AI Business
n8n vs Make vs Zapier: Which Automation Tool?
Three tools, three ways of charging, and no single right answer. This comparison explains how n8n, Make and Zapier count usage, what each one is best at, and which fits a small business or a new automation agency.
Education only — and a dating rule. Prices in the table below were checked on 14 November 2026 on the vendors' own pricing pages: n8n Cloud Starter 20 euros per month billed annually, Zapier Professional from 19.99 US dollars per month, and Make Core 9 US dollars per month billed annually (10.59 billed monthly) for 10,000 credits. Re-check every price on the vendor's own page before committing — prices change often and none is quoted here as permanent. Last checked 2026-11-14.
The comparison, dated 2026-11-14
| n8n | Make | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan (checked 2026-11-14) | Cloud Starter, 20 euros per month billed annually | Core, 9 US dollars per month billed annually (10.59 billed monthly), 10,000 credits | Professional, from 19.99 US dollars per month, depending on task tier |
| Free option | Community Edition, free and self-hosted | Free plan, 1,000 credits per month | Free plan, 100 tasks per month |
| What you pay for | Workflow executions — a run from start to finish | Credits — most actions cost one credit; some AI actions cost more | Tasks — each successful action counts as a task |
| Best for | Technical owners; self-hosting; data kept on your own server | Multi-step workflows with branching logic at a low entry price | Simplest start; widest app catalogue; standard business apps |
| App connections | Wide, growing; many built-in integrations plus custom nodes | More than 1,000 apps, plus custom apps via public APIs | More than 9,000 apps — the widest catalogue of the three |
| AI and agents | Built-in AI and agent features on paid plans | AI provider actions charged at more than one credit each | AI steps, tables and forms included; agent features across the platform |
Sources: n8n pricing, Make pricing, Zapier pricing — all accessed 2026-11-14. All three prices above were checked on the vendors' own pricing pages on that date.
Why the prices cannot be compared directly
The three tools count usage differently, and that difference matters more than the headline price. n8n charges per workflow execution, so a workflow with twenty steps costs the same as a workflow with two, as long as it runs once. Make charges per credit, so a twenty-step workflow costs roughly twenty credits. Zapier charges per task, so the same twenty-step workflow costs roughly twenty tasks. The same automation can therefore be cheap on n8n and expensive on Zapier, or the reverse, depending on whether your workflows are long and complex or short and frequent. The only honest comparison is your own workflow, counted the way each tool counts it: write down the steps, count them, and apply each tool's model. A price comparison that ignores the counting model is not a comparison.
Free plans differ the same way. Zapier's free plan gives 100 tasks a month, which suits a business with a few short workflows. Make's free plan gives 1,000 credits a month, which stretches further for the same workflows. n8n's Community Edition has no usage cap at all, but it is self-hosted — you provide the server, the updates, the backups and the security. "Free" means different things in each case, and the right question is not which free plan is biggest but which one matches the workflow you actually run.
n8n: for the technical owner
n8n's strength is control. The Community Edition is free and self-hosted, so data stays on your own server and there is no per-use meter running on your workflow executions. The paid Cloud plans remove the server work and add collaboration and support. n8n is also strong for complex, branching workflows and for AI agent features, which are built into the platform rather than bolted on. The trade-off is skill: self-hosting needs someone comfortable with servers, updates and backups, and even the cloud version expects more technical confidence than its rivals. For a small business with a technical owner, or an automation agency that wants to keep client data on its own infrastructure, n8n is a strong choice. For a non-technical owner who wants the simplest start, it is not.
Make: for multi-step workflows at a low entry price
Make's strength is visual, multi-step workflow building. Its scenario editor makes branching logic — if this, then that, otherwise something else — easy to see and follow, which suits workflows that are genuinely complex rather than long. Its entry price, as observed in research on 14 November 2026, is lower than its rivals', and its free plan is generous in credits. The trade-off is the credit model itself: an AI action can cost more than one credit, and a workflow with many steps or heavy AI use can burn through an allowance faster than expected. Make is a good fit for an agency or a business whose workflows have real branching logic and whose owner is comfortable reading a visual scenario. Before relying on the entry price quoted here, re-check it on Make's pricing page — this page could not verify it directly on 14 November 2026.
Zapier: for the simplest start and the widest catalogue
Zapier's strength is breadth and simplicity. It connects more apps than either rival, its editor is the easiest for a beginner, and its free trial of the Professional plan lets a new user test the full platform for two weeks. For a small business automating standard apps — email, spreadsheets, forms, calendars — Zapier is usually the fastest path to a working workflow. The trade-off is the task model: every successful action counts, so long workflows and high volumes become expensive, and the Professional plan's price rises with the task tier chosen. Zapier is the right default for a non-technical owner. It is the wrong choice for a workflow with dozens of steps running hundreds of times a day, where the task count would make the bill grow faster than the value.
Which one for an AI automation agency?
Research for this site found that the "start an AI automation agency" queries are held by small sites with conflicting, unsourced earnings claims — a weak, hype-filled field, which is exactly why an honest agency can stand out. For an agency, the choice should be made on reliability and on your own skill, not on a feature list. Pick the tool you can build, test and fix confidently, because a client does not care which tool runs their workflow — only that it runs, and that you answer when it breaks. Most agency work is simple workflows for small businesses, and all three tools handle those well. Consider this: if you serve clients who care where their data lives, n8n's self-hosting is a selling point. If you serve clients with branching workflows, Make's visual editor helps you show them what you built. If you serve non-technical clients, Zapier's simplicity makes handover easier. And remember that the tool is not the business — the business is the checking, the monitoring and the support, as the workflow automation guide and the legitimate AI business models guide explain.
What the free tiers actually let you test
Each tool's free tier is good for a different kind of test. Zapier's free plan, with 100 tasks a month, is enough to run a few short workflows in production for a small business and see whether automation saves real time. Make's free plan, with 1,000 credits a month, stretches further for the same workflows and lets you test longer, branching scenarios without paying. n8n's Community Edition has no usage cap, so it is the best option for testing high-volume or complex workflows — as long as someone on the team is comfortable running the server it needs. Use the free tier the way it is meant to be used: run your real workflow, with real data, for two weeks, and measure what you actually used. That measurement — not a feature comparison — is what tells you which paid plan, if any, you need. If the free tier covers your real usage with room to spare, stay on it; the paid plan can wait until the workflow grows.
Before you choose: run the same workflow on each
The reliable way to choose is to build one real workflow — your own inbox triage or form-to-spreadsheet flow — on the free tier of each tool. Measure three things: how long it took to build, how the usage counted against the free allowance, and how easy it was to find and fix a deliberate error. Those three measurements will tell you more than any comparison table, including this one. Keep the workflow simple and documented so that if you switch tools later, the rebuild is a day's work, not a project. And re-check prices on the vendor's own pricing page at the moment you commit, because every price on this page is dated 14 November 2026 and will age.
Sources
- n8n — Pricing (accessed 2026-11-14)
- Make — Pricing (accessed 2026-11-14)
- Zapier — Pricing (accessed 2026-11-14)
- The Cost of AI Tools (Learn To Make Money, 2026-11-14)
Last checked: 14 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which is best, n8n, Make or Zapier?
There is no single best choice — it depends on the workflow. Zapier is simplest to start with and connects the most apps. Make suits multi-step workflows with branching logic. n8n suits a technical owner who wants to self-host and keep data on their own server.
How much do n8n, Make and Zapier cost?
Prices change often. On 14 November 2026, n8n Cloud Starter was listed at 20 euros per month billed annually, Zapier Professional from 19.99 US dollars per month depending on task tier, and Make Core at 9 US dollars per month billed annually (10.59 billed monthly) for 10,000 credits, checked against Make's own published pricing. Re-check each vendor's pricing page before committing.
What is the difference between executions, credits and tasks?
n8n counts workflow executions — a run from start to finish. Make counts credits, with most actions costing one credit. Zapier counts tasks, with each successful action counting as a task. The same workflow can cost very different amounts on each, depending on how many steps it takes.
Is n8n really free?
n8n's Community Edition is free and self-hosted, which means you run it on your own server. It costs your time and server costs instead of a subscription, and you are responsible for updates, backups and security.
Which tool is best for an AI automation agency?
The tool you can build, test and fix confidently, with pricing you can explain to a client. Most agency work is simple workflows for small businesses, and all three tools handle those. Choose on reliability and your own skill, not on a feature list.
Can I switch between n8n, Make and Zapier later?
Yes, but workflows are not portable — switching means rebuilding each workflow on the new tool. Keep workflows simple and documented so a rebuild is a day's work, not a project's.