Hosting n8n in Switzerland: licence, data location, operations and costs

Three ways to run n8n

n8n is a workflow automation platform: it connects applications, databases and APIs through visually built workflows. There are three ways to run it, and they differ in data location, responsibility and licence.

A fourth option is often advertised: a provider that hosts n8n on its own platform and sells you access to the editor. That is exactly the case n8n’s licence excludes. The next section explains why.

The n8n licence: what a provider may and may not do

n8n calls itself “fair-code”: the source is public, but the licence is not open source. The Sustainable Use License, which n8n now also calls the “Community License”, allows use “only for your own internal business purposes” or for non-commercial or personal use. Files with “.ee.” in their name fall under a separate Enterprise licence.

n8n’s official licence FAQ deals with providers explicitly:

This is why Dossivio Cloud runs n8n in your own cloud account: you are the Swiss host’s contracting party and the owner of the instance, and we handle operations. According to n8n, a partner programme for managing multiple instances is in development. Until it exists, this model remains the safe route.

Is self-hosted n8n fully usable?

For workflows, users and executions, yes: n8n states “unlimited executions if you self-host”, and all plans include unlimited users and workflows. All nodes, custom JavaScript or Python code, webhooks, queue mode for scaling and logging are in the free Community Edition.

Some features that regulated firms often need are licensed, however:

A company whose staff should sign in through its existing directory (n8n SSO self hosted) therefore needs a Business licence. It is bought directly from n8n in your company’s name and loaded into your instance. According to n8n’s pricing page, the Business plan costs €667 per month billed annually as of 30 September 2026. Enterprise is quoted on request.

Is the data really in Switzerland? Four checks

“Hosted in Switzerland” is only as true as the weakest link. With n8n, there are four.

1. Server, database and backups

Where the instance runs says nothing about where the backups are. Both belong in the contract, by name. Two Swiss providers publish their locations: Infomaniak runs its data centres in Geneva, with data hosted and processed exclusively in Switzerland and ISO 27001 certification since 2018. Its OpenStack-based Public Cloud runs in several Swiss regions. Exoscale offers the zones CH-GVA-2 (Geneva) and CH-DK-2 (Zurich), but also zones in other European countries, so the zone must be chosen explicitly.

2. n8n’s connections to its vendor

A self-hosted instance sends telemetry to n8n by default (workflow structure, error messages, IP address, but according to n8n neither credentials nor execution data) and fetches version notices and templates. n8n documents how to switch this off:

N8N_DIAGNOSTICS_ENABLED=false
N8N_VERSION_NOTIFICATIONS_ENABLED=false
N8N_TEMPLATES_ENABLED=false
N8N_PERSONALIZATION_ENABLED=false
N8N_HIRING_BANNER_ENABLED=false

Without telemetry, the “Ask AI” helper in the Code node is unavailable. For a self-hosted instance, n8n states it is “neither a Controller nor a Processor”.

3. The services your workflows call

This is the most common blind spot. A workflow that sends a document to a US AI API, to Google Sheets or to a CRM discloses data abroad, wherever n8n runs. A review of the workflows, listing the services they call and where those services are located, is part of operations.

4. The law the provider is subject to

The US CLOUD Act requires providers subject to US jurisdiction to disclose data in response to valid US legal process “regardless of where the company stores the data”. A Swiss provider is subject to Swiss law, and a foreign authority must go through mutual legal assistance. Our guide to hosting in Switzerland explains what that does and does not mean.

Operations: updates, backups, availability, monitoring

Installing n8n takes an hour. Running it for years is another matter. Five points separate a test install from production operations.

• PostgreSQL rather than SQLite. SQLite is the default. n8n explicitly recommends Postgres for production (versions 16, 17 and 18 supported).
• The encryption key. n8n encrypts every stored credential with the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY. Lose it and every credential becomes unreadable, even in an intact backup. It is backed up separately from the database and must be identical on all workers in queue mode.
• Backups you actually restore. Database, key and configuration, encrypted, stored somewhere other than the server. A backup that has never been test-restored is an assumption.
• Updates with a way back. n8n releases often. Security fixes come first, other updates in an announced window, always after a backup and with the ability to roll back to the previous version.
• Monitor workflows, not just the server. A server that responds says nothing about a workflow that has been failing for three days. Monitor both: instance availability and failed executions.

Who does what should be in writing. For operation in your own account, the split looks like this:

n8n, Make, Zapier, Power Automate: where the data lives

For a Swiss company handling confidential data, “n8n or Make?” is first a question of location. According to the vendors, as of 30 September 2026:

On the Swiss-U.S. Data Privacy Framework: since 15 September 2024, the United States has been listed in Annex 1 of the Data Protection Ordinance for certified companies. Disclosure to a certified provider is therefore permitted. Professional secrecy, a client contract or your own risk assessment may still require Switzerland.

For asset managers and other financial institutions

A firm licensed under the Financial Institutions Act (FinIA) checks the rules on delegating tasks as well as data protection.

• Art. 14 FinIA: tasks may only be delegated to third parties with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience. The institution instructs and supervises them carefully.
• Art. 15 FinIO: delegation exists when a third party performs “independently and on a permanent basis an essential task”. Whether operating an automation platform qualifies depends on which processes run on it.
• Art. 16 FinIO: the institution needs the resources to select, instruct and supervise the third party and to manage the risk, with rights to issue instructions and to control.
• Art. 17 FinIO: the agreement is made in writing or in another form that allows proof by text. It covers responsibilities, sub-delegation, accountability and control rights, and allows inspection by internal audit, the audit firm, the supervisory organisation and FINMA.
• Art. 9 FADP: the controller must ensure that the processor can guarantee data security. Engaging a sub-processor requires the controller’s prior authorisation.

FINMA Circular 2018/3 “Outsourcing” lists banks, securities firms, insurers, managers of collective assets, fund management companies and self-managed SICAVs in its scope, but not portfolio managers or trustees. Many institutions nevertheless use it as the benchmark for their own requirements.

Ten questions to ask any n8n provider, and our answers

Financial service providers, fiduciaries and SMEs ask us these before deciding. Ask every provider and get the answers in writing. The right-hand column gives the answers for Dossivio Cloud.

What does n8n hosting in Switzerland cost?

The cost breaks down into separate items. An offer that blends them is hard to compare.

• Infrastructure: virtual server, database and backup storage with the Swiss host, sized to the instance. You pay it directly to the host.
• Operations: updates, backups, monitoring, support. With Dossivio Cloud, CHF 290, 490 or 890 per month depending on the tier, plus a one-off setup fee.
• n8n licence, only if Business or Enterprise features are needed, directly from n8n.
• Workflow development, if you do not build them yourself: time and materials, or a monthly block of hours with Dossivio Flows.

For comparison, as of 30 September 2026 n8n lists n8n Cloud at €20 per month (Starter, 2,500 executions), €50 (Pro, 10,000 executions) or €667 (Business), billed annually. On top of that come EU hosting and the execution cap, which disappears when you self-host.