N8N on Your Own VPS – Zapier and Make for Free

Automation is the key to efficiency in every software house. At CHDR.tech, we constantly test and implement the latest solutions that let us focus on delivering value to our clients instead of wasting time on repetitive tasks.

In this article, we’ll show you how to replace expensive Zapier and Make subscriptions with a free but equally powerful alternative – N8N.

Why pay for automation when you can have it for free?

Zapier and Make are great tools, but their costs grow quickly as your company scales.

Zapier – starts at $20/month for 750 tasks
Make – starts at $9/month for 1,000 operations

In a software house, where we automate everything from CI/CD pipelines to project management, these limits are reached very quickly. For larger teams, monthly bills can reach $600–$1,000+.

N8N is a game-changer:

$10–30/month for your own VPS
Unlimited tasks, unlimited users, unlimited workflows
No vendor lock-in, full control over your data
Features often more powerful than paid alternatives

What is N8N and why should you care?

N8N (pronounced “nodemation”) is a visual, node-based workflow automation platform, similar to Zapier, but with several key advantages.

Key benefits:

Open-source and free

Source-available on GitHub (fair-code license)
Self-hosting without license fees
Community Edition includes all core features

Advanced customization

Custom JavaScript nodes – build your own logic
HTTP Request nodes – connect to any API
Direct database connections (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB)
Server-side file operations (CSV, XML, JSON)

More integrations than competitors

400+ prebuilt nodes (Slack, GitHub, Google Workspace, AWS, etc.)
Fully customizable webhooks
Cron scheduling with second-level precision
Queue processing for heavy workloads

Enterprise-grade features out of the box

RBAC – Role-Based Access Control
Audit logs – complete execution history
API access – programmatic workflow management
Git integration – version control for workflows

Setting up N8N on a VPS – CHDR.tech Practical Guide

1. VPS requirements and recommendations

Minimum specs:

RAM: 4 GB
CPU: 2 vCPU
Storage: 40 GB SSD
OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Our setup:

Hetzner Cloud CX21 (€4.15/month) – development
DigitalOcean Droplet 8GB ($48/month) – production

2. Installing Docker and N8N

# Update the system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sh get-docker.sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Install Docker Compose
sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin -y

# Create directories
mkdir n8n-production && cd n8n-production

3. Production setup with PostgreSQL

(docker-compose.yml excerpt)

version: '3.8'

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: n8n
      POSTGRES_USER: n8n
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  n8n:
    image: n8nio/n8n:latest
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - DB_TYPE=postgresdb
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_DATABASE=n8n
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_USER=n8n
      - DB_POSTGRESDB_PASSWORD=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER}
      - N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=${N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n
    depends_on:
      - postgres

volumes:
  postgres_data:
  n8n_data:

Migrating from Zapier/Make to N8N

Fastest option: use Migromat.com or Claude AI to convert workflow JSON files.

Example:
Zapier workflow –

Trigger: New GitHub Issue
Action: Send Slack Message

N8N equivalent –

GitHub Trigger node → Function node (formatting) → Slack node

Result: no limits, more flexible formatting, full logic control.

Real-world use cases at CHDR.tech

Automated Client Onboarding
CRM → Slack channel → Project template → Welcome email → GitHub repo → Notify dev team
Savings: 2–3 hours per client, zero errors
CI/CD Pipeline Integration
GitHub push → Run tests → Build Docker image → Deploy to staging → Run E2E tests → Slack → Update project status
Deployment time: reduced from 45 min to 8 min
Invoice & Payment Automation
Project milestone → Generate invoice → Send to client → Track payment → Update accounting → Notify finance team
Automation: 90% of finance processes

Cost comparison – CHDR.tech case study

Solution	Monthly	Yearly
Zapier + Premium Apps	$153	$1,836
N8N + VPS + domain/SSL	$48	$591

Savings: $1,245/year (68% cheaper)

When N8N might not be ideal

No technical knowledge and no desire to learn
Need for 24/7 enterprise-grade support
Using very niche apps without integrations
Compliance restrictions that forbid self-hosting

Best suited if you:

Want full control and customization
Have (or want to gain) technical skills
Care about data privacy
Need complex workflows with business logic
Want to significantly cut automation costs

Automation with CHDR.tech – for your business

If your company doesn’t have in-house technical resources, CHDR.tech can handle the entire N8N implementation for you – from analyzing your current processes, setting up the VPS, and migrating workflows from Zapier/Make, to building new, custom automations.
You’ll get a fully operational automation system tailored to your needs, without hiring extra specialists.
Our experience allows us to deliver solutions that reduce costs and speed up workflows across departments – whether it’s marketing, sales, customer support, or IT.

N8N on Your Own VPS – Zapier and Make for Free