"n8n app" can mean four different things - a cloud app in your browser, a desktop-style app running on your own machine, a self-hosted server for your team, or a mobile client in your pocket. This guide explains exactly what each one is, how to get it, and which is right for you.
n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n", short for "nodemation") is a workflow automation platform built for technical teams. At its heart it is a visual, node-based editor: you drag building blocks onto a canvas, wire them together, and the resulting workflow moves and transforms data between hundreds of apps and services automatically. Where it differs from purely no-code tools is that you can drop into real code - JavaScript or Python - at any point, and you can run the entire thing on your own infrastructure if you choose. It is distributed under a fair-code licence, which means the source code is always visible and you can self-host it freely.
So when someone searches for the "n8n app", they are usually after one of a few things: a way to install n8n and run it on their own computer like a normal desktop program; the n8n Cloud web application they sign into through a browser; a self-hosted deployment they can stand up for a whole team; or a mobile app to check on their automations while away from a laptop. The slightly confusing part is that n8n is not a single downloadable program in the way a photo editor is. It is a server application with a web-based interface, which can be packaged and accessed in several different ways. Understanding that distinction is the key to picking the right "app" for your situation, and the rest of this page is devoted to making that choice clear.
The reason this matters is that the experience is essentially identical no matter how you run it. The editor, the nodes, the canvas, the execution engine - they are the same whether n8n is hosted by the company in the cloud, running in a Docker container on your laptop, or installed on a server in your data centre. What changes between the options is who manages the infrastructure, where your data lives, what it costs, and how much control you have. Those are the trade-offs we will unpack.
Each path gives you the same editor and the same automation power. They differ in setup effort, hosting, cost, and control.
The managed, browser-based version of n8n. You sign up, get your own hosted instance at a personal URL, and start building immediately - no servers, updates, or backups to manage. This is the closest thing to a turnkey "app".
Run n8n on your own computer so it behaves like a desktop program, opening in your browser at localhost:5678. This replaces the old, deprecated Desktop App. It is free, private, and great for learning or building offline.
Deploy the same Community Edition on a server, VPS, or Kubernetes cluster so a whole team can reach it over the network. You keep full control of data, security, and scaling - and the core is free under the fair-code licence.
n8n has no official native mobile app, but the web editor works in a mobile browser, and third-party companion apps let you monitor and manage workflows from a phone - handy for checking on failures or activating a workflow while away from your desk.
Pick the method that matches how you want to use n8n. The local and Docker routes are the modern replacements for the old Desktop App.
If you have Node.js installed (version 18 or newer), you can launch a fully working n8n instance with a single command. Nothing is permanently installed, and n8n opens in your default browser like a local app. This is the quickest way to try the product or build on a single machine.
npx n8n # n8n starts and is available at: # http://localhost:5678
The first launch downloads n8n and starts the server; your browser opens the editor automatically. To stop it, press Ctrl + C in the terminal. Because everything runs on your own machine, your workflows and credentials stay local. If you would rather install it permanently so the n8n command is always available, install it globally with npm instead:
# Install once npm install n8n -g # Start any time n8n start # Open http://localhost:5678 in your browser
Docker is the cleanest way to run n8n consistently, whether on your laptop or a production server, because it bundles everything n8n needs into one container. Install Docker Desktop first, then run a single command. The -v volume flag keeps your data between restarts so your workflows are not lost when the container stops.
docker run -it --rm \ --name n8n \ -p 5678:5678 \ -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \ n8nio/n8n # Then open http://localhost:5678
For a long-running instance on a server with your own domain and HTTPS, you would typically use Docker Compose and set a few environment variables so webhooks resolve to your public address:
docker run -d \ --name n8n \ -p 5678:5678 \ -e N8N_HOST=n8n.yourdomain.com \ -e N8N_PROTOCOL=https \ -e WEBHOOK_URL=https://n8n.yourdomain.com/ \ -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n \ n8nio/n8n
If you would rather skip infrastructure entirely, n8n Cloud is the answer. There is genuinely nothing to install - you create an account and your hosted app is ready in seconds.
Go to the n8n Cloud sign-up page and register with an email address. A Starter or Pro trial does not require a credit card.
You are given a personal cloud workspace, typically at an address like https://<your-name>.app.n8n.cloud. The editor loads in your browser.
Press N on the canvas to add a node, choose a trigger, connect actions, and click "Execute Workflow" to test. Flip the "Active" switch to put it live.
In Chrome or Edge you can use "Install app" / "Add to Home screen" to pin the cloud editor in its own window, giving it a desktop-app feel without any download.
Every way of running n8n shares the same powerful core. Here is what you get inside the editor.
Drag-and-drop canvas where you see every node, connection, and data transformation as it runs.
Native nodes for Slack, Google Sheets, Notion, GitHub, databases and hundreds more - plus an HTTP node for any other API.
Drop in JavaScript or Python, add npm packages, and write custom logic anywhere in a workflow.
Build AI agents and RAG pipelines on a LangChain-based foundation, using your own models and data.
Start from a ready-made workflow instead of a blank canvas and adapt it to your needs.
Kick off workflows on a schedule, via webhooks, on incoming email, chat messages, database events and more.
Inspect input and output for each node, re-run executions, pin test data, and review execution logs.
Encrypted secrets, SSO/SAML/LDAP, RBAC, audit logs and log streaming on paid and enterprise tiers.
Self-host on your own infrastructure for full data control, or let n8n host it for you in the cloud.
A quick comparison of the four ways to run the n8n app, so you can match it to your goals.
| Option | Best for | Setup effort | Cost | Data location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n Cloud | Fast start, no ops | None | Paid (free trial) | EU (Frankfurt) |
| Local (npx / Docker) | Learning, dev, offline | Low | Free | Your machine |
| Self-hosted server | Teams, privacy, scale | Medium | Free core + optional licence | Wherever you host |
| Mobile client | Monitoring on the go | None | Free / third-party | Connects to your instance |
Start with n8n Cloud or a local npx run. Cloud removes every piece of friction - there is nothing to install and nothing to maintain, so you can focus entirely on learning how workflows fit together. The local route is equally beginner-friendly if you are comfortable opening a terminal, and it costs nothing. Either way you will be looking at the exact same editor that powers production deployments, so nothing you learn will be wasted when you scale up.
Run n8n locally with Docker for day-to-day building, then promote your workflows to a self-hosted server when they are ready for production. This path keeps your data on infrastructure you own, lets you version-control your environment, and gives you the freedom to install custom nodes, run bash scripts, and integrate n8n into your existing CI/CD pipeline. The Community Edition is free with no execution limits, so the only thing you pay for is the server it runs on.
A self-hosted Business deployment or n8n Cloud on a paid plan makes the most sense. These unlock collaboration features - shared projects, role-based access control, SSO, multiple environments, and Git-based version control - that matter once more than one person is building and maintaining workflows. If your organisation has strict data-residency or compliance requirements, self-hosting lets you keep everything inside your own network while still applying a licence key to enable the advanced features.
Pair any of the above with a mobile client. You will still do your real building on a laptop, but a phone app or the mobile web view is perfect for confirming that overnight workflows ran, spotting a failed execution, toggling an automation on or off, or adjusting a variable while you are away from your desk.
There is no official native n8n app for iOS or Android. n8n is a web application, so the primary way to use it on a phone is simply to open your instance in a mobile browser. The full editor loads, but because building workflows involves dragging nodes around a large canvas, the experience is cramped on a small screen - fine for a quick check or a minor edit, but not where you will want to construct complex automations.
To make on-the-go management more comfortable, the community has produced third-party mobile clients that connect to your n8n instance through its API. These companion apps focus on the things you actually need away from a desk: monitoring whether workflows are running, getting alerted to failed executions, activating or deactivating workflows, viewing execution metrics, and editing variables or workflow settings such as timeouts. They work with both self-hosted and cloud installations because they talk to the same underlying API. Since they are made by independent developers rather than n8n itself, it is worth reviewing each app's permissions and privacy policy before connecting it to a production instance.
A middle-ground option many people overlook is installing the n8n web editor as a Progressive Web App. On a phone, opening your instance in Chrome or Safari and choosing "Add to Home Screen" gives you an icon that launches n8n in its own full-screen window, without browser chrome. It is not a true native app, but it is the most official-feeling mobile experience available and it requires nothing beyond your existing instance.
Because the n8n app can run in several places, the answer depends on which version you use - and this is one of the biggest reasons to choose one path over another. On n8n Cloud, your data is stored within the European Union, on servers located in Frankfurt, Germany. That makes the hosted option attractive for organisations that need EU data residency without managing servers themselves.
When you run n8n locally or self-hosted, your data lives wherever you put it - on your laptop, your company's servers, or whichever cloud region you deploy to. Nothing leaves your environment unless a workflow you build sends it somewhere. This is why regulated industries, and anyone with strict privacy requirements, often prefer self-hosting: you have complete control over storage, encryption, and access. For small local instances n8n uses an embedded SQLite database by default, while production self-hosted setups typically switch to PostgreSQL for reliability and performance.
One nuance applies to self-hosted Business and Enterprise instances: to unlock the paid features, you apply a licence key that pings n8n's licence server once a day to stay active. That ping reports usage data such as production execution counts so usage can be metered, and basic telemetry is collected by default, though you can disable it. Your actual workflow data and credentials remain on your own infrastructure - only usage metadata is shared.
The short version: running n8n yourself is free, and the managed cloud is paid. The self-hosted Community Edition carries no licence fee and places no limit on the number of workflows or executions - your only cost is the machine or server it runs on, which can be as little as a few euros a month on a small VPS, or nothing at all if you run it on a computer you already own.
If you choose n8n Cloud or want the advanced Business and Enterprise features on a self-hosted instance, pricing is based on monthly workflow executions - one complete run of a workflow, no matter how many steps it contains. Paid cloud tiers progress from an entry-level plan suited to individuals, through a mid-tier plan aimed at small teams running in production, up to Business and Enterprise plans for larger organisations that need collaboration, governance, and dedicated support. Because n8n meters whole executions rather than individual steps or tasks, costs tend to be far more predictable than on per-task automation platforms, especially for multi-step or AI-heavy workflows.
For a complete breakdown of every plan, what an execution really means, AI Builder credits, free-trial details, and how the per-execution model compares to per-task tools, see the dedicated pricing guide.
The questions people most often ask when looking for "the n8n app".
Not anymore. n8n previously offered a Desktop App for Mac and Windows, but that project has been archived and is no longer maintained. The supported modern equivalents are running n8n locally with npx n8n or Docker (which open in your browser at localhost), or using n8n Cloud. You can install the local or cloud editor as a Progressive Web App to get a standalone desktop-style window.
Two options tie for fastest. If you want zero setup, sign up for n8n Cloud (no credit card needed for Starter/Pro trials) and start building in your browser. If you have Node.js installed, run npx n8n in a terminal and the app opens at localhost:5678 within a minute.
No. Many workflows are built entirely visually using pre-made nodes. But n8n shines when you can add small snippets of JavaScript or Python for custom logic, and being comfortable with concepts like JSON and APIs will make you far more productive. Complete beginners who want pure no-code may find the learning curve gentler on simpler tools, but they will hit ceilings n8n does not have.
The self-hosted Community Edition is free and has no limits on workflows or executions - you only pay for the server you run it on. n8n Cloud and the advanced Business/Enterprise features are paid, priced on monthly workflow executions, with a free trial available on the cloud plans.
Yes - a local install via npx, npm, or Docker runs entirely on your own machine, so the editor works without an internet connection. Note that any workflow which calls an external service (an API, a cloud app, an email server) will still need network access for those specific steps to succeed.
For a local install you need Node.js version 18 or newer, or Docker if you prefer the container route. n8n runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. A modest amount of RAM is enough for development; production self-hosted instances handling many concurrent executions benefit from more resources and a PostgreSQL database.
There is no official native mobile app. You can open your n8n instance in a mobile browser (and install it as a Progressive Web App for a full-screen feel), or use a third-party companion app that connects via the API to monitor and manage workflows. Building complex workflows is best done on a larger screen.
On n8n Cloud, data is stored in the EU (Frankfurt, Germany). When you run n8n locally or self-hosted, your data stays wherever you host it - on your machine or your own servers - giving you complete control over residency and privacy.
Yes. Workflows can be exported and imported as JSON, and the n8n CLI can export or import them in bulk. Because the editor and engine are identical across cloud, local, and self-hosted, a workflow built in one place runs in another - making it easy to prototype locally and deploy to the cloud or a server later.
Spin up a free cloud trial in seconds, or run it locally on your own machine today.