n8n Integration – Automate Your Work Habits

Do you find yourself doing the same things every morning? Copying work reports from Freelo into Excel, reminding your team about upcoming deadlines, or manually creating tasks from emails? With n8n, you can let it all happen automatically — reliably and without errors from inattention.

What is n8n and what can it do for you

Think of n8n as an invisible assistant 🤖 that watches what's happening across your apps and takes a prepared action whenever something occurs. A client email arrives? A task gets created in Freelo. It's Friday afternoon? Everyone on the team receives an overview of work in progress. A deadline is approaching? A notification flies into Slack. And so on, in hundreds of combinations.

Technically, n8n is an automation platform — you build simple rules of the type "when X happens, do Y". No programming required; it's all done by clicking in a visual editor. Thanks to the official Freelo integration, you can connect it with 500+ other apps — Google Sheets, Gmail, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Trello, GitLab, WooCommerce, and more.

Compared to similar tools (Zapier, Make), n8n has two advantages that make us recommend it: you see data after every step of the workflow (great for debugging and understanding what's happening), and an unlimited number of active workflows even in the basic plan — you only pay for the number of executions actually performed.

How n8n works – 4 key concepts

Before you start clicking, it helps to understand four words you'll see constantly in n8n. There's nothing complicated about them.

• Workflow – the entire automation process. For example, "every morning at 8:00, send me my tasks in Slack". A workflow has a beginning (trigger), a few steps in the middle, and an end.
• Node – one "box" in the workflow, one step. There's a Freelo node, Gmail node, Slack node, Google Sheets node, and 500+ more. Each node does something — the Gmail node can read emails and send messages, the Freelo node can work with tasks, projects, and work reports.
• Trigger – a special node that starts the workflow. It can be time-based (every day at 8:00), an event in an app (a new email arrives, a task is created in Freelo), or a manual button. Every workflow has exactly one trigger.
• Credentials – securely stored login details for a given app. For Freelo, that's your email and API key; for Gmail, it's OAuth login; for Slack, a token. You enter credentials once and then use them in all workflows where you need that app.

That's it. If you understand these four words, you understand 90% of what you'll encounter in n8n.

How to get n8n

You have two options: the official cloud (simple, monthly payment), or your own server (free, but you need an IT person). For most companies, n8n Cloud makes the most sense.

n8n Cloud – recommended for most

Sign up at n8n.io/cloud, and you'll get a 14-day free trial with full Business plan functionality (no credit card required for Starter and Pro tiers). After the trial, choose a plan based on the number of executions you expect per month.

Current n8n Cloud pricing (as of 7 May 2026):

• Starter – €24/month, 2,500 executions per month, unlimited active workflows.
• Pro – €60/month, 10,000 executions, advanced features (more users, higher limits).
• Business – €800/month, 40,000 executions, SSO, audit log, and other enterprise features.

What is an "execution"? One execution = one run of the entire workflow from start to finish. A morning task overview running once a day = 30 executions per month. A workflow that responds to every new email could easily be 1,000 executions per month. Most small teams are fine with Starter.

For the current pricing and plan comparison, always check n8n.io/pricing.

Self-hosted – free, but requires IT support

n8n can also run on your own server as the Community Edition. It's free, has all 500+ integrations, and unlimited executions. The catch: you have to run the server yourself — install it, monitor availability, handle updates, and back up data.

Who it suits: companies with an IT team that want 100% data ownership (sensitive internal processes, GDPR requirements), or where the number of executions would mean higher Cloud tiers.

Who it doesn't suit: anyone who doesn't have someone on hand to manage a server. In that case, Cloud is cheaper than paying an IT consultant for maintenance.

Instructions for self-hosted installation are in the official documentation.

Your first workflow in n8n

Once you have an account, the editor opens. It looks simple: a large white canvas in the middle, a panel on the left for adding nodes, and details open on the right when you click something.

Let's walk through building a first workflow — for example, "every morning at 8:00, send me my tasks from Freelo in Slack":

1. Click "New workflow" in the left menu — an empty canvas opens.
2. Add a trigger — click "+" in the middle of the canvas, select Schedule Trigger, and set the time (every day at 8:00).
3. Add the Freelo node — click "+" after the trigger, find Freelo, and select the "Get all tasks" operation. On first use, the node will prompt you to set up credentials (email and API key).
4. Test the step — click "Execute step" and you'll see what data is returned from Freelo. This is the power of n8n: after every step you see the result and can fine-tune it.
5. Add the Slack node — select the "Send a message" operation and map the input data (tasks from Freelo) to the message text.
6. Toggle "Active" in the top right — the workflow will start running on schedule.

Done. Your first automation is running and sending you a task overview every morning. Most workflows take about 15–30 minutes to set up.

TIP: If you want a more structured introduction, n8n has free text courses at docs.n8n.io/courses. Level 1 walks you through the basics in 30 minutes.

What the Freelo–n8n integration can do

Once n8n is set up, you have access to the official Freelo integration. Use it wherever you currently manually copy the same things between apps, or check whether something has happened. Specifically, it can:

• Create tasks and subtasks — from emails, forms, calendars, or other tools.
• Edit tasks — move deadlines, assign people, change status.
• Move tasks between To-Do lists — for example when they move from Draft to In Progress.
• Log time — from triggers or external time trackers.
• Export work reports — to Google Sheets, email, or invoices.
• Send notifications to Slack / Teams / email — when something important happens.
• Synchronise data — between Freelo and your CRM, calendar, or documents.

And that's just the beginning. Anything you currently do by hand at least ten times a month can probably be automated.

6 automation ideas that will save you time

Here are six specific workflows that work in real teams. All of them are built from commonly available "boxes" in n8n — Freelo, Slack, Google Sheets, Gmail, GitLab, and similar. Pick one and try it — you can have it set up within an hour.

1. Morning task overview in Slack or email

Good for: project managers, team leads, and solo entrepreneurs — anyone who starts their day with "what's on my plate today".

Every morning at 8:00, n8n opens Freelo, fetches tasks assigned to you that are due today or overdue, and sends them to Slack or email. Without opening Freelo, you know what you have on your plate today.

Time saved: 5–10 minutes a day, plus peace of mind. Over a month that adds up to an hour a week and the assurance that nothing important slipped through.

Team variant: every Monday morning, each person receives a personal summary of their work for the coming week.

2. Work reports straight into Google Sheets

Good for: teams that bill hours to clients, or who need an overview of hours worked over a period — for accountants, reports, or project invoicing.

Every Friday at 17:00 (or on the last day of the month), n8n downloads all work reports from Freelo for the given period, splits them by project, and writes them into a Google Sheets spreadsheet. The sheet has columns for date, task, person, hours, and note — ready to send to the client or paste into an invoice.

Time saved: instead of an hour of manual copying at the end of the month, it's done in a minute.

TIP: If you issue invoices in your accounting software, that can be connected too — work reports can flow directly into an invoice.

3. Email enquiry as a new task in Freelo

Good for: customer support, sales teams, anyone who receives enquiries by email (support@, sales@, info@).

When a message arrives in a selected inbox, n8n immediately creates a task in Freelo — in the Support or Sales project. The task title comes from the email subject, the body of the message and a link to the original are added to the description. Optionally, the task is immediately assigned to the colleague responsible for that area.

Time saved: a support team handling thirty tickets a day saves 1–2 hours a day on manually creating tasks. And nothing gets lost in a crowded inbox.

TIP: If you add an AI step, it can pre-sort the email — artificial intelligence labels the query as bug / feature / invoice and routes it to the right project accordingly.

4. Notifications for upcoming deadlines

Good for: teams where tasks drift, deadlines get overlooked, and on Friday afternoon everyone scrambles to find out who was supposed to write that report.

Every day at 9:00, n8n goes through all tasks with a deadline within 3 days and sends a Slack (or Teams) notification to the person responsible. Project captains also receive a summary along the lines of "In the Website Redesign project, you have 5 tasks with an approaching deadline."

Time saved: not just time, but mainly the prevention of incidents. Nobody can say "I completely forgot about it" anymore.

5. GitLab or GitHub issue → Freelo task

Good for: development teams that track bugs in GitLab or GitHub, but keep their project plan in Freelo.

When a new issue is created in GitLab (typically by a customer or tester), n8n immediately creates a corresponding task in Freelo in the Dev project — with a link back to the original issue. The developer sees what to work on in Freelo; the technical detail stays in GitLab.

Time saved: 2–3 minutes per new issue. In an active project that adds up to hours over a month.

6. Monthly client report without clicking

Good for: agencies, freelancers, and consultants — anyone who sends the client a summary at the end of the month of what was done for them.

On the first day of the month, n8n downloads all tasks completed in the previous month in the given project, compiles a nicely formatted email or PDF with a structured overview ("In November we completed 42 tasks for you, totalling 65 hours"), and sends it directly to the client.

Time saved: reporting that used to take half a day now happens automatically. You just approve it.

TIP: When combined with AI, the report can even include an executive summary written by artificial intelligence — three sentences about what was most important that month.

How to set up the Freelo node in n8n

Once you have an n8n account and want to connect Freelo, the process is straightforward:

1. Get your Freelo API key — find it in your profile settings (top right → Settings → API Key section). A detailed guide is in the API key help article.
2. Add the Freelo node in n8n — in the workflow editor, click "+", search for Freelo, and select it.
3. Set up credentials — on first use, the node will ask for your email and API key. Save them under a name (e.g. "Freelo – work account") and use them in all your future workflows.
4. Select Resource and Operation — Resource is what you want to work with (tasks, projects, work reports, To-Do lists…), Operation is the specific action (create, get, update).
5. Test with "Execute step" — you'll see the data the node returns and can map it to the next steps.
6. Activate the workflow — toggle "Active" in the top right.

TIP: Try your first workflow in a safe environment — on a test Freelo project or your own account. Only once you can see it doing exactly what it should, activate it for real.

When automation is worth it – and when it's not

To be fair and thorough: n8n isn't a goldmine for every situation. Better to avoid automating when:

• You do something once a year — setup will cost more time than it saves.
• The process changes constantly — you'd be rewriting the automation more often than using it.
• You need a creative decision at every step — automation is great for repetitive things, not for daily thinking.
• You feel it would "replace a colleague" who is the only one who understands the process — better to document the process by hand first, then automate.

The golden rule: automate what you already do the same way at least ten times a month. The effort pays off within a few weeks and you can be sure it will work long-term.

Where to find more help

• Official n8n documentation – docs.n8n.io (complete guides, concepts, examples).
• Free courses – docs.n8n.io/courses (Level 1 walks you through the basics in 30 minutes, Level 2 goes deeper).
• Current n8n Cloud pricing – n8n.io/pricing.
• Integration library – n8n.io/integrations, where you'll find 500+ other tools that can be connected with Freelo.
• Workflow templates – n8n.io/workflows, ready-made workflows to download and customise.
• Community – community.n8n.io, a forum with 200,000+ members where you can ask specific questions.
• Freelo API key – help.freelo.io/help/api-klic.
• Freelo technical support – if you're unsure about anything regarding the Freelo integration, write to us at info@freelo.io.

Pick one tip from this article and set it up — within an hour you'll have your first automation running in the background while you focus on the things that matter.