Claude and n8n show up together because both are ways to get work done with AI, but one is the model and the other is the plumbing around it. Claude is Anthropic's assistant and developer platform. The Free plan costs $0 and covers chat on web, desktop and mobile with web search, file creation, code execution, memory across conversations and Artifacts. Pro is $17 a month with an annual subscription billed as $200 up front, or $20 if billed monthly, and adds more usage, scheduled tasks, dashboards, Claude Code, more models and access in Chrome and Microsoft 365. Max starts at $100 a month and offers 5x or 20x the Pro usage with higher output limits, priority access at busy times and $100 to $200 a month in API credits.
TL;DR
Claude is an AI assistant and platform: Free at $0, Pro at $17 a month with an annual subscription ($200 billed up front) or $20 billed monthly, Max from $100 a month with 5x or 20x the Pro usage and up to $200 a month in API credits, and Enterprise at $20 per seat plus usage at API rates. n8n is workflow automation: Starter at €20 a month billed annually for 2.5K executions, Pro at €50 for 10K, and Enterprise at €667 for 40K, with a self-hosted option. Claude answers and builds; n8n connects and runs. They overlap where an n8n workflow calls a Claude model.
n8n is a workflow automation platform. Starter is €20 a month billed annually for 2,500 workflow executions with unlimited steps, one shared project, five concurrent executions, agents, MCP and AI nodes, and 1,600 assistant credits a month. Pro is €50 a month for 10,000 executions and three shared projects. Enterprise is €667 a month for 40,000 executions and six shared projects, with a self-hosted-only option in that tier. The company also publishes that its source is on GitHub and that it can be deployed with Docker, so running it yourself is a real path alongside the hosted plans.
The relationship is more complementary than competitive. n8n's AI nodes and MCP support mean a workflow can call Claude as one step among many, so a team automating a process often pays for both: Claude for the reasoning and n8n for the triggers, branching and integrations that surround it. The question worth answering is whether you need a place to think and write, a way to wire systems together, or both.
| Feature | Claude | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free plan at $0 with chat, search and artifacts | No permanent free tier on cloud; trial available |
| Entry paid plan | Pro $17 a month annual ($200 up front), or $20 monthly | Starter €20 a month billed annually, 2,500 executions |
| Mid tier | Max from $100 a month with 5x or 20x Pro usage | Pro €50 a month billed annually, 10,000 executions |
| Top tier | Enterprise at $20 per seat plus usage at API rates | Enterprise €667 a month billed annually, 40,000 executions |
| Billing unit | Per user, with usage limits per plan | Per execution, with unlimited steps inside each |
| Core function | Assistant and AI platform for reasoning and creation | Workflow automation with triggers, branches and integrations |
| AI role | The model itself does the work | AI nodes and MCP call models as workflow steps |
| Self-hosting | Not offered | Source on GitHub, deployable with Docker |
| AI credits or usage | API credits from $100 a month on Max | 1,600 assistant credits a month on Starter |
| Best fit | Individuals and teams that think and write with AI | Teams wiring systems and processes together |
Pick Claude if
Claude is the pick when the task is answering, drafting, analyzing or coding, and you want one place to do it. The free plan is genuinely usable, Pro at $17 a month on annual billing covers everyday work, and Max exists for people who hit the usage ceiling daily. It does not trigger or route work between systems, so pairing it with an automation tool is common rather than contradictory.
Pick n8n if
n8n is the pick when work arrives from webhooks, schedules or app events and needs to move through branches and integrations. Starter at €20 a month billed annually includes 2,500 executions with unlimited steps, and AI nodes are included from that tier. It does not provide a model, so an API or assistant bill usually sits alongside it, but for process automation it is the purpose-built tool.
Only at the edges. Claude is an AI assistant and platform; n8n is workflow automation. An n8n workflow commonly calls Claude as one step, which is why teams often run both rather than choosing.
Claude, whose free plan costs $0 with chat and artifacts. n8n's cloud plans start at €20 a month billed annually, though its source is available on GitHub for self-hosting.
Yes. n8n includes AI nodes and MCP support, so calling a Claude model as a step in a larger automated process is a standard pattern.
$17 a month with an annual subscription billed as $200 up front, or $20 if billed monthly. Max starts at $100 a month for 5x or 20x the Pro usage.
By workflow execution with unlimited steps inside each: 2,500 executions on Starter at €20 a month, 10,000 on Pro at €50, and 40,000 on Enterprise at €667, all billed annually.
The company publishes its source on GitHub and documents Docker deployment, so self-hosting is available. Enterprise at €667 a month also lists a self-hosted-only option for teams that want the platform maintained for them.
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