n8n vs Zapier Comparison 2026
n8n is workflow automation you can self-host for free under its own licence, with cloud plans starting at $20 a month billed annually and billed by whole workflow executions rather than by step. Zapier connects one app's event to another app's action from a hosted dashboard, free for 100 tasks a month, then $19.99 a month billed annually for Professional, billed by each individual action. The two land at nearly the same annual price at the entry tier. What differs is the metering and whether you want the option to run it yourself.
At a glance
- n8n starts cheaper, at $20.
- Only Zapier has a free tier.
Side by side
n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $20 | From $29.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Yes |
n8n
Automation you can host on your own server
n8n is a workflow automation tool whose source is public and which you may run on your own machine, which matters when the data passing through is a subscriber list or a client's files. Nodes cover the usual services and a code node covers everything else, so a workflow does not stop dead at the first thing nobody built an integration for. Cloud plans are billed by workflow executions rather than by task, so a long chain costs the same as a short one. Self-hosting is free under its own licence.
Zapier
Wire the tools together without writing code
Zapier connects one app's event to another app's action, which is how most creator plumbing gets built: a new YouTube upload posts itself to Discord, a form submission opens a task, a purchase adds someone to a list. It matters most when the tools you already pay for do not talk to each other and the alternative is doing it by hand every week. Pricing counts tasks rather than seats, so cost follows how much actually runs.
Our note
Count the tasks a workflow will actually consume before picking a tier, because a busy trigger can burn a month's allowance in a week. Start on the free plan and let the first thing you hit tell you which limit matters.
Why people weigh these two
- Zapier instead of n8n
- Zapier has the longest app list and needs no server at all, from $30 with a free tier.
- n8n instead of Zapier
- n8n runs on your own server at $20, for automations you would rather keep in house.
Which one should you pick
Choose n8n if you want the option to self-host for free, or if your workflows are long: execution-based billing means a forty-step workflow costs the same as a four-step one, which Zapier's per-task pricing cannot say. Cloud Starter is $20 a month billed annually, almost identical to Zapier Professional's annualized rate, but there is no free cloud tier here, only a trial and the free self-hosted community edition for anybody comfortable running their own server.
Choose Zapier if you want a hosted tool running in minutes with no server to think about, and workflows short enough that per-task billing stays cheap. The free plan covers 100 tasks a month including tables and forms, enough to test whether a chore is worth automating before paying anything. Professional is $19.99 a month billed annually, matching n8n's price almost exactly, so the real decision is the metering model and whether self-hosting is worth the setup.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, n8n or Zapier?
- At the entry paid tier they land at almost the same price: n8n's Cloud Starter is $20 a month billed annually, and Zapier Professional is $19.99 a month billed annually. Self-hosting n8n is free under its own licence, which Zapier has no equivalent for, and that is the bigger cost lever than either sticker price.
- What is the actual difference between billing by execution and billing by task?
- n8n counts one whole workflow run as one execution, so a workflow with forty steps costs the same as one with four. Zapier counts every individual action as a task, so a long workflow burns through its 100 free tasks, or its paid allowance, much faster than a short one doing the same job.
- Does Zapier have a self-hosted option like n8n?
- No. Zapier runs only as a hosted service. n8n can run on your own machine for free under its own licence, the route most technically confident users take instead of paying for the cloud plan.
- Is there a free plan for either?
- Zapier has one: 100 tasks a month with workflows, tables and forms included. n8n's cloud product has no free tier, only a trial of unstated length, though the self-hosted community edition costs nothing to run.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.