n8n automation agency: workflows and AI agents you own

In short: we are an n8n automation agency that builds one workflow at a time for the job your team repeats most: the order or document inbox, the invoice run, the CRM-to-accounts sync, the WhatsApp reply or an AI agent with a person approving its actions. Builds start from $1,000 for one well-defined job, and most single-workflow builds are $3,000 to $8,000. Everything runs in your n8n account or on your server, and the workflows, credentials and documentation are yours when we finish. We also work as n8n consultants, auditing and fixing workflows someone else built.

We build on n8n, on other platforms and in plain code, and we are not an n8n partner or reseller, so if a job is better done another way we say so. For what to automate first, see AI automation for business.

Last updated 13 November 2026.

What we build with n8n

Each row is one workflow. Most clients start with one, see it run for a few weeks, then add the next.

n8n has ready-made nodes for systems such as Xero, QuickBooks Online, HubSpot and WhatsApp Business Cloud; where one is missing, we call the system's API directly. For WhatsApp we set up the WhatsApp Business API and the system behind it; Meta's message charges are separate.

The order inbox is the workflow we know best, because Coded Idea built trade ordering software for wholesalers first. Our AI order processing page shows how an emailed order becomes a draft your team checks.

AI agents in n8n, with a person approving

n8n's AI nodes are built on LangChain's JavaScript framework. In practice that means an AI Agent node with a chosen model, memory and tools: a stock lookup, a document search, a call to another workflow.

The risky part is the tools that act. n8n has a human-in-the-loop setting for tools: when the agent wants to use one, the workflow pauses and sends a request, for example in Slack or the n8n chat, and a person approves or denies it. If denied, the action never runs. We switch it on for every tool that sends a message, changes a record or touches money, and only relax it when your own numbers show the agent gets that action right.

Before launch we run the agent on your real past messages and show you every miss, instead of promising an accuracy figure.

Self-hosted n8n or n8n Cloud, and who looks after it

n8n's own documentation puts it as two decisions: who runs the infrastructure, and which plan (Choose how to use n8n). Prices below are from the n8n pricing page as we read it on 13 November 2026, excluding tax.

Who maintains it is the real question. On n8n Cloud, n8n runs the platform and we look after the workflows. Self-hosted, someone must apply updates, watch the server and test the backups: we can do that on a support arrangement, or train your team.

Either way, the account or server is in your company's name, in the region you choose. We install n8n on your infrastructure; we don't host it on ours, which also keeps the set-up inside what n8n's licence FAQ allows for consultants.

The licence, in plain words

n8n is not open source in the strict sense. It uses the Sustainable Use License, which n8n describes as a fair-code licence. The software may be used "only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use."

n8n's licence FAQ answers the agency question directly: charging clients for building, setting up and maintaining workflows is allowed, and so is installing n8n on a client's own server, as long as the consultant is not also hosting it for them. What is not allowed without a separate agreement: letting outside users build or edit their own workflows in your n8n, or hosting n8n as a service for clients to build in. If you plan to put n8n inside a product you sell, we check the design against that FAQ with you before building.

How an n8n project runs

1. Twenty-minute call. You show us the job: the inbox, the spreadsheet, the canvas. We ask what a good result looks like and what must never happen.
2. Fixed written quote. One scope, one price, with the run costs (n8n plan or server, AI usage, message fees) as separate lines.
3. Build and test on real data. We build in a test copy first, run it on a slice of your real work beside the manual way, and show you where they differ.
4. Go live with alerts. Every workflow gets an error workflow that tells a named person when a run fails, so nothing breaks silently.
5. Hand-over. You get the exported workflows, a one-page note per workflow (trigger, systems, approvals, what to do when it fails) and the admin login. Credentials are created in your accounts.
6. Support. Close support through the first weeks of real use, then ongoing support if you want it.

We work with clients worldwide; calls and meetings can be arranged to suit you, and you talk to the people building the workflow.

Hire an n8n consultant

Some teams already have n8n and need a second pair of hands rather than an agency build. Common reasons:

• Rescue. Workflows built by a freelancer who has moved on, failing at night with nobody alerted.
• Audit. A check of credentials, error handling, retries, execution history and the version you run, with a written list of fixes in priority order.
• Move from Zapier or Make. Rebuilding existing automations in n8n, one at a time, with the old version kept running until the new one matches.
• Self-hosting set-up. Installing n8n with Docker on your server, with a database, SSL, backups and an update routine.
• Training. Sessions for the person in your team who will own the workflows day to day.

We price an audit once we have seen the size of the instance, not before. If your platform choice is still open, our guide n8n vs Make vs Zapier compares what each one bills per order.

Workflow scope checker

Tick everything that is true of the workflow you have in mind. The result is a rough guide to where it sits against our published prices, not a quote.

This runs in your browser. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere unless you choose to send it.

What it costs

Prices are in US dollars, as a fixed written quote after a 20-minute call. What moves a quote: how many systems the workflow touches, how messy the inputs are, how many approval steps you want, and whether we also set up self-hosting. Running costs are always separate lines. Our guide on what AI automation costs shows how to check a job is worth automating.

Sources

All opened on 13 November 2026.

• n8n, Plans and pricing.
• n8n docs, Choose how to use n8n and Host n8n.
• n8n, Sustainable Use License; n8n docs, Community license and License FAQ.
• n8n docs, LangChain in n8n and Human-in-the-loop for tools.

Coded Idea is an independent developer, not an n8n partner or reseller.