Set an AI automation package monthly price, and first distinguish which costs go to “building it” versus “running it.”
On September 17, n8n released Gateway credits: Cloud Starter and Pro users can use supported models, search, and document parsing nodes from the prepaid balance, without registering with each service provider or configuring API keys individually.
The official documentation splits the billing: Gateway-balance payment nodes handle the Gateway balance calls, while Assistant quota payments are handled by the AI for helping you build and debug workflows. Topping up Gateway will not increase Assistant quota.
After the balance reaches zero, the Gateway-related nodes stop working; nodes using your own credentials are unaffected. This balance service is not supported for self-hosting at this time.
If you take tasks like “search for materials, read PDFs, and produce weekly reports,” I recommend tracking the build-and-debug cost separately from the cost of each run, and then deciding the maintenance and usage range. Skipping the key-configuration steps doesn’t remove the need to account for invocation fees.
Source: n8n “Try new models and services, skip the account setup,” September 17, 2026; official “Gateway credits” documentation. Not personally tested.
On September 17, n8n released Gateway credits: Cloud Starter and Pro users can use supported models, search, and document parsing nodes from the prepaid balance, without registering with each service provider or configuring API keys individually.
The official documentation splits the billing: Gateway-balance payment nodes handle the Gateway balance calls, while Assistant quota payments are handled by the AI for helping you build and debug workflows. Topping up Gateway will not increase Assistant quota.
After the balance reaches zero, the Gateway-related nodes stop working; nodes using your own credentials are unaffected. This balance service is not supported for self-hosting at this time.
If you take tasks like “search for materials, read PDFs, and produce weekly reports,” I recommend tracking the build-and-debug cost separately from the cost of each run, and then deciding the maintenance and usage range. Skipping the key-configuration steps doesn’t remove the need to account for invocation fees.
Source: n8n “Try new models and services, skip the account setup,” September 17, 2026; official “Gateway credits” documentation. Not personally tested.