n8n automation
n8n automation on your own server, with no per-task billing
Self-hosted n8n automations built, deployed and documented on infrastructure you own, so the cost does not scale with your volume and nothing stops working if you stop paying a platform.
We will tell you if Zapier would do the same job for less. It sometimes does.
Quick answer
What does n8n automation cost, and why n8n instead of Zapier or Make?
Mana Studio builds, deploys and documents self-hosted n8n automations on infrastructure the client owns. On the India price list a single workflow built and deployed starts at ₹20,000, a department pack is ₹60,000 and a company-wide build is ₹1,50,000; after the build the client pays for a server — typically a few hundred to a couple of thousand rupees a month — and nothing per task. That is the case for n8n over Zapier and Make: those bill per task, which is fine at a few hundred operations a month and expensive at tens of thousands, whereas self-hosted n8n has no task counter, runs inside the client's own network where data residency matters, and allows custom code nodes where no integration exists. Below the crossover point a hosted platform is the better answer, and Mana Studio says so — as it does when a business would rather not run a server at all. The server is sized, deployed, hardened and handed over in the client's name. Every workflow has failure handling, retries where retrying is safe, and inspectable run history; a break produces an alert rather than silence, and anything touching money or a customer waits for human approval by default. Automations built by someone else, including migrations off Zapier or Make, are audited first, with an honest answer on which are worth moving. Mana Studio is based in Warangal, Telangana, India, works with clients in India, the United States, the United Kingdom and the UAE in English, Telugu and Hindi, and replies to enquiries within one business day.
Last reviewed
- Single workflow
- From ₹20,000 (India price list)
- Department pack
- ₹60,000
- Company-wide
- ₹1,50,000
- Running cost
- A server — no per-task fees
- Failure handling
- Alerts, retries, approval gates on money and customers
- You own
- Code, servers, domain and every key, in your name
Most businesses meet automation through Zapier or Make, and for the first few workflows those are the right answer. We say so on the call. The problem arrives later, and it always arrives the same way: the task counter. A workflow that fires a thousand times a day is priced as a thousand tasks a day, and the monthly bill starts growing with the business rather than with the value.
Self-hosted n8n removes the counter. It runs on a server you own, the workflows execute as often as they need to, and the only cost is the machine. For a business past a few thousand operations a month that is usually the difference between an automation programme that expands and one that gets quietly switched off.
The trade is honest and worth stating: self-hosting means somebody has to run it. That is what this service is. We size and deploy the server, build the workflows, put failure alerts on every one of them, document what each does in plain English, and hand over the credentials. You can keep us for maintenance or not, the automations do not stop working either way.
What we build in n8n
Lead capture and routing
Website form, WhatsApp or ad-platform enquiry → enriched and qualified → into the CRM with the right owner, tags and source → notification to the person who should call. No enquiry sits overnight.
System-to-system sync
Keeping your CRM, accounting, inventory and spreadsheets in agreement without anybody re-keying. Usually the workflow that pays for the whole project.
Document and invoice processing
PDFs and email attachments parsed into structured fields, validated, written to your database or books, with anything uncertain routed to a person instead of guessed at.
Scheduled reporting
The Monday report, the stock reconciliation, the daily ops summary, assembled from the systems that already hold the numbers and delivered where your team already looks.
AI steps inside workflows
Classification, extraction, summarisation and qualification where a rule genuinely cannot do the job. Rules everywhere else, because they are cheaper and they do not surprise you.
Server, monitoring and handover
Sized and deployed on your own infrastructure with backups, failure alerts on every workflow, run logging, and documentation your team can follow without us.
What it runs on
Mainstream, well-supported technology — chosen so your next developer can pick the project up, not so we are the only ones who can maintain it.
Automation
- n8n (self-hosted)
- Custom Node.js nodes
- Webhooks
- Cron schedules
Infrastructure
- AWS EC2
- Docker
- Nginx
- Automated backups
Connects to
- CRM
- Accounting
- Google Sheets
- WhatsApp Business API
- Razorpay
- REST APIs
Reliability
- Retries
- Failure alerts
- Run history
- Human approval gates
How we work
How an n8n project runs
Free process audit
Thirty to forty-five minutes on how work actually moves through your business, then a shortlist ranked by hours saved against cost to build. Yours whether or not you hire us.
Self-hosted vs SaaS, answered honestly
We work out your likely monthly operation count and compare it against platform pricing. Below the crossover point we tell you to stay on Zapier or Make.
Deploy, then build
Server sized and hardened first, then workflows built one at a time with the highest-value one live before the second one starts.
Alerts, documentation, handover
Failure alerts from day one, a plain-English document per workflow, and every credential in your name. Maintenance is a separate agreement, never a lock-in.
What it costs
n8n work is one of the fully published services. The build fee is one-time; after that you pay for a server, not for tasks.
Systems we run ourselves
Automation is only credible from a team that operates its own. These are products we built and run.
Algo Trading
AlgoEdge
Automated PNL reporting platform for Tradetron Creators — real-time MTM tracking, drawdown alerts, and Telegram summaries
Tradetron API · Telegram Bot
Job Portal
Sarkari Job Samachar
Comprehensive job portal for government job seekers with real-time updates and notifications
Next.js · Appwrite · SEO · Content Management
n8n Automation by industry
The sectors we have shipped work in, and what changes about the build in each one.
Sources & further reading
The primary documentation behind the claims on this page.
Related services
n8n Automation — frequently asked questions
How much does n8n automation cost?
A single workflow built and deployed starts at ₹20,000, a department pack is ₹60,000, and a company-wide build is ₹1,50,000 on the India price list. After the build you pay for a server, typically a few hundred rupees to a couple of thousand a month, and nothing per task.
Why n8n instead of Zapier or Make?
Cost at volume, and control. Zapier and Make bill per task, which is fine for a few hundred operations a month and expensive at tens of thousands. Self-hosted n8n has no task counter, runs inside your own network where that matters for data, and lets us write custom code nodes when no integration exists. Below the crossover point we recommend staying where you are.
Do we need our own server?
Yes, and it is smaller than people expect, most businesses run comfortably on a modest cloud instance. We size it, deploy it, harden it and hand it over in your name. If you would rather not run a server at all, that is a good reason to stay on a hosted platform, and we will say so.
What happens when a workflow breaks?
You get an alert, not a silence. Every workflow has failure handling, retries where retrying is safe, and run history you can inspect. Anything touching money or a customer waits for a human approval by default.
Can you take over automations somebody else built?
Often, yes, including migrations off Zapier or Make. We audit what exists first and tell you honestly which workflows are worth moving, because some of them are cheaper left where they are.
Who owns the automations?
You do. The n8n instance, the server, the workflows and every credential are in your name. There is no platform fee to us, and if you stop working with us the automations keep running.
Get a free process audit
We will tell you if Zapier would do the same job for less. It sometimes does.