n8n license: What is allowed, what is not?

Yes, your company is allowed to use n8n free of charge for its own business processes – even if these processes earn money, for example by processing inquiries or posting invoices. The basis is the Sustainable Use License. It is not allowed to offer n8n to others as a service in which they build workflows themselves, or to sell the software under their own name.

The question often arises because n8n is open source, but is not under a classic open source license. If you don't know this, you can quickly get insecure with forum posts. Here are the rules based on n8n's official license FAQ (as of October 2026).

What is the Sustainable Use License?

The Sustainable Use License is the license under which the Community Edition of n8n is available. n8n refers to the model as "fair code": The source code is publicly accessible and may be used and modified, but only for internal business purposes as well as for private or non-commercial use. In the narrow sense of the Open Source Initiative, n8n is therefore not open source because distribution is restricted.

For companies that automate their own processes, this difference makes virtually no difference. It only becomes relevant when n8n itself becomes a product.

What is expressly allowed

Internal use: run n8n to run your own business – sales, accounting, customer service, human resources.
Workflows for customers: Build automations for customers on your own instance as long as customers cannot create or edit them themselves.
Services: Charge money for setup, workflow construction, maintenance, training, and consulting.
Embedding in the background: use n8n behind your own product, as long as only your own backend talks to n8n and users don't build workflows.
Multiple instances: run as many community instances as you want.

What is not allowed

n8n as a service where customers create their own workflows.
Enable end users to build or configure workflows via their own product – even if n8n is hidden in the process.
Fork or relabel to offer your own automation product.
Products whose core value is automation itself, such as "automation as a service".
Unlock Enterprise features without a suitable license.

The decisive factor is access, not the number of customers

The license FAQ puts it succinctly: The decisive factor is whether customers have access to n8n, not how many customers there are or how much revenue is generated. A service provider is therefore allowed to operate workflows for many customers – as long as these customers only see the results and do not edit workflows.

Scenario	Allowed?
Your company automates its own incoming invoices	Yes
A service provider sets up n8n on your server and maintains it for a fee	Yes
Your website inquiries run into your CRM via n8n	Yes
You sell a portal where customers click together their own automations	No, needs a commercial license
A service provider hosts a common n8n instance in which several customers build themselves	No

What this means for working with a service provider

The cleanest solution is to have your own n8n instance per company – on your infrastructure or on a server in Germany that is assigned to you. Then workflows and data clearly belong to you, and the license question is clearly answered. This is how we work at bettersorted; more on the n8n for companies page.

In borderline cases – for example, if n8n is to become part of a product that you sell to your own customers – n8n recommends coordinating the architecture with the licensing team (license@n8n.io) in advance. This is not legal advice, but the manufacturer's advice itself.

And the other licenses in the toolbox?

Not every tool is licensed equally: Paperless-ngx is licensed under the GPL-3.0, Qdrant under Apache 2.0, Nextcloud under the AGPL. The conditions that apply to which tool can be found on our technology overview. For AI models, the article Open Weight or Open Source? explains the differences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is n8n open source?

Not in the spirit of the Open Source Initiative. n8n is under the Sustainable Use License and describes itself as a "fair code": The code is public and freely usable for internal purposes, commercial distribution is restricted.

Can I earn money with n8n?

Yes, as long as n8n automates your own processes or you as a service provider bill for setup, workflow construction and support. It is not allowed to offer n8n itself as a service in which customers build their own workflows.

Can a service provider host n8n for me?

According to the FAQ, a service provider is allowed to install and maintain n8n on your server. A common instance in which customers build themselves is not allowed. The clearest thing is to have your own instance only for your company.

What happens if I need Enterprise features?

Features such as single sign-on, environments, or Git version control require a business or enterprise license, which n8n sells directly.

Unsure whether your project fits in terms of licensing law? Describe the scenario to us via the contact page – we will tell you how we would set it up technically.