Should I use Zapier, Make or n8n for my business?
Zapier if you want the fastest start and the most ready-made app connections, and your volumes are modest. Make if you want a visual builder with branches and loops at a lower cost per step. n8n if you have someone technical, need custom API calls, or want to self-host so the data stays on your servers. The biggest difference is how each one counts usage.
Updated 8 November 2026.
This page answers
- Should I use Zapier, Make, or n8n for my business?
- What's the cheapest no-code automation platform for a small business?
- Can I self-host my business automation workflows?
- How can I automate my business without knowing how to code?
- How do I connect different apps without writing code?
How each one bills
Prices from each vendor's own page, checked on 8 November 2026. They change; check the vendor before deciding.
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit you pay for | Tasks: each successful action step counts as one task | Credits: operations count what scenarios do, credits are what you pay for them | Workflow executions: one run, however many steps |
| Free option | Free plan with 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps | See make.com/en/pricing | Self-hosted under the Sustainable Use License, free for your own internal business purposes |
| Entry paid plan | Professional from $19.99 a month: multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks | See make.com/en/pricing | Starter 20€ a month billed annually: 2,500 executions; Pro 50€: 10,000 executions |
| Self-hosting | No | No | Yes |
What the billing unit means in practice
A workflow with one trigger and eight steps that runs 1,000 times a month: on Zapier that is up to 8,000 tasks, because each successful action counts. On n8n it is 1,000 executions, because a run is counted once whatever its length. On Make it is the operations those eight modules perform, converted to credits.
So long workflows with many steps get relatively cheaper on n8n, and short two-step workflows are cheapest to set up on Zapier.
Which fits which business
| Situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No technical staff, common apps (Gmail, Sheets, HubSpot, Shopify) | Zapier | Most ready-made connections, easiest builder |
| Workflows with branches, loops and data shaping, modest budget | Make | Visual builder that shows the whole flow |
| Long workflows, high volume | n8n | Billed per run, not per step |
| Customer or patient data must stay on your servers | n8n self-hosted | Runs on your own hardware |
| Custom APIs, code steps, AI agents with tools | n8n | Code nodes and agent nodes are first-class |
| Company already on Microsoft 365 | Consider Power Automate | Included connectors and approvals in the Microsoft stack |
When none of them is enough
These tools move data between apps by fixed rules. When the input is messy (free-text emails, scanned documents, voice notes) or the job needs judgment across several systems, you need an AI agent: a language model with a fixed set of actions and approval rules.
We do not build on Zapier, Make or n8n. We write each agent in code, connected straight to your systems' APIs, inboxes and databases. There is no per-task or per-execution fee, every action and approval rule is under your control, and the agent can run on your own servers. Workflows you already run in these tools can stay as they are beside it.
Sources
Vendor facts on this page come from these pages, checked on 8 November 2026.
Questions
Which is cheapest?
For a few short workflows, Zapier's free plan or n8n Starter. For long, high-volume workflows, n8n, and self-hosted n8n costs only the server. Count your steps and runs per month and price them on each vendor's page.
Can I move from Zapier to n8n later?
Yes, but workflows do not import; they are rebuilt. Keep a short written description of each workflow so the rebuild is quick.
Is self-hosted n8n free for a business?
n8n's Sustainable Use License lets you use it for your own internal business purposes. Offering it to others as a paid service is not covered; read the license for the details.
Do I need to code?
Not for Zapier or Make, and not for most n8n workflows. Code helps in n8n for custom APIs and data shaping.
Agents for these jobs
- AI agents for small business owners
- AI agent for office and back-office automation
- AI agent for data entry
- AI agent for lead capture and follow-up
- AI agent for Excel and spreadsheets
More automation questions
- What business tasks should you automate first?
- How do I find the repetitive tasks worth automating?
- How do I make automations and AI agents ask for human approval?
- Why build an AI agent in code instead of Zapier, Make or n8n?
- How do I calculate the ROI of automating a task?
- How do I automate my business step by step? A six-month roadmap
- How do I build an AI agent that runs part of my business?
- How do I give an AI agent access to my CRM, email and databases?
- Can multiple AI agents work together to run my company?
- How do I automate with AI agents without compromising security?
- How do I make sure my automations and AI agents actually work?
- How do I connect all my business apps together?
- Can I automate my entire business, and where do I start?
- How do I hire someone to build an AI agent for my business?
- Can an AI agent run on our own servers so our data never leaves the company?
- What does an AI agent development project look like, step by step?
- How much does it cost to build a custom AI agent?
Want an agent built for this?
We build AI agents in code, connected directly to your systems, with no per-task fees. Write a few lines about the work you want to automate and the systems you use; we reply to set up an online intro call.
Request sent
We will contact you to set up an intro call.