The Free, Open-Source Automation Tool That Makes Zapier Look Expensive

A companion guide to Fireship’s video (5:56)

“Lost time is never found again.” Benjamin Franklin said that, and he was right. As programmers, we have a unique superpower: the ability to prevent lost time through automation. But here’s the problem – automation tools are usually difficult and expensive.

Enter n8n – an open-source project that could change the way you think about automating work forever. And unlike Zapier (which can cost $500+/month at scale), n8n is completely free to self-host.

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What is n8n?

If you know what Zapier is, the easiest way to think about n8n is as the free and open-source alternative that gives you complete control over your automation infrastructure.

n8n lets you:

• Take input triggers (form submissions, database writes, voice commands, GitHub issues, etc.)
• Process data through a pipeline of steps
• Connect to third-party apps or run your own custom code
• All without writing a single line of code (unless you want to)

n8n vs Zapier – Why This Matters

Some people pay $500+ per month for tools like Zapier to do the heavy lifting. n8n offers a completely free, open-source, self-hostable alternative that puts you in complete control.

The key differences:

• Zapier: Per-task pricing, cloud-only, can get expensive at scale
• n8n: Free self-hosted, unlimited workflows, you control the data
• n8n Cloud: Managed option if you don’t want to self-host

Crazy Ways to Use n8n

There are literally hundreds of things you can accomplish with this tool. Here are some examples from the video:

For Developers

• Trigger on a GitHub PR merge, build a Docker image, then notify everyone on Discord

For Content Creators

• Automatically share your content on different social media platforms every time you upload a video

For IoT Enthusiasts

• Run a workflow that automatically sounds an alarm when a smart camera detects movement around your property

For Data Nerds

• Automatically scrape football stats and use AI to suggest which bets you should place next week

The possibilities are truly endless.

The Visual Flowchart Editor

The beauty of n8n is that all these complex workflows can be accomplished without writing a single line of code. Instead, you diagram everything in a flowchart-style editor that makes the logic so clear that any non-technical person can understand it.

The UI is built with Vue.js and lets you start building automation workflows immediately. You drag and drop nodes, connect them together, and your automation comes to life.

Getting Started in 5 Seconds

You can unlock all this power by simply running one command from your terminal:

npx n8n

After a few seconds, this brings up a beautiful UI where you can start building automation workflows immediately. That’s it. No installation, no setup wizard, no credit card.

Self-Hosting for Production

While you can play around with n8n on localhost for testing, if you’re serious about automation, you’ll want an actual server to host it for production use.

Options for self-hosting:

1. VPS with Docker – Most popular approach. Spin up a Linux VPS, install Docker, run n8n in a container.
2. Pre-configured templates – Providers like Hostinger offer one-click n8n installation on Ubuntu VPS.
3. npm install – Direct installation on any Node.js server.

Self-hosting means you pay only for the VPS (as low as $5-7/month), not per task or per workflow. Run unlimited automations at a fraction of the cost of cloud alternatives.

Why Self-Host?

• Cost savings – No per-task pricing. Pay a flat rate for your server.
• Data privacy – Your workflows and credentials stay on your infrastructure.
• Full control – Install custom nodes, modify configurations, integrate with internal systems.
• Unlimited everything – No artificial limits on workflows, executions, or complexity.
• Community nodes – Access to hundreds of community-built integrations.

Key Takeaways

• n8n is the free, open-source alternative to Zapier
• Visual flowchart editor – no coding required
• Self-hostable on any Linux VPS for complete control
• Run “npx n8n” to start playing with it immediately
• Hundreds of integrations and automation possibilities
• From DevOps to content creation to IoT – the use cases are endless

Stop Losing Time

Benjamin Franklin was right – lost time is never found again. But as a developer, you have the power to reclaim that time through automation.

n8n removes the two biggest barriers to automation: cost and complexity. It’s free, it’s visual, and it’s powerful enough to handle whatever you throw at it.

Open your terminal. Type npx n8n. Start automating everything.