Sohail SJ | TheZenLabs

Posted on Oct 12 • Originally published at blog.thesohailjafri.me

Run n8n for Free in Production - Full Guide

#ai #automation #beginners #tutorial

💡 TL;DR Quick Answer:

You can run n8n for free in production using Render’s free tier and a cron-job to prevent cold starts. This setup supports 5–50 workflows reliably and costs $0/month. Setups take 5-10 mins max.

Who This Guide Is For

Before we dive in, let's make sure this is right for you:

✅ Solopreneurs and indie hackers watching every dollar

✅ Developers comfortable with self-hosting (you don't need to be an expert, just willing to learn)

✅ Those running 5-50 workflows (not enterprise scale... yet)

✅ Someone who is just starting out and ain’t ready to invest yet.

❌ NOT for: businesses requiring 99.99% uptime SLAs

Reality check: Free doesn't mean zero effort. You're trading money for setup time and technical ownership. But if you're reading this, you're probably fine with that trade-off.

The Free n8n Stack Architecture

Here's what we're building:

Core Components:

Compute & Database: Render.com (free tier)
Keep-Alive Service: Cron-job.org (free tier)

Why Render for Servers?

Render provides a one-click setup for n8n server and includes both free compute and a free PostgreSQL database. No credit card required to get started, and this free self-hosted n8n setup is surprisingly straightforward.

Why Do We Need a Cron Job Service?

Here's the catch with Render's free tier: the server spins down after 15 minutes of inactivity. When a request comes in, it takes 30-60 seconds to spin back up. This means:

❌ Scheduled workflows might miss their execution window

❌ Webhook responses will be delayed on the first hit

❌ User experience suffers during cold starts

The solution: A cron job that pings your server every 10 minutes to keep it warm and running.

I use cron-job.org because it's dead simple and reliable, but any of these will work.

Alternative cron services you can use:

Let's Start Building!

Phase 1: Setup Your n8n Server on Render

Step 1: Sign Up for a Free Render Account for n8n

Navigate to https://dashboard.render.com/register and sign up for a free account.

Step 2: Create Your n8n Repository

Open the official n8n Render template: https://github.com/render-examples/n8n
Click "Use this template" → "Create a new repository" in the top right (you need github account for this)
In the form that appears, configure your new repository:

Give it a name (e.g., my-free-n8n-instance)
Choose Public or Private (your preference)
Click "Create repository"

Step 3: Deploy to Render

Head back to your Render dashboard
Click "New" → "Blueprint"
Under "Connect a repository," click the "Connect" button for the repo you just created
Grant Render access to your GitHub repository if prompted

Step 4: Configure Your Blueprint

This opens a Blueprint creation form that lists the resources Render will create from your render.yaml file:

Web Service: Your n8n instance
PostgreSQL Database: For storing workflow data

Provide a Blueprint Name (e.g., "n8n Production")
Confirm you're pulling the correct Branch (usually main)
Click "Deploy Blueprint"

Step 5: Wait for Deployment

Render will now:

Spin up a PostgreSQL database
Deploy your n8n instance
Connect them automatically

This takes about 3-5 minutes. You'll see status updates in real-time.

Step 6: Access Your n8n Instance

Once both resources show as "Available," navigate to your web service's page in the Render Dashboard
Your onrender.com URL appears at the top (e.g., https://your-n8n-abc123.onrender.com)
Click this URL to access your n8n instance for the first time
Completed the setup and add free license key.

🎉 Congratulations! You now have a fully functional n8n instance running for free.

Phase 2: Prevent n8n Server Cold Starts with Cron-job.org

Now let's prevent your server from going to sleep.

Step 1: Create Your Cron-Job.org Account

Go to https://cron-job.org
Click "Sign up" and create a free account
Verify your email address

Step 2: Create Your Keep-Alive Job

After logging in, click "Cronjobs" → "Create Cronjob"
Fill in the configuration:

Basic Settings:

Title: n8n Keep Alive
URL: Your n8n Render instance URL (e.g., https://your-n8n-abc123.onrender.com)

Schedule Configuration:

Schedule: Every 10 minutes
Use the cron expression: */10 * * * *
Or use their visual scheduler to select "Every 10 minutes”
Click "Create Cronjob" → Done ✅

Want to learn more?

No fluff. Just battle-tested automation strategies from 6 years of building production systems.

Join the Community →

FAQs

Can I run n8n free forever?

Yes, for small to medium workloads within Render free tier limits.

How many workflows can I run on Render free tier?

Approximately 5–50, depending on workflow complexity.

Do I need a VPS for production?

Only if your workflows exceed free tier limits or need higher uptime.

Verification & Testing

Now let's make sure everything works:

Test Your n8n Instance

Visit your n8n URL
Create a test workflow with a simple webhook
Trigger it manually
Check that it executes successfully

Monitor Your Cron Job

Go back to cron-job.org dashboard
After 10 minutes, check the "Last execution" status
You should see a successful ping (green checkmark)
If it fails, double-check your URL is correct

Check Server Uptime

Over the next few hours, periodically visit your n8n instance. It should respond quickly without cold start delays.

What You've Just Built

Let's recap what you now have:

✅ Production-ready n8n instance with PostgreSQL database

✅ Zero monthly costs (completely free)

✅ Unlimited projects/workflow executions (within Render's compute limits)

✅ Automated keep-alive system to prevent cold starts

✅ Full control over your automation infrastructure

The Trade-Offs (Let's Be Honest)

What you're giving up vs n8n Cloud:

❌ No managed updates – You'll need to manually update your n8n version

❌ You own uptime – If Render has issues, you'll need to troubleshoot

❌ Free tier compute limits – Heavy workflows might hit memory constraints

❌ Cold starts still possible – If the cron job fails, your server sleeps

What you're gaining:

✅ $564/year saved (vs $47/month n8n Cloud for 3 projects)

✅ Unlimited projects

✅ Unlimited operations

✅ Full technical control and learning opportunity

✅ Easy to upgrade when you need more power

When Should You Upgrade to Paid?

You'll know it's time to graduate from the free tier when:

[ ] You're running 50+ workflows consistently
[ ] Execution delays start impacting your business
[ ] You need advanced features like SSO or audit logs
[ ] Downtime costs you more than $50/month
[ ] You're spending 2+ hours/month on maintenance

At that point, consider either:

Upgrading to n8n Cloud ($20-100/month) for managed service
Moving to a paid VPS ($5-20/month) like hostinger or digital ocean for more control with better resources

Final Thoughts

Running n8n for free isn't just about saving money—it's about understanding your infrastructure, owning your tools, experimenting and learning what works for your specific use case.

You now have a production-ready automation setup that costs nothing and gives you complete control.

Start small: Migrate one workflow at a time. Test thoroughly. Then scale up as you gain confidence.

Join the Community

This guide gives you the foundation. In my Skool community, I share:

✅ Advanced n8n architecture templates

✅ Pre-built error handling patterns for production workflows

✅ Cost optimization strategies for when you scale beyond free tiers

✅ Weekly workflow teardowns and automation case studies

✅ Direct access to ask questions and get feedback on your setups