Pick n8n if your workflows have several steps, run often, need code or AI agents, or must run on your own server: it bills one execution per run and the Community Edition is free to self-host. Pick Zapier if non-technical teammates build the automations, your stack is full of niche apps, or you never want to maintain anything. On a five-workflow stack of 2,000 runs a month, n8n Cloud Starter covers it while Zapier needs a tier for about 6,500 tasks.
n8n vs Zapier comes down to how you are billed and who builds: n8n charges one execution per full workflow run and can be self-hosted, while Zapier charges a task for every successful action and runs everything for you. For multi-step workflows at volume, n8n is usually cheaper; for non-technical teams and long-tail app coverage, Zapier is usually the better tool.
Checked October 2026 on the n8n pricing page, Zapier pricing, Zapier's plan guide and pay-per-task article, n8n's license FAQ, and the DigitalOcean and Hostinger VPS pricing pages. We teach n8n in our courses, so weigh that; every number links to its source so you can check it. n8n prices in euros, the others in US dollars, and we do not convert between them.
This page replaces our February 2026 version, which argued that n8n was simply superior. That framing does not survive contact with real teams: plenty of businesses are better off on Zapier. Below is the fair version, with the pricing worked out on one concrete stack. If you are still choosing which automations to build, our n8n hub with workflow ideas and templates is the place to start.
The verdict: pick n8n if, pick Zapier if
- Your workflows have 3+ steps, loops or branches
- You run thousands of executions a month
- You want JavaScript or Python inside workflows
- You build AI agents or MCP tools into automations
- Data has to stay on your own server
- Someone on the team can read API docs
- Non-technical staff build and own the automations
- You rely on niche SaaS apps with no public API docs
- Most automations are one trigger and one or two actions
- Nobody should ever maintain a server
- You want shared app connections and SSO out of the box
n8n vs Zapier: the head-to-head table
| n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Executions: one per full workflow run, however many steps | Tasks: one per successful action; triggers do not count |
| Free option | Self-hosted Community Edition; 14-day Cloud trial | Free plan: 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps |
| Entry paid plan | Cloud Starter: €20 a month billed annually, 2,500 executions | Professional: from $19.99 a month billed annually, 750 tasks |
| When you hit the limit | Cloud: new runs fail until the monthly reset or an upgrade | Pay-per-task billing at a higher rate, up to 3x your plan limit, unless you turn it off |
| App integrations | Fewer built-in nodes; HTTP Request and cURL import for any REST API | 9,000+ apps |
| Self-hosting | Yes: free Community Edition, paid Business and Enterprise licenses | No |
| Hosted data location | n8n Cloud stores data in Frankfurt, Germany | Not compared here; see Zapier's security pages |
| Who builds | Technical builders, ops people comfortable with JSON and APIs | Anyone; linear editor and Copilot for non-technical teams |
Sources: n8n pricing (plans, execution definition, Frankfurt hosting), the n8n help article on what happens at the execution limit, Zapier pricing and its plan guide, all checked October 2026. n8n's annual billing saves 17% against paying month to month.
n8n vs Zapier pricing: executions vs tasks
The headline prices are close; the units are not. n8n's pricing page says an execution is "a single run of your entire workflow", no matter how many steps it has. Zapier's FAQ says "each successful action in a Zap counts as a separate task", while triggers, polling and built-in tools such as Filters, Paths and Formatter do not use tasks. Zapier also notes that AI model tier, code runtime and connector type can make one action use more than one task.
- 01Trigger fires
A form submission arrives. Neither tool charges for the trigger.
- 02Action 1: create CRM contact
Zapier: 1 task.
- 03Action 2: post to Slack
Zapier: 1 task.
- 04Action 3: add sheet row
Zapier: 1 task.
- 05Run complete
n8n: 1 execution in total. Zapier: 3 tasks in total.
Counting rules from the n8n and Zapier pricing pages, checked October 2026.
The two tools also behave differently when you run out. On n8n Cloud, runs over the limit are not queued: each one fails with "Execution limit reached" until the monthly reset or an upgrade, and failed runs do not re-run on their own. Zapier switches you to pay-per-task billing at a higher per-task rate, capped at three times your plan's task limit, unless you turn it off, in which case Zaps stop until the next period. One fails loudly, the other bills quietly; decide which you would rather manage.
The same five-workflow stack priced on both
Vendor comparison pages pick examples that flatter their own unit. Here is one stack, chosen to look like a small business with a website, a payment provider, a helpdesk and a content habit. The volumes and step counts are illustrative inputs, not measurements; swap in your own.
| Workflow | Runs a month | Actions per run | n8n executions | Zapier tasks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead intake: form webhook, then CRM contact, Slack post, sheet row | 800 | 3 | 800 | 2,400 |
| Customer onboarding: payment webhook, then welcome email, list add, task, CRM update | 300 | 4 | 300 | 1,200 |
| Support triage: new ticket, then AI classify, update ticket, Slack alert | 600 | 3 | 600 | 1,800 |
| Daily report: schedule, then fetch data, send email | 30 | 2 | 30 | 60 |
| Content repurpose: new post, then AI rewrite, post to two channels, log row | 270 | 4 | 270 | 1,080 |
| Total | 2,000 | 2,000 | 6,540 |
Two thousand runs become 2,000 n8n executions and 6,540 Zapier tasks, before AI steps that may use extra tasks. Make, for reference, would count about one credit per module action, so a little over 8,500 credits if each trigger module also counts, per Make's pricing page; our Make vs n8n comparison covers that third option.
| Option | Plan that covers the stack | Price (checked October 2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n Cloud | Starter (2,500 executions) | €20 a month billed annually | 2,000 executions leave 500 spare; 5 concurrent runs |
| n8n self-hosted | Community Edition on a 2 GiB DigitalOcean droplet | $12 a month server, plus $2.40 for weekly backups (20%) | No execution cap; add your own maintenance time |
| n8n self-hosted | Community Edition on a Hostinger KVM 1 (4 GB) | $6.49 a month introductory, renews at $11.99 | Free weekly backups included; same maintenance time |
| Zapier | Professional, task tier for 6,540 tasks | Above the 750-task entry tier; the price for your tier shows on zapier.com/pricing | Pay-per-task kicks in past the tier, at a higher rate |
Zapier does publish a price for every task tier, but it only appears when you move the task slider on its pricing page, so we have not quoted one we could not capture. What we can say from the published rules: 6,540 tasks is almost nine times the 750-task entry tier, so the Zapier bill for this stack sits well above the $19.99 starting price, and the n8n Cloud bill sits at the Starter price. Server prices come from DigitalOcean (Basic droplet, backups at 20% of the droplet price for weekly) and Hostinger (introductory price on a multi-year term, then the renewal rate).
The break-even table: Cloud, self-host or Zapier
Self-hosting n8n removes the execution cap but adds a server and your time. The honest break-even compares server cost plus maintenance hours at your hourly value against the Cloud plan you would otherwise need. The rows below use the same illustrative assumption of one to two hours of upkeep a month for updates, backups and checking logs.
| Monthly volume | n8n Cloud plan (annual billing) | Self-hosted cost | Usually cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2,500 runs a month | Cloud Starter (€20) | Server plus 1 to 2 hours of upkeep | Cloud, unless your time is free |
| 2,500 to 10,000 runs | Cloud Pro 10k (€50) | Same server, same upkeep | Close: self-host wins if upkeep stays under about an hour |
| Above 10,000 runs | Higher Pro tier or Enterprise | Same server or one size up | Self-host, if someone owns the server |
| Needs SSO, Git, environments | Enterprise talks | Business license (€667) plus server | Price the license, not just the server |
Business, at €667 a month billed annually on the pricing page, is a license for your own server rather than a bigger Cloud plan, so it only enters the picture when you need SSO, Git version control or multiple environments. Our n8n pricing guide breaks down every tier and what counts as an execution, and the n8n Cloud vs self-hosted guide goes deeper on the upkeep side.
Where n8n wins
- Long workflows. Branches, loops, merges and sub-workflows cost nothing extra per step. Sub-workflow runs and error-workflow runs do not count as separate executions on Cloud, so you can design for clarity rather than for the bill.
- Code and APIs. n8n's feature table lists code steps in JavaScript or Python, custom HTTP and GraphQL requests, and cURL import, so an app without a node is still reachable through its API.
- AI agents. Starter and up include agents, MCP and AI nodes, and the feature table lists the AI Agent node, MCP Server Trigger, MCP Client and human approval for tool calls. If you are building agents that call tools, our MCP guide explains the protocol side.
- Control over data. Self-host anywhere, or use n8n Cloud, which stores data in Frankfurt.
- Client work. The license FAQ allows building and maintaining automations for clients on your own instance, as long as they cannot edit them.
Where Zapier wins
- App coverage. Zapier lists more than 9,000 apps. When a niche CRM or booking tool has a Zapier integration and no documented API, n8n cannot help much.
- Who can build. Zapier's linear editor and Copilot suit marketing and operations staff who will never read JSON. That is a real cost saving that no pricing table shows.
- Nothing to run. No servers, Docker upgrades or backups, and no breaking-change pages to read before an update.
- Team admin. Team starts at $69 a month billed annually with 25 users, shared app connections and SAML SSO, per Zapier's plan guide; on n8n, SSO sits in Business and above.
Is n8n a good Zapier alternative?
For a technical team, yes: it is the most direct Zapier alternative that you can also self-host. For a non-technical team it is a good alternative only if someone is willing to learn nodes, expressions and the occasional API doc. The license matters too. n8n is not open source in the OSI sense: the self-hosted edition uses the Sustainable Use License, and the license FAQ says you cannot host n8n as a service where clients build their own workflows, let end users configure workflows through your product, fork it into your own automation product, or white-label it without a commercial agreement.
- List every Zap with its trigger, actions, filters, paths and monthly tasks
- Check each app has an n8n node or a documented REST API
- Decide Cloud or self-hosted, and who owns updates and backups
- Rebuild the lowest-risk Zap first and test with real data
- Add an error workflow before anything goes live
- Run both in parallel for a week, then switch off the Zap
Our Zapier to n8n migration guide has the step-by-step version with a node mapping cheat sheet, and the n8n error handling guide covers the alerting you should set up first. For a wider field that includes Make and newer tools, see n8n vs Zapier vs Make.
Where to go from here
If you choose n8n, start on the Cloud trial, build your real workflows and read the execution count in the Insights dashboard before you pay or provision a server. If you choose Zapier, use its 14-day trial the same way and watch the task counter, especially on AI steps. And if your automations are turning into something customers would pay for, our AI SaaS Builder program covers the next step: validating the idea, building it and charging for it.
For what sets n8n's workflow model apart beyond price, read why n8n is different.
n8n vs Zapier: FAQ
Is n8n better than Zapier?
Neither is better for everyone. n8n suits multi-step and high-volume workflows, code, AI agents and teams that want to self-host, because it bills one execution per workflow run. Zapier suits non-technical teams and stacks full of niche SaaS apps, because it lists over 9,000 app integrations and there is nothing to host. Pick by who builds the automations and how many steps they have, not by brand.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
Usually, once workflows have several steps. n8n counts one execution per full run, while Zapier counts a task for every successful action, so a three-action workflow costs one n8n execution and three Zapier tasks. Checked October 2026, n8n Cloud Starter is €20 a month billed annually for 2,500 executions and Zapier Professional starts at $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks.
Is n8n free to use?
The self-hosted Community Edition has no license fee and no execution cap under n8n's Sustainable Use License, which allows internal business, personal and non-commercial use. You still pay for the server and the time to run it. n8n Cloud is paid after a 14-day trial, and features such as SSO, Git version control and environments need a paid plan even when self-hosted.
Can I use n8n for client automations instead of Zapier?
Yes. n8n's license FAQ allows you to build automations for clients on your own instance, as long as clients cannot create or edit them, and to charge for setup, maintenance, training and consulting. What it does not allow without a commercial agreement is hosting n8n as a service where clients build their own workflows, or white-labelling it.
Does n8n have as many integrations as Zapier?
No. Zapier lists more than 9,000 apps, which is its main advantage. n8n has fewer built-in nodes, but its HTTP Request node can call any app with a REST API and it can import cURL commands, so a missing node usually means more setup rather than a dead end. If your stack is full of niche SaaS tools, check each one on both directories before deciding.
Can I import my Zaps into n8n?
There is no official Zap importer in n8n's documentation, so plan to rebuild each Zap. The pieces map cleanly: triggers become trigger nodes or webhooks, actions become app nodes or HTTP Request, Filters become Filter or If nodes, Paths become Switch, Formatter becomes Edit Fields or Date & Time, and Code by Zapier becomes the Code node. Run both side by side before switching off the Zap.
Pick the tool. Then build the system.
AI SaaS Builder, included in All Access, covers n8n automations, AI agents and shipping a paid AI product, with the other three programs, live coaching and the private community in one subscription.
Deciding between n8n and Zapier?
Ask in the free Discord, where members compare automation stacks and share n8n workflows, or browse our n8n hub for workflows to start with.