Guide · Updated October 2026
n8n vs Zapier
vs Make
An honest comparison of the three most popular workflow automation tools: how they bill, what each one does best and how to choose for your volume, budget and team.
Guide · Updated October 2026
An honest comparison of the three most popular workflow automation tools: how they bill, what each one does best and how to choose for your volume, budget and team.
We build on all three platforms for clients, so we have no reason to push one. Pricing models change often: check each vendor's current pricing page before you decide.
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Simple automations set up by non-technical teams | Multi-step workflows with branching and data shaping | Complex, high-volume or AI-heavy workflows |
| How you pay | Per task (each action that runs) | Per operation or credit (each module that runs) | Per workflow execution on n8n Cloud, or server cost if self-hosted |
| App connections | The largest library | Large | Smaller, plus any API through the HTTP node |
| Custom code | Limited | Limited | JavaScript and Python inside workflows |
| Self-hosting | No | No | Yes, under n8n's fair-code license |
| AI agents | Built-in AI steps and agents | AI modules and agents | AI agent nodes with tools, memory and many model providers |
| Learning curve | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
The plan price matters less than the billing unit. A five-step workflow that runs 1,000 times a month is roughly 5,000 tasks on Zapier and a similar number of operations on Make, because each step counts. On n8n Cloud the same workflow is about 1,000 executions, because an execution counts the whole run. Self-hosted n8n turns it into a flat server cost.
So for a handful of low-volume automations, Zapier is often the cheapest in total, because nobody has to maintain a server or learn a more technical tool. For workflows that run thousands of times a month, or loop over many records, n8n or Make usually costs far less.
There is no one-click import between the platforms, so each workflow is rebuilt. Start with the workflows that run most often, because they produce most of the bill. Run the old and new versions side by side for a few days, compare results, then switch off the old one.
We build and maintain workflows on all three, and we will recommend the cheapest one that does the job. See our n8n and workflow automation service.
FAQs
At high volume, usually yes, because n8n Cloud counts a whole workflow run as one execution and self-hosted n8n is a flat server cost, while Zapier counts every task. For a few low-volume automations, Zapier can still be cheaper overall.
The self-hosted Community edition can be used for free under n8n's fair-code license, but you pay for the server and the time to maintain it. n8n Cloud is a paid subscription.
Make is easier for visual, multi-step workflows. n8n is better for custom code, AI agents, high volume and self-hosting. Both are cheaper than Zapier for heavy workloads.
Yes, but each workflow is rebuilt rather than imported. Start with the highest-volume ones, since they drive most of the cost.
Tell us what you want to automate and how often it runs. We will recommend the cheapest tool that does the job, in writing.
Ask us