What You'll Need n8n Cloud or self-hosted n8n instance Hetzner VPS or Contabo VPS for self-hosted deployment DigitalOcean as an alternative hosting option Basic understanding of APIs and workflow concepts Spreadsheet software to track and compare costs Table of Contents What You'll Need Understanding the Three Platforms Temporal: The Enterprise Choice n8n: The Flexible Middle Ground Zapier: The Simple Starter Direct Cost Comparison Framework Building Your Own Cost Calculator Reducing Hidden Cost