n8n Implementation for SMBs — Self-Hosted Workflow Automation
n8n implementation, hosting, and workflow design for SMBs. Self-hosted on your infra or our managed nodes — with versioned workflows, observability, and SSO from day one.
n8n done properly — hosted, observable, and versioned.
Key facts
Four pillars of a real n8n deployment
When to make the move
Frequently asked questions
Production-grade n8n for SMBs ready to graduate from Zapier and Make. Self-hosted on your cloud or our managed nodes — with SSO, monitoring, and Git-backed workflows from day one.
The difference between a hobbyist n8n install and a production one.
The economics flip in n8n's favor around 50,000 tasks/month on Zapier or Make. Below that, the SaaS tools win on simplicity. Above it, you're paying $1,000–$5,000/month for execution that n8n can do for the cost of a $40 VPS — plus you get data residency, branching logic, and code nodes for free.
See the cost comparison in n8n vs Make, the deeper architecture in our n8n automation guide, and the deployment pattern in n8n on MCS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why move from Zapier or Make to n8n?
Three reasons drive most migrations: cost (n8n self-hosted is ~10x cheaper at >50k tasks/month), data residency (your data never leaves your infra), and complexity (n8n handles branching logic, loops, and code nodes that Zapier struggles with). If you're under 10k tasks/mo and your workflows are simple, stay on Zapier — it's the right tool there.
Self-hosted or managed?
Self-hosted (your cloud account) is best if you have an existing DevOps capability, strict data residency, or want full ownership. Managed (we run it on dedicated nodes) is best if you want zero ops overhead and a single throat to choke. We support both and migrations between them.
Do you handle SSO and user management?
Yes. n8n Enterprise supports SAML/OIDC SSO (Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace) plus role-based access. We configure SSO during the initial deployment so you don't end up with a one-off admin password floating in a vault.
How do you handle workflow changes safely?
Every production workflow is exported to Git. Changes go through a PR review with a diff, deploy via CI/CD, and have a documented rollback path. Test workflows live in a separate n8n instance with non-prod credentials.
Can you migrate our existing Zapier or Make workflows?
Yes. Most migrations follow a three-phase pattern: inventory + classify (which Zaps justify migration), rebuild the top 20% that drive 80% of the cost in n8n, then sunset the rest or leave them on Zapier. We don't recommend lift-and-shift of every Zap — most teams discover 30–50% are obsolete during the audit.