Automation / Comparison
Zapier vs Make vs n8n: workflows, AI and costs
Start with the workflow you need to run, the billable unit it consumes, and who will operate it. Those choices are more useful than an overall winner.
By Vetted Authority · Pricing rechecked
Documentation review, not hands-on product testing. Product facts below are vendor-documented; pilot recommendations are our analysis. No affiliate or sponsored links appear in this article.
One workflow. Three billing lenses.
Use the same business task in each trial, then inspect its usage log. Counting boxes in a workflow is not enough to predict a bill.
Example business process
- 1Receive a lead
- 2Create a CRM record
- 3Notify the team
Zapier
Successful actions → tasks
Triggers and Filters/Paths do not use tasks. Successful actions generally do; AI model tiers, code runtime and MCP calls have specific rates. Replaying successful steps can add usage.
[ZU]Make
Module usage → credits
Most non-AI operations consume one credit. Some AI features vary with tokens or other usage. With a custom AI connection, provider token charges are separate.
[MC]n8n paid plans
Workflow runs → executions
Plans are metered by workflow executions with unlimited steps. That allowance is not a count of individual actions or a promise that all external services are included.
[NP]Compare the documented capabilities
| Decision factor | Zapier | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workflow model | A trigger starts a Zap, followed by actions. Professional supports multi-step Zaps and webhooks.[ZP] | Scenarios connect modules on a visual canvas. Routers split the flow into routes with filters.[MP][MR] | Node-based workflows, with JavaScript/Python code steps and custom API requests. Cloud and self-hosted options.[NP] |
| AI functionality | AI by Zapier has model-dependent task rates. Zapier Agents uses a separate activity quota; it is not the same billing pool as Zap tasks.[ZU] | Make AI Agent (New) uses instructions, knowledge and tools inside scenarios. Open beta: functionality and pricing may change. Custom AI provider connections require a paid plan.[MA] | An AI Agent node connects to a chat model and at least one tool. The agent can select tools to complete a task.[NA] |
| Integration coverage | Vendor lists 9,000+ apps. This is a catalog claim, not a test of every connector or action.[ZP] | Vendor lists 3,000+ apps. Check the specific module and action you need, not just the app name.[MP] | Pricing lists every integration on all plans, plus custom API requests. No cross-vendor connector-count ranking is made here.[NP] |
| Hosting and control | The reviewed pricing page describes hosted plans. It does not establish a generally available self-hosted edition; confirm special deployment needs with the vendor.[ZP] | Enterprise offers an on-premise agent for access to local systems over HTTP. This connector is not evidence that the whole Make platform can be self-hosted.[MO] | Community is a free self-hosted edition; Business and Enterprise unlock paid features. Hosting still needs configuration, monitoring and updates.[NE][NH] |
| Plan constraints to check | Free includes two-step Zaps and 100 tasks/month. Premium apps and multi-step workflows are listed on Professional.[ZP] | Free includes 1,000 credits/month and a 15-minute minimum scheduled interval. Core supports scheduling down to a minute.[MP] | Community excludes SSO, workflow/credential sharing and Git version control. Do not assume a free installation includes paid governance features.[NE] |
Price context, without a false equivalence
These snapshots use different allowances and currencies. They are not quotes for equivalent work. Confirm billing term, tax, overages and any separate AI or app subscription before purchase.
- Zapier
- Professional: US$19.99/month billed annually or US$29.99/month billed monthly, at 750 tasks/month. A free plan includes 100 tasks/month. The task-tier selector changes the price as the allowance rises.[ZP]Zapier pricing
- Make
- Core: US$12/month billed monthly at 10,000 credits/month; Pro US$21 and Teams US$38 at the same allowance. Annual billing is advertised at 15% or more off, but the page did not display the annual per-month figure, so we do not quote one. A free plan includes 1,000 credits/month.[MP]Make pricing
- n8n
- Starter: €20/month billed annually, 2,500 executions/month. Pro: €50/month billed annually, 10,000 executions/month. Monthly billing costs about 17% more. These are euro amounts, not US dollars or a normalized cost comparison.[NP]n8n pricing
For the wider budget picture (AI model tokens, hosting, telephony and setup labor), see the AI automation cost guide.
Editorial analysis
Choose what to test first
Pilot Zapier when
Your first priority is connecting particular business apps through triggers and actions. Verify required actions and plan gates before judging setup effort.
Pilot question: Can a colleague maintain the workflow and diagnose a failed run?
Pilot Make when
You want to inspect branching routes on a canvas. Model actual module and AI credit consumption before deciding it costs less.
Pilot question: What happens to credits when one input produces many output records?
Pilot n8n when
Self-hosting or code/API steps are a requirement worth evaluating. Check edition limits and assign an operator if you host it yourself.
Pilot question: Who owns upgrades, backups and recovery, and which paid controls do you need?
Before switching
Run a representative input, a duplicate and a deliberate failure. Record usage, recovery steps and maintenance time. For AI, compare output quality on the same sample and keep a human approval step where a wrong action matters. No reliability, speed or ease-of-use ranking has been tested here.
Sources and evidence limits
All sources are vendor publications. Capability pages were reviewed on September 27, 2026; pricing pages were rechecked on October 2, 2026. They establish documented availability, not independent performance. Integration counts use each vendor’s definition. Paid plan selectors can change displayed prices. No authenticated product sessions, reliability benchmarks or screenshot captures were performed.