Cheap & Reliable: How to Host n8n on Hostinger VPS ($5/mo)
The Context: You want to self-host. You looked at AWS. The pricing calculator made you dizzy. “Inbound Data Transfer? IOPS?” You looked at DigitalOcean. Detailed, but maybe intimidating. You just want a cheap, fast server that works. The Solution: Welcome to Hostinger. Known for cheap website hosting, they recently launched a KVM VPS product that is secretly the best deal in the industry. For $5/mo (or less with promos), you get NVMe storage and dedicated RAM. In this guide, we will set up an automation powerhouse that beats servers costing 5x as much.
Core Concept 1: The “KVM” Difference
The Context: Don’t Buy the Wrong Thing
Hostinger sells “Web Hosting” ($2/mo) and “VPS Hosting” ($5/mo). Do NOT buy Web Hosting. Web Hosting is “Shared”. It is for WordPress. You cannot run Docker. You cannot run n8n. You need KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).
The Deep Dive: Why KVM?
- Isolation: In Shared Hosting, if your neighbor gets a viral Reddit post, your site slows down. In KVM, your resources are legally yours. No neighbor can touch your CPU.
- Root Access: You are the “God” of the server. You can install anything. Python, Go, Rust, n8n.
- Docker Support: KVM kernels support Docker natively. This is required for our easy setup.
The “Pro Tip”: The “Game Panel” Confusion
Hostinger also sells “Game Servers” (Minecraft). Technically, these are VPSs too. But stick to the product labeled “VPS Hosting”. It comes with the correct Linux OS templates we need.
Common Pitfalls
- The “Promo Price” Trap: Hostinger advertises “$4.99” but that might be for a 24-month commitment.
- Reality Check: Even at the monthly renewal price ($7-8), it is still competitive. Check the renewal price before you buy.
The Build: Step-by-Step (The Browser Terminal)
The Context: No Terminal App Needed
One of the scariest parts of DigitalOcean for beginners is “Setting up SSH Keys” on your laptop. Hostinger has a feature that solves this: The Browser Terminal. You can control your server directly from Chrome.
The Steps
Step 1: The Purchase
- Go to Hostinger VPS.
- Select KVM 1 (1 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB NVMe SSD).
- Note: 4GB RAM for a base plan is insane. DigitalOcean gives you 1GB. This is why Hostinger is a steal.
Step 2: The Template
- During setup, it will ask: “Choose an OS”.
- Click “Application”.
- Select “Ubuntu 22.04 with Docker”.
- Why: This saves us 10 minutes of installing Docker manually.
Step 3: The Terminal
- Wait 5 minutes for setup.
- Go to Dashboard -> SSH Access.
- Click “Browser Terminal”.
- A black window opens. You are in.
Step 4: The Command
- Paste this command (The Universal n8n Docker Command):
docker run -it --rm --name n8n -p 5678:5678 -v ~/.n8n:/home/node/.n8n n8nio/n8n
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Go to
http://your-ip-address:5678. - Welcome to n8n.
The “Pro Tip”: Assigning a Domain
Accessing 192.168.1.1:5678 is ugly.
Hostinger sells domains too.
- Buy
my-automation.com. - Go to DNS Zone.
- Create an A Record.
- Host:
@-> Points to:[Your VPS IP]. - Wait 10 minutes.
Common Pitfalls
- The Firewall: By default, Hostinger’s VPS firewall is open.
- Fix: You should go to the “Firewall” tab and close all ports except 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), and 443 (HTTPS).
- Wait: We are using port 5678. You need to allow 5678 explicitly or use a Reverse Proxy (Caddy) to route port 80 to 5678. (We cover this in the “Robust Option” guide).
Core Concept 2: NVMe Speed (Why it feels instant)
The Context: The Bottleneck
Most cheap VPS providers use standard SSDs (Solid State Drives). They are fast. But NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory express) is 6x faster.
The Deep Dive: Database I/O
n8n is a database-heavy app. Every time a workflow runs, it writes execution logs to the disk. If your disk is slow, n8n feels “laggy”. On Hostinger KVM, n8n feels instant. Why? Because the “Input/Output” (I/O) speed is massive. You can write 1,000 logs per second without blocking the CPU.
The “Pro Tip”: Benchmarking
Want to prove it?
Run this command in your terminal: dd if=/dev/zero of=test bs=64k count=16k conv=fdatasync
It will tell you the write speed.
Hostinger usually hits 500MB/s+. Standard cheap VPSs hit 100MB/s.
Common Pitfalls
- Disk Space Filling Up: Logs write fast. They fill up fast.
- Fix: Set
EXECUTIONS_DATA_MAX_AGE=168immediately. Do not wait for the “Disk Full” error.
Core Concept 3: The Safety Net (Snapshots)
The Context: The “Reset” Button
You are going to break your server. You will run a command you found on Reddit, and suddenly Docker will disappear. On a laptop, this is a disaster. On Hostinger KVM, it is a 3-minute annoyance.
The Deep Dive: Automated Snapshots
Hostinger has a feature called Snapshots. It takes a picture of your entire hard drive (Operating System + n8n + Database).
- Go to Snapshots tab.
- Click “Create Snapshot”.
- Wait 5 minutes. Disaster Recovery: If you break Linux, you just click “Restore”. The server reboots, and it is exactly how it was yesterday. It is magic.
The “Pro Tip”: Daily Automation
You can automate this. Hostinger offers “Daily Backups” for ~$1/month extra. Buy it. If your server gets hacked or corrupted on a Sunday, you can roll back to Saturday night. It is the cheapest insurance policy in the world.
Common Pitfalls
- The “One Slot” Limit: The free snapshot tool only holds one snapshot. By creating a new one, you overwrite the old one. Be careful.
Core Concept 4: The Firewall of Steel
The Context: The Open Door
By default, a VPS is naked. Every port is open to the internet. Hackers run scripts that scan every IP address for open ports (like 5432 for Postgres). If they find it, they will brute-force your password.
The Deep Dive: Hostinger Firewall
You do not need to learn iptables (Linux firewall command).
Hostinger has a visual Firewall in the Dashboard.
- Go to Firewall.
- Create a Profile: “n8n-Server”.
- Inbound Rules:
- SSH: Allow Port 22 from
Your Home IP(Strict) orAny(Risky). - HTTP: Allow Port 80 from
Any. - HTTPS: Allow Port 443 from
Any. - n8n: Allow Port 5678 from
Any. (Or close it if you use a Domain).
- SSH: Allow Port 22 from
- Block Everything Else: The default policy should be “Drop”.
The “Pro Tip”: Block Postgres
Never, ever open Port 5432 to the Any (0.0.0.0/0) internet.
If you need to connect to your database from home, use an SSH Tunnel.
ssh -L 5432:localhost:5432 root@your-ip.
This pipes the connection through the encrypted SSH tunnel. It is unhackable.
Common Pitfalls
- Locking Yourself Out: If you block Port 22, you can’t SSH in.
- Fix: Hostinger has a generic “Emergency Console” (VNC) that bypasses the network firewall. You can log in there and fix it.
Core Concept 5: Monitoring (Uptime Kuma)
The Context: Is it down?
On Zeabur, they validatethe health for you. On Hostinger, if your server crashes at 3 AM, nobody tells you. You need a “Heartbeat”.
The Deep Dive: Installing Uptime Kuma
Uptime Kuma is a beautiful, free dashboard that pings your services. Since we have Docker, installing it takes 10 seconds.
- Run
docker run -d --restart=always -p 3001:3001 -v uptime-kuma:/app/data louislam/uptime-kuma:1. - Go to
http://your-ip:3001. - Create an Admin Account.
- Click “Add New Monitor”.
- Type: HTTP(s).
- URL:
http://your-ip:5678. - Interval: 60 seconds.
The Alert: Set up a Notification (Telegram/Slack). “Alert: n8n is DOWN”. Now you can sleep knowing that if silence falls, your phone will buzz.
The “Pro Tip”: Status Pages
Kuma lets you create a Public Status Page (status.agency.com).
Share this with your clients.
“System Operational”.
It builds trust.
Common Pitfalls
- Hosting Kuma on the Same Server: If the whole server dies, Kuma dies too, and it can’t alert you.
- Fix: Ideally, run Kuma on a different cheap VPS (e.g., a $4 VPS on Hetzner), or use a free SaaS monitor like BetterStack purely for the “Server Down” ping.
Comparison: Hostinger vs DigitalOcean vs Contabo
The Context: The Shootout
Is cheap always better? Let’s compare the titans.
The Deep Dive: The Matrix
| Feature | Hostinger KVM 1 | DigitalOcean Basic | Contabo S |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$5.99/mo | $6.00/mo | ~$6.00/mo |
| RAM | 4 GB | 1 GB | 8 GB |
| Storage | 50 GB NVMe | 25 GB SSD | 50 GB NVMe |
| CPU | Fast (Intel/AMD) | Fast | Slow (Often Oversold) |
| UI | Beginner Friendly | Developer Focused | Legacy UI (Ugly) |
| Server Locations | Global (30+) | Global (10+) | Limited (3) |
The Verdict
- Winner: Hostinger.
- Why: Getting 4GB of RAM for $6 is unbeatable for n8n (which loves RAM).
- DigitalOcean only gives you 1GB. 1GB is tight.
- Contabo gives 8GB, but their CPUs are often “noisy” (slowed down by other users).
- Hostinger strikes the perfect balance.
The “Pro Tip”: Location, Location, Location
Hostinger has data centers in France, Lithuania, USA, Brazil, India, Singapore. If you are in Brazil, buying a US server adds 150ms lag to every webhook. Hostinger allows you to pick a São Paulo server. This makes your bots react instantly.
Common Pitfalls
- Support: Hostinger support is “Chat based”. DigitalOcean has extensive documentation. If you get stuck on a deep Linux kernel issue, Hostinger support might just say “Restore from Backup”.
Core Concept 3: The “AI Assistant” (Kodee)
The Context: I forgot the command
You are in the terminal. You want to see how much RAM is free.
You forgot the command. Is it top? htop? free -m?
The Deep Dive: Integrated Help
Hostinger KVM Dashboard has an AI sidebar (Kodee).
It knows the context of your server.
You can type: “My docker container refuses to start, check the logs.”
It will give you the command: docker logs n8n.
It is like having a Senior SysAdmin sitting next to you.
The “Pro Tip”: Generating Nginx Configs
Setting up a Reverse Proxy (to get HTTPS) involves writing an Nginx config file. Use the AI. “Write me an Nginx config for n8n running on port 5678 with SSL.” It writes the perfect block of code. Copy. Paste. Reload.
Common Pitfalls
- Blind Trust: AI creates code. AI makes mistakes.
- Fix: Always try to understand what the command does (roughly) before hitting Enter.
rm -rf /is a bad day.
Conclusion
The Best Value: If you asked me purely on “Specs per Dollar”, Hostinger KVM 1 is the winner. 4GB of RAM for the price of a Latte is incredible leverage. For n8n, RAM is King. More RAM = More Concurrent Workflows = More Money.
The Trade-off: You don’t get the “Developer Ecosystem” of DigitalOcean (Snapshots, Floating IPs, VPCs are easier on DO). But for a Solopreneur running one strong automation server? Hostinger is the choice.
Next Step: You have the server. You have the speed. Now let’s talk about the “Gold Standard” of hosting. The provider that developers love. Read [The Robust Option: Deploying n8n on DigitalOcean].
