Lindy vs n8n
AI Automation pricing comparison · 2026
Lindy pricing ranges from $49.99–$199.99/month, while n8n ranges from $0–$800/month. n8n is typically 60% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
Sources & confidence
Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.
Plans at a glance
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Contract terms
The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.
What users say
Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.
Lindy and n8n are both powerful automation platforms aimed at teams who want to do more with less manual effort, but their architectures and target users could not be more different. n8n offers a free Community Edition (self-hosted, unlimited executions), cloud plans starting at $24/month (Starter, 2,500 executions), $60/month (Pro, 10,000 executions), $800/month (Business, 40,000 executions), and custom Enterprise pricing. Lindy has no permanent free tier — only a 7-day trial — with plans starting at $49.99/month (Plus, 5,000 AI credits), $99.99/month (Pro, 30,000 AI credits), $199.99/month (Max, 100,000 AI credits), and custom Enterprise pricing.
n8n’s flagship advantage is its self-hosted Community Edition: genuinely free, unlimited executions, unlimited workflows, and 400+ integrations with full source code access. Technical teams comfortable with Docker can run sophisticated automation infrastructure at zero cost indefinitely. On cloud, n8n is priced by execution volume, not AI credit consumption, making costs highly predictable at scale. n8n’s visual workflow builder, AI nodes, and code execution capabilities make it the most flexible open-source automation platform available.
Lindy operates in a fundamentally different category. It is not a workflow builder — it is an AI agent platform. Where n8n executes workflows you define step-by-step, Lindy deploys AI agents that understand goals expressed in natural language and take action to achieve them. Lindy manages inboxes, drafts emails that sound like you, prepares meeting briefs, handles scheduling, and learns your preferences over time. This positions Lindy as a personal AI assistant infrastructure rather than a developer-oriented integration tool. The result: n8n’s steep technical learning curve and powerful flexibility versus Lindy’s polished, goal-driven interface built for non-technical business users.
Plan-by-Plan Pricing
| Plan | Lindy | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Plus | $49.99 /month | Free /month |
| Pro | $99.99 /month | $24 /month |
| Max | $199.99 /month | $60 /month |
| Enterprise | Custom | $800 /month |
| Enterprise | — | Custom |
Cost at Scale
Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.
Lindy
3 scenariosn8n
7 scenariosMarket Intelligence
Lindy
- Median annual cost
- $700
- Based on
- 48 deals
n8n
- Median annual cost
- $700
- Based on
- 51 deals
Contract Terms
| Term | Lindy | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-renewal | Yes | Yes |
| Cancellation | Unclear - users report inability to cancel effectively | Not specified in sources |
| Minimum commitment | 12 months for custom AI agent service | Monthly or annual billing options available |
| Price escalation | No published schedule but unauthorized overage charges reported | No published schedule, but enterprise pricing structure makes scaling expensive - users report dramatic price jumps from free/starter tiers to enterprise (from $20/month to $20,000/year) |
| Can downgrade | No | Yes |
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Our Verdict
Choose Lindy if you want a personal AI assistant that handles open-ended knowledge work without requiring you to define every step. Lindy’s agents understand context, learn your communication style, and take initiative. At $49.99–$199.99/month, it targets professionals and executives who want AI to delegate to, not a workflow engine to program. If natural language instruction is more valuable to you than visual workflow design, Lindy is the right choice.
Choose n8n if you have technical resources and want maximum automation flexibility at low cost. The self-hosted Community Edition delivers unlimited executions for free — an extraordinary value that no cloud tool can match. For teams comfortable with Docker and JSON, n8n’s 400+ integrations, AI nodes, and code execution capability create an automation foundation that scales from a single developer to an enterprise pipeline. Cloud plans ($24–$800/month) make n8n accessible to teams without DevOps, though the price jumps significantly at the Business tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is n8n really free?
n8n Community Edition is free to self-host with unlimited executions, unlimited workflows, and all 400+ integrations. The only cost is hosting infrastructure (a VPS typically runs $5–20/month). Cloud plans start at $24/month. Lindy has no permanent free plan — only a 7-day trial with 500 credits that can deplete in minutes.
02 What kind of automation is Lindy best at?
Lindy specializes in AI-driven knowledge work: inbox management, email drafting, meeting scheduling and preparation, calendar management, and follow-ups. These are tasks requiring judgment, context, and natural language understanding. n8n excels at structured technical automation: connecting APIs, transforming data, triggering workflows from events, and orchestrating multi-step integrations.
03 Can non-technical users use n8n?
n8n has a visual workflow builder that non-technical users can learn, but self-hosting requires Docker knowledge and the platform’s JSON-heavy configuration creates a steeper learning curve than tools like Make or Zapier. Lindy is designed for non-technical users from the ground up — you describe what you want in plain English and the AI handles the implementation.
04 How does Lindy’s credit consumption compare to n8n’s execution model?
n8n’s cloud pricing charges per workflow execution, which is predictable and well-documented. Lindy charges AI credits that vary by task complexity — a long email draft consumes more credits than a short one. Lindy’s Plus plan (5,000 credits/month at $49.99) can run out faster than expected for heavy inbox users. n8n’s self-hosted option sidesteps this entirely with unlimited free executions.
05 Does n8n have AI capabilities?
Yes. n8n includes AI nodes that connect to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and other LLM providers, enabling AI-powered workflow steps like content generation, classification, and extraction. However, n8n requires you to design these AI steps explicitly in a workflow. Lindy’s AI agents operate autonomously without requiring explicit workflow design for each task.
06 Which is better for a solo founder or executive?
Lindy is purpose-built for this use case. A solo founder paying $49.99/month for Lindy gets an AI that manages their inbox, drafts replies in their voice, schedules meetings, and prepares briefings. n8n requires technical setup and workflow design to achieve similar results, and its community edition assumes you can manage infrastructure. Lindy has a higher price but nearly zero setup cost and no technical barrier.