tutorial we're going to setup a n8n (community version) instance on sliplane, for only 9 euros per month and (nearly) no limitations!
If you prefer watching a video, here is a 45 second guide on how to deploy n8n:
Setup
- Signup at sliplane.io, the signup is free and you can use your Github Account to login.
- Create a server: if you just signed up you should already have a trial server that you can use for 48 hours for free. If not, go to > Servers and then click > Create Server
-
Create a service: go to your projects (create a new one or use the default one) and click > Deploy Service (top right)
- Select
docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latestas image - Add a volume (name it anyway you want) and mount it to
/home/node/.n8n
- Select
- Click deploy, wait for the service to be up and then open the domain provided by sliplane. You can find that in the service settings, it should be
service-name.sliplane.app - Follow the setup steps in the n8n dashboard and you're done!
Comparison to other Hosting platforms
Of course you can also self-host n8n with other cloud providers. Here is a pricing comparison for the most common ones:
| Provider | vCPU Cores | RAM | Disk | Estimated Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Render.com | 1 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$35–$45 | $35 |
| Fly.io | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$20–$25 | $17 |
| Railway | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$15–$30 | $66* |
| sliplane.io | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$9.45 | ~$9.5/month flat |
- Note: Railway charges for actually used memory and cpu time. $66 is the max price, actual price might vary.
How about Hetzner ?