The Automation Layer
AI & Automation · FreeMalta

The glue between
every tool you use.

n8n.io

Open-source. Self-hostable. Claude API native. n8n connects your entire stack — from Apollo to Supabase to Lemlist to Slack — with full JavaScript logic and no per-task pricing. It's the automation backbone behind FreeMalta, News Beast and every client workflow we build.

Open source Self-hostable Claude API native 400+ integrations
The platform

n8n in practice — the News Beast
content pipeline.

This is the actual workflow that publishes 27 articles per day on News Beast. Zero human involvement after setup.

n8n · Open Source · Self-Hosted on Cloudflare Workers

From scrape to published.
In 4 seconds. Every 2 hours.

Firecrawl scrapes 8 Malta news sources. n8n passes the content to Claude API with an editorial system prompt. Claude categorises, rewrites and scores relevance. n8n stores to Supabase D1 and fires IndexNow. Cloudflare Worker serves the article. Google indexes within 4 hours. All automated. No editor. No CMS interface. No manual steps.

27Articles/day
8Sources scraped
4sScrape to published
€0Self-hosted cost
Get n8n Build this for me →
Under the hood

What running n8n on a
€5/month VPS looks like.

n8n · self-hosted · Hostinger KVM · FreeMalta
$docker run -it --rm n8nio/n8n
✓ n8n ready on http://localhost:5678
 
#Cron trigger — every 2 hours
→ Firecrawl scrape 8 Malta sources
→ Filter: relevance score > 0.7
→ Claude API: rewrite + categorise
→ Supabase D1: store article
→ IndexNow: ping Google
✓ 27 articles published · 4.1s avg
$
Outbound sales workflow

Apollo to Lemlist in 4 seconds.
Claude writes the first line.

Apollo
Apollo
Trigger
FullEnrich
FullEnrich
Enrich
Claude API
Claude API
Personalise
Lemlist
Lemlist
Send
Supabase
Supabase
Log
Real workflows

Six workflows FreeMalta
has built and deployed.

Not demos. Not templates. Workflows running in production.

Outbound Sales Agent
Apollo new contact → FullEnrich email lookup → Claude API personalised first line → Lemlist sequence inject → Supabase log. Fully automated. 4 seconds per lead.
Apollo → FullEnrich → Claude API → Lemlist → Supabase
AI Newsroom Pipeline
Firecrawl scrapes news sources → Claude API categorises and rewrites → Supabase stores → Cloudflare Worker serves. News Beast runs on a version of this.
Firecrawl → Claude API → Supabase → Cloudflare
Content Distribution
Claude API drafts post → human review checkpoint → n8n routes to social channels → ManyChat handles replies. One human approval step.
Claude API → Human gate → ManyChat + Ngram
Support Triage
LiveChat webhook → Claude API classifies intent and urgency → routes to Nutshell CRM or auto-response → Slack notification for human escalation.
LiveChat → Claude API → Nutshell → Slack
Competitive Intelligence
Firecrawl monitors competitor websites for changes → Claude API summarises what changed and why it matters → weekly digest posted to Slack.
Firecrawl → Claude API → Supabase → Slack
Onboarding Automation
New Deel contract signed → n8n triggers Trainual assignment, Brevo welcome sequence, Supabase record, Slack #new-joiners post. HR admin time: zero.
Deel → Trainual + Brevo + Supabase + Slack
Connects with

Key integrations in the
FreeMalta ecosystem.

Claude API
Claude API
AI reasoning
Supabase
Supabase
Database
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Edge hosting
Make.com
Make.com
Hybrid
Apollo
Apollo
Sales data
Lemlist
Lemlist
Outreach
Brevo
Brevo
Email
ManyChat
ManyChat
Messaging
Firecrawl
Firecrawl
Web data
Airtable
Airtable
Storage
Slack
Slack
Notifications
Hostinger
Hostinger
Self-host VPS
Honest comparison

n8n vs Make.com vs Zapier.
No marketing speak.

n8n
HostingSelf / Cloud
Open sourceYes
Code supportJavaScript
AI agentsNative
Claude nodeNative ✓
PricingFree (self-host)
Make.com
HostingCloud only
Open sourceNo
Code supportLimited
AI agentsBasic
Claude nodeVia HTTP
PricingFrom $9/mo
Zapier
HostingCloud only
Open sourceNo
Code supportCode step
AI agentsLimited
Claude nodeVia HTTP
PricingFrom $19.99/mo
Honest assessment

When n8n is the right choice.
When it isn't.

Built for this
Complex multi-step AI agent workflows
Self-hosting — data never leaves your infra
High-volume automation without per-task costs
Custom JavaScript logic inside workflows
Claude API as a native node
Technical teams who want full control
Consider Make.com instead if
You want zero setup — just connect and go
Your team is non-technical
You need 1,000+ pre-built templates
Simple automations, no custom logic
You don't want to manage infrastructure
Pairs well with

The tools that complete
the n8n stack.

Claude API
AI Brain
The reasoning layer. Claude becomes a native node — pass data in, get structured output back.
Use Claude →
Firecrawl
Web Data
Feed clean web content into n8n workflows. Powers the News Beast scraping pipeline.
Get Firecrawl →
Supabase
Database
Store workflow outputs, logs and structured data. Native n8n node available.
Get Supabase →
Hostinger
Self-Host VPS
Host n8n on a €5/month KVM VPS. FreeMalta runs this configuration.
Get Hostinger →
Make.com
Alternative
Not ready for n8n? Make.com is the no-code alternative. Hybrid workflows possible.
Get Make →
Cloudflare
Edge Layer
Deploy n8n triggers via Cloudflare Workers. The FreeMalta architecture.
Get Cloudflare →
Off the record

How FreeMalta actually
uses n8n.

n8n vs Make.com vs Zapier: The Honest Comparison for 2026 Read How to Connect Claude API to n8n in 15 Minutes Read Self-Hosting n8n on Cloudflare Workers: A Real Guide Read The AI Agent Stack That Runs a Newsroom Read

Frequently Asked Questions

What is n8n?
n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform. It connects apps, services and APIs through a visual node-based interface — and unlike most automation tools, you can self-host it, meaning your data never leaves your infrastructure. It supports 400+ integrations and allows custom JavaScript when visual nodes aren't enough.
How is n8n different from Make.com or Zapier?
Three key differences. First, n8n is open-source — you can self-host it on your own server, meaning your automation data stays in your infrastructure. Make.com and Zapier are cloud-only. Second, n8n supports full JavaScript inside workflows — you're not limited to what visual nodes can do. Third, n8n is significantly more powerful for AI agent workflows — it has native LLM nodes, vector store integrations and multi-agent orchestration built in.
Do I need to know how to code to use n8n?
No — but knowing a little JavaScript helps. Most workflows are built visually using n8n's node-based interface. For simple automations (webhook triggers, API calls, data routing), no code is needed. For advanced workflows — custom transformations, complex logic, AI agent loops — basic JavaScript knowledge lets you go much further.
Can n8n connect to Claude API?
Yes. n8n has a native Anthropic node. You connect your Claude API key, choose your model, and Claude becomes a node in your workflow — just like any other tool. You can pass data in, get structured output back, and route the response to the next step. This is how FreeMalta builds AI-powered automation workflows.
What can FreeMalta build with n8n?
AI agent workflows, automated content pipelines, outbound sales automation with Claude personalisation, customer support routing, lead enrichment workflows, newsroom automation, webhook integrations between any tools in your stack. If you need a specific workflow built, the FreeMalta Fractional CAIO service handles n8n implementation end-to-end.
How much does n8n cost?
n8n Cloud starts at $20/month. Self-hosted is free — you only pay for the server, which can be as low as €5/month on a Hostinger VPS. For high-volume automations, self-hosting is significantly more cost-effective than cloud plans, since there are no per-execution limits on self-hosted instances.
Other stacks
Site & Launch Web Intelligence Lead Generation Fractional CAIO
FreeMalta earns a commission if you sign up through our links — at no cost to you. n8n is open-source and free to self-host. Cloud pricing verified at time of writing — check n8n.io for current plans.