What to charge for an n8n client projectfree tool

Estimate the build hours, the quote and the monthly retainer before you send the proposal. No signup, runs in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere.

1. Scope of the project

simple workflows (webhook, a few nodes, one integration)

how many

hours each

= 4 h

medium workflows (branches, error arm, reply arm, 2-3 integrations)

= 8 h

complex workflows (multi-stage, custom code, AI nodes, data migration inside the flow)

= 0 h

discovery and scoping (calls, write-up, access)

= 3 h

data migration or cleanup from the old setup

= 0 h

client training, hand-over session and hand-over doc

= 3 h

testing and error-handling buffer, % of build hours

your hourly rate

Default hours are editable starting points, not benchmarks. Practitioners on r/n8n report 1-2 hours of maintenance per client per month on a mature setup, and more in the first 90 days. Totals below use only the numbers on this page.

2. Project price

build subtotal18 h

buffer at 25%+ 4.5 h

total hours22.5 h

cost floor at your rate (no buffer)€900

quote with buffer€1,125

The floor is what the work costs if nothing surprises you. The quote carries the buffer for the edge cases that were not in scope. Scope creep after sign-off belongs in a change order, not in a bigger quote now.

3. Monthly retainer

maintenance hours per month

hosting you pass through

VPS cost per month

clients sharing it

maintenance€75

hosting€1.33

retainer per month€76.33

Never absorb variable API costs (AI calls, SMS, OCR, enrichment) in a flat retainer. Run the workflows on the client's own accounts and keys, and set a monthly usage cap: above the cap, pause or ask for approval. Practitioners report the API bill is where flat-fee deals go wrong, not the hosting.

4. Quote checklist

Name what the maintenance retainer includes:

small fixes and workflow error fixes, with an error alert to you
hosting and uptime of the instance, if you host it
a short monthly report: runs, failures, fixes done

Name what it does not include, priced separately:

new features and new workflows
changes to the core of an existing workflow
third-party usage above the agreed monthly cap

Split the money:

your fee covers consultation, setup and maintenance
subscriptions and API keys stay in the client's name
retainers typically run 6-12 months; longer locks a better rate