What is the difference between n8n, Zapier and Make?
All three connect your apps so work moves between them without anyone copying it by hand. Zapier is the simplest to start with and connects to more than 9,000 apps. Make gives you a visual map of each workflow and a lot of usage for the price. n8n suits more technical users and can run on your own server.
The biggest practical difference is how each one counts usage, because that decides what you pay as your workflows grow. Zapier counts tasks, Make counts credits and n8n counts executions. The sections below explain what each of those means.
We build automation for businesses, so we have an interest in this question. That is why this guide covers when each tool is the right choice on its own, before it says anything about us.
When is Zapier the right choice?
Zapier is the right choice when you want something working this afternoon, your workflows are short and the apps you use are mainstream. It connects to more than 9,000 apps, and a simple two-step workflow, such as copying a new form entry into a spreadsheet, is quick to set up on the free plan.
It suits a business with one or two simple workflows and someone on the team who is happy to set them up. Zapier counts a task each time an action step completes. Triggers do not count, and nor do its built-in tools such as Filter, Formatter and Paths, so a workflow with plenty of logic but few actions stays cheap.
The cost rises as volume grows, because every action on every run uses a task. A workflow with four actions that runs 300 times a month uses 1,200 tasks, which is more than the 750 included in the entry Professional plan.
When is Make the right choice?
Make is the right choice when your workflows have several branches or steps and you want to see the whole process laid out on one screen. Its paid plans start at a lower price than Zapier’s and include far more usage, which matters once a workflow runs hundreds or thousands of times a month.
Make counts a credit for each action a scenario performs, including reading the data that starts it. Most actions use one credit, and routers and error handlers use none. The entry Core plan includes 10,000 credits a month, so the same four action workflow running 300 times a month fits comfortably.
The trade-off is a steeper learning curve. Building a scenario means thinking about how data moves between steps, which some people enjoy and others find slow. Make connects to more than 3,500 apps, which covers most of the tools a small business uses, though fewer than Zapier.
When is n8n the right choice?
n8n is the right choice when you have someone technical on the team, your workflows are long or run very often, or you need control over where your data is processed. It counts one execution per complete run of a workflow, however many steps it has, so long workflows cost no more than short ones.
Every n8n plan includes unlimited users, unlimited workflows and every integration, and it allows code steps in JavaScript or Python when a ready-made connection does not exist. n8n also offers a free self-hosted Community edition that runs on your own server.
Self-hosting is free to license but not free to run. Someone has to set up the server, manage the database, keep it secure, monitor it and apply updates. If nobody in the business wants that job, n8n’s hosted plans or one of the other tools will be a better fit.
How do they compare?
Zapier is the easiest to start with, Make is the cheapest way into a paid plan, and n8n is the most flexible for technical users. The table sets out the entry paid plan for each, with prices from each vendor’s own pricing page as of November 2026.
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | Professional | Core | Starter |
| Price, billed monthly | $29.99 a month | $10.59 a month | €24 a month |
| Price, billed annually | $19.99 a month | $9 a month | €20 a month |
| Usage included | 750 tasks a month | 10,000 credits a month | 2,500 executions a month |
| What counts as one unit | Each completed action step | Each action a module performs | One complete run of a workflow |
| Free option | 100 tasks a month, two-step workflows only | 1,000 credits a month, two active scenarios | Self-hosted Community edition |
| Skills needed | Low | Moderate | Moderate on the hosted plans, technical to self-host |
| Best for | A few short workflows in mainstream apps | Branching workflows at modest volume | Long or frequent workflows, with technical help |
What does each tool cost?
As of November 2026, the entry paid plans cost $19.99 a month for Zapier, $9 a month for Make and €20 a month for n8n, each billed annually. Billed monthly, they are $29.99, $10.59 and €24. Zapier and Make price in US dollars and n8n in euros, so the amount in pounds varies with the exchange rate.
The figures below come from each vendor’s own page on 1 November 2026. Prices change, so check the pages before you buy.
- Zapier. Free with 100 tasks a month, two-step workflows and a 15 minute polling interval. Professional starts at $29.99 a month, or $19.99 billed annually, for 750 tasks, multi-step workflows and a two minute interval. Team starts at $103.50 a month, or $69 billed annually, for 2,000 tasks and up to 25 users.
- Make. Free with 1,000 credits a month, two active scenarios and a 15 minute minimum interval. At 10,000 credits a month, Core costs $10.59, Pro $18.82 and Teams $34.12, or $9, $16 and $29 billed annually. Paid plans allow unlimited active scenarios and schedules down to one minute.
- n8n. Starter costs €24 a month, or €20 billed annually, for 2,500 executions. Pro costs €60 a month, or €50 billed annually, for 10,000 executions. Business is self-hosted only and costs €800 a month, or €667 billed annually, for 40,000 executions. The self-hosted Community edition is free.
The subscription is rarely the largest cost. The time it takes to build each workflow, test it and fix it when an app changes is usually worth more than the plan itself, whichever tool you choose.
How do you decide?
Start with the workflow, not the tool. Count its steps, estimate how often it will run and decide who will build and look after it. Those three answers usually point to one tool. If nobody in the business has the time to look after it, that matters more than which tool you pick.
- Write down the workflow step by step, from what starts it to what should happen at the end.
- Check that each app you use has a ready-made connection in the tool you are considering.
- Count the actions and multiply by the number of runs a month to estimate usage on each plan.
- If it is short and runs a few hundred times a month, try Zapier’s or Make’s free plan first.
- If it is long, runs thousands of times or needs custom code, look at n8n, and decide early whether you will use its hosted plans or run it yourself.
- Decide who will fix it when something breaks, because sooner or later an app will change and a workflow will stop.
When is doing it yourself no longer worth it?
Doing it yourself stops being worth it when the workflows matter enough that a silent failure costs you money, when they touch personal data you are responsible for, or when the person who built them spends more time maintaining them than doing their real job.
That is the point at which we usually help. We build automation around the tools you already use and run it as a managed service, taking care of the hosting, platforms and technical setup so you do not manage separate accounts or subscriptions. The price is a fixed fee based on the value the system delivers, agreed before we start, and the invoice is sent only once it is live and performing as agreed. If it does not deliver the result we agreed, you do not pay the implementation fee. Our pricing page explains how that works, and our Lilies Home Care case study shows the kind of result it can produce.
If you have one simple workflow and someone who enjoys setting it up, use one of these tools yourself. If you would like a second opinion on which one, or on whether it is worth doing for you, book a free 30 minute call.