Zapier vs Make vs n8n Pricing 2026: Automation Platform Comparison
Automation platforms are where SaaS operations teams save hours per week. The pricing differs wildly. Zapier dominates the market on brand and ease-of-use. Make (formerly Integromat) undercuts Zapier on price while matching features. n8n is the newest entrant and offers the most control and flexibility, especially if you self-host.
Pricing Plans at a Glance (2026)
| Plan | Zapier | Make (Integromat) | n8n Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 tasks/month, 1 Zap | 1,000 operations/month | Limited (deprecated) |
| Starter | $20/month (750 tasks) | $10/month (10K ops) | $30/month |
| Pro | $49/month (2K tasks) | $30/month (60K ops) | $100/month |
| Premium | $299/month (50K tasks) | $89/month (180K ops) | $300/month |
| Enterprise | Custom (unlimited) | $200/month+ (unlimited) | Custom quote |
Total Cost of Ownership: Real Usage Scenarios
Scenario 1: Small Ops Team (1,000 operations/month)
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | $20 | $240/year |
| Make | $10 | $120/year |
| n8n Cloud | $30 | $360/year |
| n8n Self-Hosted | $0 | $0 |
Scenario 2: Growing SaaS Company (25,000 operations/month)
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | $299 | $3,588/year |
| Make | $89 | $1,068/year |
| n8n Cloud | $100 | $1,200/year |
Scenario 3: Enterprise (1 million+ operations/month)
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier Enterprise | $500+ (custom) | $6,000+/year |
| Make Enterprise | $200 | $2,400/year |
| n8n Self-Hosted | $0-500 (infrastructure only) | $0-6,000 (your servers) |
Feature Comparison: What Actually Matters
| Feature | Zapier | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Best-in-class for beginners | Good, steeper curve | Requires technical skills |
| App Integrations | 5,000+ apps | 1,000+ apps, but growing | Community-driven, 200+ apps |
| Price | 40-60% cheaper | Self-host free or cloud | |
| Advanced Workflows | Good (Paths, filters) | Advanced (better logic) | Most powerful |
| Data Storage | Limited (extra cost) | Good storage included | Unlimited if self-hosted |
| API Access | REST API available | REST API, webhooks | GraphQL, REST, webhooks |
| Team Collaboration | Excellent team features | Good collaboration | Good (developer-focused) |
| Customer Support | Excellent support | Good support, slower | Community-driven |
Real-World Scenarios: Which Wins?
Use Zapier if:
- You're non-technical — Zapier's UX is unmatched
- You use obscure integrations — 5,000 apps means everything connects
- You're a small team — < 5,000 operations/month
- You need hand-holding — Zapier's support is exceptional
- You value speed to setup — Zapier is 3x faster to configure
Use Make if:
- You want lower costs — 40-60% cheaper than Zapier
- You're a growing company — 5K-100K operations/month
- You need advanced logic — Make's workflows are more powerful
- You're switching from Zapier — Easy migration path
- You need storage — Make includes good data storage
Use n8n if:
- You're technical — n8n is developer-first
- You want maximum control — Can self-host on your servers
- You have high volume — 100K+ operations/month
- You need custom integrations — Build your own APIs
- You want zero per-operation cost — Self-hosting = free at scale
Migration Costs & Switching
Zapier to Make: Make has a native Zapier importer. Most workflows migrate automatically. Budget 2-4 hours for testing and tweaking. Very low friction.
Zapier to n8n: No direct importer. Manual rebuild required. Budget 10-20 hours depending on workflow complexity. Worth it if you have 50+ operations/month and can save $200+/year.
Cost of switching: At $50/hour team time, migrating 10 workflows costs ~$1,000 in labor. Only worth it if you'll save $2,000+ per year.
The Real Comparison: Price vs. Convenience
Zapier charges premium prices for convenience. You pay 2-3x what Make costs because Zapier's UX is dramatically better and their integrations are more reliable.
Make offers 80% of Zapier's functionality at 40% of the price. If you're willing to spend 2 extra hours setting up workflows, Make pays for itself immediately.
n8n is for teams where developers are available. If you have in-house engineers, n8n self-hosted eliminates automation costs entirely. At enterprise scale, this saves $50,000+/year.
Automation Tool Cost Calculator
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💡 n8n self-hosted is free — only server costs (~$5-10/month on a VPS). Zapier pricing shown is annual billing. Task overages apply if you exceed plan limits.
Free Alternatives to Zapier and Make
Beyond the main three options (Zapier, Make, n8n), these free tools handle specific automation use cases:
| Tool | Cost | Best For | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n Self-Hosted | Free ($6–12/mo server) | Technical teams; unlimited workflows and executions; 400+ integrations | Requires setup and maintenance; no managed service on free |
| IFTTT Free | Free (3 applets) | Personal automation; smart home, Twitter/RSS triggers | 3-applet limit; not for business workflows; slow polling |
| Activepieces (open-source) | Free self-hosted | Zapier clone; 100+ integrations, visual workflow builder | Smaller integration library than Zapier; community-supported |
| Pipedream Free | Free (10K events/mo) | Developers wanting code + no-code; Node.js steps + pre-built actions | Developer-focused; less accessible for non-technical users |
| GitHub Actions (for dev workflows) | Free (2,000 min/mo) | Engineering automation: CI/CD, code quality checks, deployment triggers | GitHub-centric; not for business process automation |
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