Choose n8n when your data must stay on your own server or the flow needs custom code: it is the only one of the three that can be self-hosted. Choose Zapier for simple flows between popular apps without hosting. Make is a cloud service with a visual scenario editor. Before comparing prices, check what each tool counts as usage.
| Feature | n8n | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Execution: one run of the whole workflow, regardless of the number of steps.Source: n8n.io/pricing | Credit: most actions in a scenario use 1 credit, some AI features use more.Source: make.com/en/pricing, help.make.com/credits | Task: every successful action. Triggers, filters, Paths and steps that end in an error do not count.Source: help.zapier.com (How is task usage measured) |
| Entry prices | Community Edition: €0 (self-hosted). Cloud: Starter €20/month and Pro €50/month billed annually, Business €667/month billed annually.Source: n8n.io/pricing | Free: $0. Core from $9/month, Pro from $16/month, Teams from $29/month (10,000 credits, billed monthly). Annual billing saves 15% or more.Source: make.com/en/pricing | Free: $0. Professional from $19.99/month billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly) for 750 tasks. Team from $69/month billed annually for 2,000 tasks.Source: zapier.com/pricing |
| Hosting and self-hosting | n8n Cloud or your own server. The Community edition is free and self-hosted (installation via npm, Docker or a server), the Business plan is self-hosted. Sustainable Use License.Source: docs.n8n.io/choose-how-to-use-n8n, n8n.io/pricing, github.com/n8n-io/n8n (LICENSE.md) | The price list does not mention a self-hosted version. The Enterprise plan includes an on-prem agent that connects scenarios to apps on a local network, e.g. SAP.Source: make.com/en/pricing | The price list does not mention a self-hosted version. Flows run in the Zapier cloud.Source: zapier.com/pricing |
| Plan limits | Starter: 2.5K executions/month, 1 shared project, 5 concurrent executions. Pro: 10K executions, 3 projects, up to 50 concurrent. Business: 40K executions. Active workflows and steps are unlimited.Source: n8n.io/pricing | Free: 1,000 credits/month, 2 active scenarios, runs no more often than every 15 min, up to 5 min per execution, 512 MB of data transfer. Core: from 10,000 credits, unlimited active scenarios, 1 min interval, up to 40 min per execution, 5 GB.Source: make.com/en/pricing | Free: 100 tasks/month, two steps only (trigger and action), new data checked every 15 min. Professional: from 750 tasks, multiple steps, every 2 min. Team: from 2,000 tasks, every 1 min.Source: zapier.com/pricing |
| Learning curve: what you need to know | The Code node accepts JavaScript or Python. Self-hosting requires working with npm, Docker or a server.Source: docs.n8n.io/code, docs.n8n.io/choose-how-to-use-n8n | Scenarios are built in a visual editor (Scenario Builder) with modules. Scenario settings cover, among other things, execution order and the maximum number of cycles.Source: help.make.com/scenario-settings | A flow is a trigger followed by actions. The free plan allows only two steps, multi-step flows need a paid plan.Source: zapier.com/pricing |
| Typical uses (Qerify's conclusion from the features above, not a vendor claim) | Flows where data has to stay on your own server or needs custom code.Source: n8n.io/pricing, docs.n8n.io/code | Scenarios built visually, in the cloud, with a cost that depends on the number of operations run.Source: make.com/en/pricing | Simple flows between popular apps without your own hosting, billed per successful action.Source: zapier.com/pricing, help.zapier.com (How is task usage measured) |
Data checked on 5 October 2026 in the vendors' pricing pages and documentation. Prices and limits change, so open the source page before you buy. Prices are shown in the currency of the vendor's price list.
Because each tool counts usage differently. In n8n an execution is one run of the whole workflow, regardless of the number of steps. In Make most operations use 1 credit. In Zapier a task is every successful action, while triggers, filters and paths are not counted.
A calculation example, not a quote: a flow with five successful actions run a hundred times is a hundred executions in n8n and five hundred tasks in Zapier. In Make the number of credits grows with the number of operations much like in Zapier, as long as each one uses a single credit. So the shape of the flow drives the cost, not the plan price alone.
n8n can: its documentation describes the Community edition, free and self-hosted, and the Business plan from the price list is self-hosted. The Make and Zapier price lists do not mention such an option. Make offers an on-prem agent in the Enterprise plan that connects scenarios to apps on a local network, but it is not your own Make instance.
The n8n license (Sustainable Use License) allows use for your own internal business purposes or non-commercial use. If you plan to set up n8n for clients, read its text or ask a lawyer.
You pay the tool's vendor for the subscription and the expert separately for the work. Implementation cost ranges are described in the guide to the price of automation. You can find verified contractors in the tool directories.
We described Make and n8n separately in a blog article. This page does not repeat its content, it puts all three tools side by side on the same criteria.
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