n8n specialist for business owners
n8n is the platform I build most automations with: an open-source workflow tool that connects hundreds of apps, from your CRM and accounting software to email, Google Sheets and AI models. As an n8n specialist I build the workflows, make sure they keep running and refine them as your business changes. You do not have to learn n8n yourself, unless you want to.
What is n8n?
n8n (pronounced “n-eight-n”) is software for building workflows: a sequence of steps that runs automatically as soon as something happens. For example: a client fills in a form, n8n creates a contact in your CRM, generates a document, sends an email and adds a task to your planning tool. Each step is a “node” that talks to another tool. That can be a ready-made integration for more than four hundred apps, or an API connection for tools without a standard integration.
The big difference with alternatives like Zapier and Make: n8n is open source. You can run it on your own server, you do not pay per task executed and your data stays where you want it to stay. For businesses that automate a lot of tasks or process sensitive data, that makes a significant difference in cost and risk.
What I build for you in n8n
Connections between your tools
- CRM, accounting, web shop, email and calendars
- Enter data once, up to date everywhere
- Including Dutch software such as Exact, Moneybird and Simplicate
Most requests start here: two or three systems that do not know each other, and someone in between copying data. Read more about system integrations.
Documents and reports
- Contracts and quotes from form data
- Weekly reports from multiple sources
- Sent automatically or prepared for review
Work that recurs at fixed moments and always has the same structure. See contract automation and automated reporting.
AI steps and AI agents
- Classify or summarise emails and documents
- Plain-language insights alongside your numbers
- Always with a human check where it matters
n8n has built-in integrations with models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. That lets a workflow handle steps that used to require a person, such as judging what an incoming message is about.
n8n, Make or Zapier: which fits when?
I prefer working with n8n, but not because it is always the best choice. Zapier is the easiest to start with on your own and is fine if you have a few simple connections with low volume. Make sits in between: visual, many integrations and affordable at small task counts. Both charge per task executed, which adds up quickly as volume grows.
n8n wins as soon as your workflows become more complex, volume grows, you want to add your own code or you want to keep data under your own control. On top of that, n8n is free to use on your own server, so the cost of dozens of workflows is no higher than that of one server. If you already have workflows in Zapier or Make that work well, I leave them alone; migrating for the sake of migrating is a waste of your money.
On my server or in your environment
Hosted by me
Your workflows run on my n8n server in a European data centre. Hosting, updates, backups and monitoring are included in the monthly fee. You do not have to install or manage anything and have a single point of contact. This is the simplest option if you have no IT of your own.
Hosted by you
You use n8n Cloud or a server owned by your company. You fully own the environment and the workflows; I build, maintain and develop further. This suits businesses with their own IT partner, strict privacy requirements or the wish to continue on their own eventually.
In both cases you receive documented workflows and can switch at any time. What it costs is on the pricing and maintenance page.
Building is one thing, keeping it running is another
A first version of an n8n workflow is built quickly. The difference between a demo and an automation you can rely on lies in what happens next. A good workflow retries when a tool is temporarily unreachable, sends an alert when something really goes wrong instead of silently stopping, handles exceptions gracefully (an empty date, a duplicate contact, a form with one field too many) and logs what happened so you can trace it back.
On top of that, the tools the workflow depends on keep changing. APIs get new versions, connections expire, your own process gains an extra step. That is why I do not deliver a workflow and walk away, but keep watching it and refining it. That is what the monthly maintenance covers.
Frequently asked questions about n8n
Is n8n free?
The software itself is free if you run it on your own server. n8n Cloud, the hosted version from the makers, costs a monthly fee depending on the number of workflows and executions. The cost of an n8n automation lies mainly in building and maintaining it, not in the licence.
Can I learn n8n myself?
Yes, and I encourage it. You can learn the basics in a few evenings. More complex workflows with error handling, API connections and AI steps require more experience. Many clients choose to have me build and maintain, and make small changes themselves. I show them how.
Does n8n work with Dutch software?
Usually, yes. For tools like Exact Online, Moneybird, Simplicate, e-Boekhouden, Mollie and AFAS there are integrations or an API that n8n can call. If a tool has no API, I look at alternatives such as email processing or file exchange.
Can you take over existing n8n workflows?
Yes. I start with an audit: what does each workflow do, where does it fail and what can be improved. Then I improve them step by step. Rebuilding everything is rarely necessary.
Is n8n secure enough for client data?
On your own server or in a European data centre you keep full control over where data is stored and who can access it. I use encrypted connections, limit each integration’s access rights to what is needed and document which data a workflow processes. For AI steps I choose settings where your data is not used for training.
Want an n8n workflow built?
Describe in a few sentences which tools you want to connect or which work you want to get rid of. I will let you know whether n8n is the right choice, and if not, what is. Or see the overview of all automations.