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n8n vs Zapier

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors.

The short answer

Free plan
Both have one
Public API
Both have one
Higher Trust score
Zapier — 92 vs 75 for n8n
Best fit
n8n: Technical teams that want to self-host automation with Docker, on-prem or air-gapped · Zapier: Ops and marketing teams wiring SaaS tools together without engineering time
Platforms
n8n: Web, Linux · Zapier: Web, Chrome extension, Slack app

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

n8nWorkflow automation with AI-agent nodes that runs on n8n's cloud or self-hosted from GitHubZapierConnects thousands of apps and runs agent steps

Side by side

Factn8nZapier
CategoryWorkflow Automation PlatformsWorkflow Automation Platforms
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at—$19.99/mo
Public APIYesYes
Trust score75 / 10092 / 100
PlatformsWeb, Linux, APIWeb, API, Chrome extension, Slack app
Companyn8n GmbHZapier Inc
Launched—2011
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

n8n

The automation tool to pick when you want agents and integrations on one canvas and the option to run it on your own hardware; self-hosting from GitHub is the escape hatch Zapier and Make do not offer. Cloud pricing is per execution rather than per task, which rewards long workflows, but the monthly figures hide behind a toggle and the Business tier is a self-hosted licence at a very different price point.

Pros

  • Self-hosted Community Edition on GitHub under a fair-code licence, with 207k stars
  • Agent, model, MCP and RAG nodes alongside 500+ app integrations
  • JavaScript or Python at any step, with a canvas that traces agent reasoning
  • Execution-based cloud billing with unlimited steps per execution
  • Public REST API on all self-hosted editions and on cloud Starter and above

Cons

  • Cloud prices were shown only in euros and only as annual-billing figures
  • Business tier (€667 a month) is self-hosted only, with cloud availability on a waitlist
  • Fair-code licence is not OSI open source, which matters for some corporate policies
  • Forum-only support below Enterprise

Zapier

Zapier is still the default when the job is 'connect these two SaaS tools and stop thinking about it': the app catalogue is the moat, and Copilot cuts setup time further for people who would never write a webhook. The cost model punishes volume — tasks are counted per step, overage on monthly plans is 2.5× — so once an automation runs thousands of times a day, Make or self-hosted n8n gets cheaper fast, and the AI Agents are a separately billed add-on rather than part of the plan.

Pros

  • More than 9,000 app integrations, the widest catalogue in the category
  • Copilot builds a multi-step Zap from a description, so setup needs no documentation reading
  • Free plan runs real two-step automations, not a time-limited trial
  • Published prices for every tier short of Enterprise, including the overage multipliers

Cons

  • Tasks are counted per step, so a five-step Zap burns five tasks per run
  • Overage costs 2.5× the base rate on monthly plans
  • Agents and Chatbots are add-ons with their own bills
  • Multi-step Zaps need a paid plan

Which one fits

Choose n8n if you need

  • Technical teams that want to self-host automation with Docker, on-prem or air-gapped
  • Builders combining LLM agents, MCP tools and RAG with ordinary app integrations
  • Workflows with many steps, since billing counts executions rather than individual operations

Choose Zapier if you need

  • Ops and marketing teams wiring SaaS tools together without engineering time
  • Low-volume automations where the app catalogue matters more than cost per run
  • Teams that want AI steps and agents inside workflows they already run

n8n vs Zapier: the questions people ask

Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?

Zapier starts at $19.99/mo. n8n has a free tier; what its paid plans cost is not confirmed by us yet.

Does n8n or Zapier have a free tier?

Both: n8n has a free tier, and Zapier has a free tier.

Which has a public API, n8n or Zapier?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.

More comparisons

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