TL;DR:
- Back up your workflows FIRST—use copy-paste or JSON export before touching that cancel button
- Your API keys and credentials don’t transfer (you’ll recreate those manually)
- Your account stays live until your billing cycle ends, then everything vanishes permanently
- You’ll type “CANCEL” in all caps and click through an exit survey because SaaS companies love their retention theater
Look, you’ve hit the ceiling on n8n’s cloud plan. Maybe those 2,500 monthly executions aren’t cutting it anymore, or you’re just tired of paying $20/month when you could run the same thing on a $5 VPS with zero limits.
I’ve been there. You build out a few solid workflows, they start firing off regularly, and suddenly that execution cap becomes this annoying thing you’re constantly monitoring. Self-hosting means unlimited executions and full control—but first you need to cancel that cloud subscription without accidentally deleting months of work.
Here’s what trips people up: clicking “cancel subscription” is easy. The part that’ll wreck your day is losing everything you built when that deletion timer runs out. I’m walking you through the backup process first, then the cancellation, because doing it backwards is how you end up rebuilding workflows from memory at 2am.
Watch how to cancel your n8n Cloud plan and safely back up workflows to a self-hosted instance.
Why Bother Moving to Self-Hosted?
Let me put it bluntly: if you’re running more than basic automation, the cloud pricing gets expensive fast. The Starter plan at $20/month caps you at 2,500 executions. Hit that limit consistently and you’re looking at Pro for $50/month—which only bumps you to 10,000 executions. Meanwhile, throw n8n on a VPS for $5–10/month and run unlimited workflows. The math isn’t complicated.
Self-hosting also means you control everything. No waiting for n8n to ship features. No wondering if your API credentials are sitting on someone else’s infrastructure. It’s your stack, your rules. The tradeoff? You’re managing updates, SSL certificates, and keeping the thing running. Not rocket science if you’re comfortable with Docker and basic server stuff, but definitely more work than logging into a cloud dashboard.
Step Zero: Backup Your Workflows (Do This FIRST)
I’m putting this in all caps for a reason: BACK UP BEFORE YOU CANCEL. Once you confirm that cancellation, the clock starts ticking. When your billing cycle ends, n8n deletes your entire workspace—workflows, credentials, execution logs, everything. No grace period.
Copy-Paste Method (Fast)
- Open the workflow in your cloud instance
- Press Cmd+A (Mac) or Ctrl+A (Windows) to select everything
- Press Cmd+C or Ctrl+C to copy
- Switch to your self-hosted instance, create a new workflow
- Press Cmd+V or Ctrl+V to paste
Boom. The whole workflow structure and node configuration transfers instantly.
But your credentials won’t copy. You’ll see the credential names in the pasted workflow, but the API keys, OAuth tokens, and database passwords are not included. You’ll recreate those manually in your new instance.
JSON Export (Better for Critical Stuff)
- Open the workflow
- Click the three-dot menu by the workflow name
- Click “Download”
- Save the JSON file somewhere safe (not your Desktop)
- In self-hosted, use “Import from File” and upload it
This gives you a permanent backup file. Put it in GitHub, Dropbox, or your password-protected cloud storage. If something breaks during migration, you’ve got a source file to fall back on.
Export everything as JSON even if you’re using copy-paste. Copy-paste is fast—not foolproof.
Warning…
YOUR CREDENTIALS WON’T TRANSFER. API keys, database passwords, OAuth tokens—all of them must be recreated in your self-hosted instance. n8n doesn’t export credentials in plaintext for security reasons. Block out time for this. It’s tedious, but necessary.
Actually Canceling Your Subscription
Hit the Admin Panel
Log into n8n cloud, click “Admin Panel” in the sidebar. You’ll see your instance status and execution count for the month.
Click “Manage” in the top nav, then find the red “Cancel plan” button under your subscription details. Clicking this starts the process—it doesn’t immediately delete anything.
Type “CANCEL”
A popup asks you to type “CANCEL” in all caps to confirm you’re not misclicking. Type it and hit “Confirm.”
Click the Green “Cancel subscription” Button
This is the final confirmation. Click it to complete cancellation.
Suffer Through Their Exit Survey
They’ll probably ask why you’re leaving and what you’re switching to. Click through it. Your cancellation already went through—this is just standard SaaS data collection.
What Happens Next
Right Now: Your subscription status flips to “Set for removal on [date]” (the end of your current billing cycle). You’ll see a yellow warning banner showing the deletion deadline.
Until Billing Cycle Ends: Your instance keeps running normally. Workflows execute, you can log in and edit, everything works.
After Billing Cycle Ends: Everything is permanently deleted—workflows, credentials, execution history. No recovery.
Good to know…
Fun Fact: n8n has 44,000+ stars on GitHub, making it one of the most popular open‑source automation tools. The community is massive—expect plenty of self‑hosting guides and troubleshooting help.
Setting Up Self-Hosted (The Cliff Notes)
You backed up. You canceled. Now what? Here’s the fast path to get running.
Docker on a VPS
The most common approach. Grab a $5–10/month VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, Hetzner). Install Docker, run n8n with docker-compose. Aim for at least 2GB RAM for production use.
Self-Hosting Platforms
Tools like Coolify or Railway handle most server management for you. Click-to-deploy, more expensive than raw VPS, but easier if you don’t want to mess with Linux.
Local Docker
Great for testing or personal usage. Just remember your machine must be on 24/7 if you want scheduled workflows.
Recreating Credentials (The Tedious Part)
- Go to Settings → Credentials in your self-hosted instance
- Click “Add Credential”
- Select the type (Google Sheets, Slack, Postgres, etc.)
- Enter API keys, OAuth details, or connection strings
- Save and test
Then open each imported workflow and reassign credentials. n8n shows warnings on nodes missing credentials—click the node and select the recreated credential from the dropdown.
If you’ve got 20 workflows using 15 different integrations, plan for at least 30+ minutes of manual work.
n8n Cloud vs Self-Hosted: Quick Cost Check
| Cloud Plan | Monthly Cost | Executions | Self-Hosted Equivalent | Potential Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $20 | 2,500 | $5–10 VPS (unlimited) | $10–15/month |
| Pro | $50 | 10,000 | $10–20 VPS (unlimited) | $30–40/month |
Do’s
- Back up every workflow via JSON before canceling
- Spin up self-hosted and test while cloud is still live
- Recreate credentials and reassign nodes in each workflow
- Use PostgreSQL for production workloads
- Update webhook URLs in external services
- Monitor CPU/RAM and size your VPS (2–4GB RAM recommended)
Don’ts
- Don’t click cancel before you have backups
- Don’t assume credentials or logs will transfer
- Don’t use SQLite in production for serious workflows
- Don’t wait until the day before deletion to migrate
- Don’t forget SSL, backups, and environment variables
- Don’t leave schedulers/cron disabled after migrating
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Yes. There’s a “Resubscribe” button after you cancel. As long as you’re still within your billing cycle, you can undo it instantly. After the deletion deadline, you’re starting from scratch.
No. Execution history stays in the cloud and is deleted with your workspace. If you need historical data, export or screenshot it before canceling.
n8n uses the Sustainable Use License (“fair-code”). You can self-host free, modify the code, and use it commercially for your own business. You can’t resell n8n as a service without a license.
If you’re using Docker, pull the latest image and restart the container. Review the release notes, but updates are usually smooth.
It depends on your VPS. A 1GB RAM instance may be slower than n8n’s cloud. A $10–20 VPS with 2–4GB RAM and dedicated CPU will perform well for most workflows.
Technically yes, but it’s usually not worth the overhead. Most people do a full migration. The hybrid approach makes sense only during the transition.
Bottom Line
Canceling n8n cloud is straightforward—a few clicks and some confirmation dialogs. The part that matters is backing up your workflows before you hit that button. If your self-hosted instance is live and tested, cancellation is just cleanup. If not, don’t cancel until your new instance is ready and credentials are recreated. The extra hours are worth the peace of mind.
