Zapier vs n8n
The most-searched automation-platform comparison on the web, and a pairing n8n's own verdict frames directly by naming itself the cheaper trade over time once you are willing to own the infrastructure.
The difference that matters
Zapier is the hosted default: the largest app catalog at 7,000+ integrations, nothing to maintain, and billing by monthly task count. n8n is the self-hostable, open-source-adjacent alternative: the Community Edition is free with unlimited workflows and executions, limited only by your own server, but it demands real setup and maintenance work Zapier abstracts away entirely.
Side by side
| Zapier | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 100 tasks/mo, unlimited Zap workflows/Tables/Forms, two-step Zap workflows, basic AI (Agents/Chatbots/MCP) access | Community Edition: free, self-hosted (Sustainable Use fair-code license, not OSI open source). Unlimited workflows, executions, steps and users, limited only by your own server hardware. |
| Entry paid plan | $29.99/mo | Cloud Starter plan, €24/mo (~€20/mo billed annually), unlocks managed cloud hosting with no self-hosting/maintenance burden. Monthly execution cap is unresolved between sources: n8n's own pricing markup showed 300/mo in one fetch, third-party trackers cite 2,500/mo. |
| Bills in | tasks | Cloud tiers billed by monthly workflow-execution count, not per-seat; self-hosted has no execution cap at all |
Choose Zapier if
You want the largest app catalog and zero infrastructure to think about, and are fine paying per task as usage grows.
Choose n8n if
You want to self-host for cost or data-residency reasons, or the automation is complex enough that owning the infrastructure beats renting it long-term.
Our verdict
Zapier for the widest app catalog with nothing to run yourself. n8n once you are willing to self-host, either for cost control at scale or because the automation is genuinely complex.
What to watch out for
Zapier's entry paid tier is $29.99/mo for unlimited Zap workflows but only 100 tasks/mo on its own free tier; heavy usage can get expensive fast since billing is per-task, not per-workflow. n8n Cloud's execution cap on its cheapest hosted tier is unresolved between n8n's own pricing page (300/mo in one fetch) and third-party trackers (2,500/mo), so treat n8n Cloud's usage room as unsettled pending a fresh check; self-hosted n8n has no such cap.
Compare against the rest
Both of these sit in the full Marketing & SEO directory, which covers 6 tools.
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