A simple promise: you own everything. The software is free, the running cost is a few dollars a month, and you're never locked into me. Here's exactly how the plumbing works.
The automations live on a server in your name. Not mine, not a platform's. If we ever part ways, everything stays with you.
Customer info flows through your own server — it never sits on my systems. Nothing to worry about on a shared platform.
The engine (n8n) is free, open-source software. Your only real cost is a small server — usually less than the apps it replaces.
Same automations either way. The difference is just where the little server sits. Most clients take the first; privacy-first businesses sometimes prefer the second.
Free, open-source, unlimited automations. No per-task fees, no caps.
Often cheaper than the single subscription tool it replaces. On-site option: near $0.
Some specific automations use your own metered accounts — for example a texting service (about a penny per text) or an AI service. Those are billed to you directly and are tiny. Everything beyond that is my work — the build and the ongoing retainer to keep it running and growing.
This is the part that matters most. Your automations are saved in a standard, portable format — you can export the whole thing at any time and take it to anyone. I earn your business by doing great work, not by holding your systems hostage. That's the difference between a partner and a vendor.