n8n Consultant & Automation Agency

The short answer

Tack Media builds and runs n8n workflows for companies whose automation has outgrown a task-based tool. We design the flows, host or configure the instance, connect the CRM, ad platforms and AI models, and own it in production. Engagements start at $5,000 a month.

What we actually do with n8n

n8n is the right tool when logic gets complicated, volume gets high, or the data cannot sit on someone else’s servers. It is the wrong tool when you need three simple automations and nobody on the team can maintain a container.

• Instance setup. Cloud or self-hosted. Self-hosting means Docker, a Postgres database, backups, TLS, an upgrade path and someone on call. We do that properly or we recommend Cloud and move on.
• Workflow design and build. Enrichment, routing, deduplication, lead scoring, offline conversion uploads, reconciliation between systems that were never meant to talk.
• Custom nodes and HTTP work. When there is no native node, the HTTP Request node plus proper auth handling covers most APIs. We write pagination and rate-limit backoff rather than hoping the first page is enough.
• AI orchestration. n8n is where we put calls to Claude or ChatGPT when the surrounding logic matters: fetch context, call the model, validate the output, branch on the result, escalate to a human.
• Error handling that exists. n8n supports dedicated error workflows started by an Error Trigger node, which receives the execution ID, error message, stack trace and failing node, plus a Stop and Error node for deliberate failure. Every workflow we ship has one attached. Silent failure is the default state of unmanaged automation.
• Migration. Moving high-volume flows off Zapier or Make where per-task or per-operation billing has become the largest line in the stack.

What it connects to

Where teams get stuck

Self-hosting was chosen for the wrong reason. n8n’s own documentation is clear that self-hosting demands technical resources and setup effort, while Cloud is fully managed. Teams pick self-hosted to save a subscription, then spend more in engineering hours than the Cloud plan cost. Self-host for data residency, network access or volume. Not to save fifty euros.

Scaling requires queue mode, and queue mode has prerequisites. A single n8n instance becomes a bottleneck under load. Queue mode fixes it, but it requires Redis as the message broker, separate worker processes, a shared encryption key, and PostgreSQL — SQLite is not supported in queue mode. Discovering that after you have built forty workflows on SQLite is an expensive weekend.

The plan limits are execution counts, not step counts. As of 26 August 2026, n8n’s published cloud pricing lists Starter at €20 a month with 2,500 executions and 5 concurrent, Pro at €50 with 10,000 executions and 20 concurrent, and Business at €667 with 40,000 executions, and defines an execution as a single run of the entire workflow regardless of how many steps it contains. That is the opposite of how Zapier and Make bill, and it is the reason heavy multi-step flows are cheaper here. n8n changes pricing, so verify before switching.

Assuming the free edition includes everything. It does not. n8n documents that SSO via SAML and LDAP, Git version control, environments, external secrets, log streaming, projects, role-based access control and workflow sharing sit behind Business or Enterprise licences. If your security team requires SSO, the free community edition is off the table before the first workflow is built.

How it works — 1, 2, 3

1. Audit and access, week 1 to 2. Current automations, volumes, systems, and whether self-hosting is genuinely warranted. You get a written recommendation including the case for not using n8n at all.
2. Build and connect, week 3 to 8. Instance stood up, credentials scoped, workflows built and tested against real data, error workflows attached, alerting into Slack. Documentation written as we go.
3. Run and report, ongoing. Execution monitoring, failure triage, version upgrades, and new flows as the business changes. Monthly reporting on what ran, what failed and what it saved.

What it costs

Tack Media engagements start at $5,000 a month. What moves the number: how many workflows, how many systems, whether we host the instance, whether AI calls sit inside the flows, and how much operational ownership you want.

The n8n licence or subscription is separate and stays on your account. Prices above are as published on 26 August 2026 and n8n revises them. Where the work is part of a wider build, see marketing systems and automation and AI services.

Questions we get asked

Should we use n8n, Zapier or Make?

n8n when the logic is branching, the volume is high, the data must stay in your infrastructure, or you want per-workflow rather than per-step billing. Zapier when speed and app coverage matter more than cost. Make when the flow is visual and moderate in volume. We recommend against n8n regularly.

Who owns the instance and the workflows?

You do. Self-hosted instances run in your cloud account. Cloud subscriptions are in your name. Workflows are exported as JSON and stored in your repository, so nothing is trapped in an account we control.

Can we take it in-house later?

Yes. Workflows are documented, credentials are scoped, and we run a handover session. n8n is readable by anyone technical, which is one of the reasons we like it.

Do you work with our existing workflows?

Usually. We audit what exists, fix the ones failing quietly, and rebuild only what needs rebuilding. Wholesale replacement is rarely the right first move.

What if we already have a developer doing this?

Then we can design and hand over, or take only the pieces they do not want. Plenty of engagements are a design phase plus a monthly review rather than full operational ownership.

The bottom line

n8n rewards teams with real automation volume and someone accountable for it. The billing model favours complex workflows, and the self-hosting option solves data problems that no task-based tool can. Both of those advantages disappear without an owner.

To work out whether n8n fits your stack, or whether something simpler would do, book a call with a Tack Media expert or phone 310-620-1141.

Sources

• n8n — Pricing
• n8n Docs — Choose how to use n8n (cloud vs self-hosted)
• n8n Docs — Enable queue mode
• n8n Docs — Community edition features and edition comparison
• n8n Docs — Handle errors gracefully