1024 MB RAMamd64 / arm64TypeScriptMediumLicenseRef-n8n-Sustainable-Use-1.0Version 2.42.6
Instead of a subscription
Self-hosted alternatives to Zapier
Zapier connects SaaS applications with triggers and actions and prices the result per task. The automation platform here runs those chains on your hardware, with credentials that never leave it.
Requirements
Side by side
| Application | Minimum RAM | Disk estimate | Database | Installation difficulty | Backup | Recipe verification | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | 1024 MB RAM | 5 GB | PostgreSQL | Medium | Yes · Restore tested | Fully verifiedRecheck overdue · 0 dCheck is current | LicenseRef-n8n-Sustainable-Use-1.0 |
| Node-RED | 256 MB RAM | 2 GB | No database | Easy | Yes · Restore tested | Fully verifiedRecheck overdue · 0 dCheck is current | Apache-2.0 |
The bill
The subscription against a server
Both figures are editable, because only you know which of them you actually pay. The server is sized from the figure the recipe recommends — the same one the catalog calls a comfortable fit on your profile — and not from the cheapest row of a price list.
n8n asks for 2 GB of RAM, 2 vCPU and 5 GB of disk — $18 a month on DigitalOcean Basic.
The difference
- Per month
- $1.99
- Per year
- $23.88
- Over three years
- $71.64
Hosting it yourself is cheaper — $23.88 a year stays with you.
Not counted: your own time, a domain, and a backup kept anywhere other than that same server. A machine you already run costs nothing extra — set the server to zero.
Zapier · Professional, billed annually, price checked 2026-09-10Server prices: DigitalOcean Basic, checked 2026-09-10
Migration
What changes when you host it yourself
The data stops leaving your network, and so does the responsibility for it: backups, the restore you have actually tested, and the disk it all sits on.
Feature parity is never exact. Read what each recipe states about limitations and the smoke test before planning a migration.
The bill turns into work: updates, certificates and an eye on the release notes. The catalog shows how much of that each recipe asks for.
Categories
Guides with these applications
- What a Raspberry Pi can actually runA shortlist for 32-bit ARM systems, plus the newer options a 64-bit Pi can consider. Check the actual architecture test result before choosing a recipe.