n8n vs OpenObserve — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
n8n starts at $25.92/mo. OpenObserve uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
See price history: n8n · OpenObserve
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- n8n (Per Usage) — n8n bills on usage — Workflow executions/month on top of a paid plan starting at $25.92/mo. The plan includes an allowance; anything beyond it is metered.
- OpenObserve (Per Usage) — OpenObserve bills purely on usage — $0.50/GB ingest + $0.01/GB query (30% off annual, no per-seat fees). There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Open-source workflow automation positioned as the alternative to Zapier and Make for developers who want self-hosting + code-level control. Distinctive for fair-code license (free for internal use, paid for embedded resale) and its JavaScript node execution. Valued $2.3B private (2025 raise). Free when self-hosted; Cloud plans $20-$50/mo (annual). Popular with technical teams whose Zapier bill grew painful and who want to run automations on their own infrastructure.
OpenObserve is a Datadog/Splunk/New Relic alternative positioned on transparent pay-as-you-go pricing with no per-seat or per-host fees. Cloud PAYG: $0.50/GB ingestion + $0.01/GB query (30% off with annual commit). Includes 15-month metrics retention + 30-day non-metrics retention default. Enterprise adds SSO/RBAC, AI SRE agent, BYO bucket infinite retention. Self-hosted OSS is free; Self-hosted Enterprise free up to 50GB/day.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | n8n monthly | n8n annual | OpenObserve monthly | OpenObserve annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Cloud Professional (PAYG) | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Starter / — | $25.92 | $21.6 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Pro / — | $64.8 | $54 | — | — |
| Teams | Business / — | $864 | $720 | — | — |
| Enterprise | Enterprise / Cloud Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
n8n is worth it if… developers and ops-savvy teams that want visual workflow automation with the option to self-host and write custom JavaScript nodes — particularly if you value data sovereignty or need automations that Zapier/Make can't handle. Starter covers small teams; Pro adds more execution; Business adds RBAC and versioning; self-hosted free forever.
OpenObserve is worth it if… OpenObserve is ideal for teams migrating off Datadog, Splunk, or New Relic who want radically transparent pay-per-GB pricing with no seat fees. Best if your telemetry cost is dominated by log and metric volume rather than user count.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose n8n over OpenObserve if…
Choose n8n if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $25.92/mo).
- You match the profile n8n is built for: developers and ops-savvy teams that want visual workflow automation with the option to self-host and write custom JavaScript nodes — particularly if you value data sovereignty or need automations that Zapier/Make can't handle.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose OpenObserve if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, a free entry tier).
- You match the profile OpenObserve is built for: ideal for teams migrating off Datadog, Splunk, or New Relic who want radically transparent pay-per-GB pricing with no seat fees.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| n8n | OpenObserve | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | $25.92/mo | Free |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Verification | Checked September 28, 2026 | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 28, 2026. Verification cadence varies by tool; check each tool page.