n8n vs Zapier vs Make Cost Calculator
What the same workload costs each month on Zapier, Make and n8n, priced on every published tier, not only the entry plans. Prices checked on 5 Oct 2026.
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- Prices checked 5 Oct 2026
n8n vs Zapier vs Make Cost Calculator
Your workload
Results update as you type.
One run is one trigger firing.
Steps that do work, not counting the trigger. Zapier charges per action, Make per module including the trigger, n8n per run.
Monthly cost by platform
Prices checked 5 Oct 2026, in USD.
6,000 Zapier tasks, 7,500 Make credits and 1,500 n8n executions a month.
| Platform | Plan and tier | Usage | USD per month | How it is priced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Professional · 5,000 tasks | 6,000 tasks | $111.30 | 1,000 extra tasks at $0.0223 each |
| MakeLowest | Core · 10,000 credits | 7,500 credits | $9.00 | within the plan |
| n8n Cloud | Starter · 2,500 executions | 1,500 executions | $20.00 | one execution per run, steps do not count |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
- Zapier$111.30Professional · 5,000 tasks · 6,000 tasks1,000 extra tasks at $0.0223 each
- MakeLowest$9.00Core · 10,000 credits · 7,500 creditswithin the plan
- n8n Cloud$20.00Starter · 2,500 executions · 1,500 executionsone execution per run, steps do not count
- Zapier
- Make
- n8n Cloud
Runs per month along the bottom. n8n Cloud stops at 50,000 executions on Pro; above that, Business is self-hosted from $800 a month billed yearly.
The formulas
- Zapier tasks
- = runs x actions (cheapest tier, with pay-per-task up to 3x the plan)
- Make credits
- = runs x (actions + 1) (cheapest Core tier, with extra credits at +25%)
- n8n executions
- = runs (smallest Cloud tier that covers them)
- Self-hosted
- = server + admin hours x hourly cost
Where the numbers come from
- Zapier pricing page checked 5 Oct 2026, USD
- A task is one successful action. Triggers, Filter, Paths, Formatter, Tables and Forms are free. AI steps cost 1, 3 or 5 tasks.
- Pay-per-task is on by default and capped at 3x the plan’s tasks. The rate per extra task comes from the pricing page data, about 1.25x the plan rate.
- The free plan allows two-step Zaps only (one trigger, one action).
- Make pricing page checked 5 Oct 2026, USD
- A credit is one module run per item, and a trigger uses one credit per check. Routers and error handlers are free.
- Extra credits cost the plan’s rate +25%, up to the plan’s credit amount again. Core stops at 300,000 credits.
- Monthly billing: Core $10.59, Pro $18.82, Teams $34.12 for 10,000 credits. Billed annually: $9, $16, $29 a month.
- n8n pricing page checked 5 Oct 2026
- An execution is one production run of a whole workflow. Manual runs and sub-workflows do not count.
- Starter and Pro cost the same number in USD, EUR and GBP, so no exchange rate is needed.
- Business is self-hosted only: $960 a month, or $800 a month billed yearly, for 40,000 executions.
- Community edition is free under the Sustainable Use License for internal use.
Want the workflow built and run for you, on whichever platform wins? AI agents and automation
What drives the number
The three platforms count usage in different units. These three things decide which one is cheapest.
Steps per run
Zapier and Make charge per step, n8n per run. The more steps a workflow has, the more n8n’s pricing helps.
Volume tier
Each platform sells usage in tiers. A volume just above a tier can cost more than the next tier up, so we price every tier and pick the cheapest.
Who runs it
Self-hosting n8n removes the subscription but adds a server and admin time. It only wins when that time is cheap or already spent.
Questions
Platform cost questions
Why do Zapier and Make cost more for long workflows?
Zapier bills each action step as a task and Make bills each module run as a credit, so a ten-step workflow uses ten times the units of a one-step one. n8n bills one execution per run, whatever the number of steps.
How current are the prices?
We checked the Zapier, Make and n8n pricing pages on 5 Oct 2026 and priced every published tier, not only the entry plans. Vendors change prices often, so check the pricing page before you commit.
Why is a platform shown as needing a quote?
Your volume is above the largest published tier we price: above 3x Zapier’s largest plan, above what Make Core covers with extra credits, or above 50,000 n8n Cloud executions. Those need a sales quote or a higher plan.
Does the billing toggle apply to all three platforms?
Yes. Each platform prices annual and monthly billing differently, so the toggle switches every row and the chart. Annual prices are shown as the monthly equivalent.
Is self-hosted n8n really free?
The Community edition licence is free for internal use. You still pay for a server and for someone to update, back up and monitor it, which is why the self-hosted row adds your admin hours.
Related tools
From price to working workflow
We build automations on n8n, Zapier or Make
Bring the workload you just priced. We will tell you which platform fits it and what it takes to build and run.