Workflow automation tools let you connect apps so data moves between them without manual copy-pasting. Zapier popularized the category, Make (formerly Integromat) built a more visual, branching alternative, and n8n took a different route entirely: open-source and self-hostable, with a cloud version for anyone who’d rather not run their own server. Picking between them comes down to how you’re billed for usage, how much visual control you want over the automation logic, and whether you ever want to self-host.
At a Glance
| Tool | Free plan | Billing unit | Entry paid plan | Self-hostable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 100 tasks/month, 2-step Zaps only | Tasks (one per action executed) | Professional, from $19.99/mo | No |
| Make | 1,000 operations/month | Operations/credits (most actions = 1 credit) | Core (exact USD price not published on Make’s own pricing page at time of review) | No |
| n8n | Community Edition, no published usage cap, self-hosted only | Workflow executions (cloud) or free (self-hosted) | Starter cloud, €20/mo | Yes (Community Edition, via GitHub) |
Short Verdict
Zapier is the easiest to start with and has the deepest library of app integrations, but its per-task billing gets expensive fast once a workflow runs often. Make is cheaper per action for complex, branching automations and gives you a visual canvas that shows the whole flow at once, though its published pricing page is less transparent about exact dollar costs. n8n is the pick if you want to self-host for free, need on-premise data control, or want to write custom JavaScript/Python logic directly inside a node — its cloud plans are also the most affordable of the three on a pure price basis, but the richest developer features (custom nodes, tracing) are self-hosted only.
What Each Tool Is
Zapier connects over 7,000 apps through pre-built “Zaps”: a trigger in one app sets off one or more actions in others. It’s built for speed of setup rather than visual complexity — most Zaps are a simple top-to-bottom list of steps.
Make uses a node-based visual canvas where you drag modules onto a board and connect them with lines, including branches, loops, and routers that Zapier’s linear builder doesn’t handle as naturally. It bills in “operations” (credits) rather than flat tasks.
n8n is open-source automation software you can self-host for free (the Community Edition, distributed on GitHub) or run on n8n’s own cloud. It supports writing custom JavaScript or Python directly inside a workflow node, which makes it the most developer-oriented of the three.
Pricing Breakdown
- Zapier: Free (100 tasks/mo, 1 user, two-step Zaps only); Professional from $19.99/mo with task tiers up to 2 million/month, multi-step Zaps, premium apps, and webhooks; Team from $69/mo for up to 25 users with a shared workspace and SSO; Enterprise is custom-priced with unlimited users. Annual billing saves roughly a third off the monthly rate.
- Make: Free gives 1,000 operations/month, 1 MB of data storage, and 1 data store. Paid tiers are named Core, Pro, Teams, and Enterprise and are billed by operations purchased per month, with extra credits available as auto-top-ups on Core/Pro/Teams. Make’s own pricing page does not display a flat USD figure per tier without selecting an operations volume first, so treat any specific dollar number you see elsewhere as an estimate tied to a particular credit tier rather than a fixed plan price.
- n8n: Community Edition is free and self-hosted, with no published execution cap, but you run and maintain the server yourself. Cloud Starter is €20/mo for 2,500 executions/month with a 5-minute max execution time; Cloud Pro is €50/mo for 10,000 executions/month with a 40-minute max execution time and more Assistant AI credits. Business (€667/mo) is self-hosted only at time of review, with the cloud version on a waitlist. Enterprise is custom, available on cloud or self-hosted.
Pros and Cons
Zapier
- ✅ Largest app library and fastest learning curve
- ✅ Built-in AI Copilot and AI troubleshooting on every paid plan
- ❌ Task-based billing scales poorly for high-volume or frequently-polling workflows
- ❌ No self-hosting option
Make
- ✅ Visual canvas handles branching, loops, and routers more naturally than a linear builder
- ✅ Operations-based billing can be cheaper than Zapier’s task billing for multi-step scenarios
- ❌ Pricing page doesn’t show plain USD figures without picking a credit volume first
- ❌ No self-hosting option
n8n
- ✅ Free, self-hosted Community Edition with no vendor lock-in
- ✅ Native support for custom JavaScript/Python code inside workflow nodes
- ❌ Richest features (custom nodes, LangSmith/OpenTelemetry tracing, bash scripts) are self-hosted only, not on the cloud plans
- ❌ Self-hosting means you own the uptime, updates, and security patching
Who It’s a Good Fit For
Choose Zapier if you want the fastest setup, need a long-tail app integration that only Zapier supports, and don’t mind paying a premium for that convenience.
Choose Make if your automations branch, loop, or need a visual map of the whole process, and you’re comfortable working out costs from an operations-based model rather than a flat monthly fee.
Choose n8n if you have the technical capacity to self-host (or don’t mind the cloud plan’s self-hosted-only advanced features), want to write custom code inside your automations, or need to keep workflow data on your own infrastructure for compliance reasons.
Who Should Look Elsewhere
If you need guaranteed flat monthly pricing with no credit or task math at all, all three platforms require some comfort with usage-based billing — budget-sensitive teams should run a test workflow on each free tier before committing to a paid plan, since real-world costs depend heavily on how many steps each automation runs and how often it triggers.
Bottom Line
There’s no single winner here — Zapier wins on integration breadth and ease of use, Make wins on visual control for complex logic, and n8n wins on cost control and openness for anyone willing to self-host. Start with each tool’s free tier on your actual use case before paying for any of them; the billing models are different enough that a workflow cheap on one platform can be expensive on another.
FAQ
Is n8n really free?
The self-hosted Community Edition is free, but you pay for the server it runs on and the time to maintain it. n8n’s own cloud plans start at €20/month and are not free.
Which tool has the most app integrations?
Zapier has the largest published app library by a wide margin, which matters most if you need a niche or less common app connected.
Can I switch between these platforms later?
Not automatically — each platform uses its own workflow format, so moving from one to another means manually rebuilding automations rather than importing them directly.
Do any of these support AI features?
Yes. Zapier includes an AI Copilot and AI-assisted troubleshooting on paid plans; n8n’s cloud plans include monthly AI Assistant credits (self-hosted use relies on your own API key); Make also markets AI agent capabilities within its automation scenarios.
Sources
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