Automation Platform Picker

Each answer scores the four options from 0 to 100 on one dimension (budget, skills, integrations, complexity, team, support, growth, timeline, code comfort and cost at your volume). The overall score is the plain average of the ten. The scores are our judgement, so read the profiles and the checklist before you decide.

From Zapier’s, Make’s and n8n’s pricing pages, checked 5 Oct 2026. We price the middle of your volume answer at four steps per run, billed yearly, on the cheapest plan that fits. For your exact workload, use the n8n vs Zapier vs Make cost calculator.

They count usage differently. Zapier bills a task for every action step, Make bills a credit for every module run including the trigger, and n8n Cloud bills one execution per run however many steps it has. The more steps a workflow has, the bigger the gap.

Yes. Many teams run simple workflows on one platform and complex or high-volume ones on another. It adds a second bill and a second place to look when something breaks, so do it on purpose.

When no platform handles the logic well, the volume makes per-step pricing expensive, or you need to own the code. The custom build figure here is our planning estimate spread over two years; get a quote for your case.

None of the three publishes an uptime promise on its pricing page, so we do not show one. If you need contract terms on uptime and support, ask about their enterprise plans.