n8n vs Zapier — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
n8n starts at $25.92/mo. Zapier starts at $29.99/mo. n8n is $4.069999999999997/mo cheaper on the entry tier than Zapier.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- n8n (Per Usage) — n8n bills purely on usage — Workflow executions/month. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Zapier (Per Usage) — Zapier bills purely on usage — Tasks/month. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Open-source workflow automation positioned as the alternative to Zapier and Make for developers who want self-hosting + code-level control. Distinctive for fair-code license (free for internal use, paid for embedded resale) and its JavaScript node execution. Valued $2.3B private (2025 raise). Free when self-hosted; Cloud plans $20-$50/mo (annual). Popular with technical teams whose Zapier bill grew painful and who want to run automations on their own infrastructure.
The category-defining workflow automation platform ("if X then Y") supporting 7,000+ apps. Distinctive for the sheer breadth of app support — if a SaaS tool exists, Zapier probably connects to it. Priced by task volume rather than user count, which surprises teams running high-volume automations. Free tier includes 100 tasks/month; paid tiers scale to millions. Losing power-user share to Make (Integromat) and n8n (self-hostable open source), but still the default for non-technical users.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | n8n monthly | n8n annual | Zapier monthly | Zapier annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | — / Free | — | — | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Starter / Professional | $25.92 | $21.6 | $29.99 | $19.99 |
| Pro / power | Pro / — | $64.8 | $54 | — | — |
| Teams | Business / Team | $864 | $720 | $103.5 | $69 |
| Enterprise | Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
n8n is worth it if… developers and ops-savvy teams that want visual workflow automation with the option to self-host and write custom JavaScript nodes — particularly if you value data sovereignty or need automations that Zapier/Make can't handle. Starter covers small teams; Pro adds more execution; Business adds RBAC and versioning; self-hosted free forever.
Zapier is worth it if… Zapier is worth it as the default no-code automation platform for anyone (solo entrepreneurs to enterprise) that wants to connect apps without engineering — particularly if you value the widest integration catalog and simplest UX in the category. Free covers basic solo use; Starter, Professional, Team, and Company scale by tasks/mo and team features.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose n8n over Zapier if…
Choose n8n if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $25.92/mo).
- You match the profile n8n is built for: developers and ops-savvy teams that want visual workflow automation with the option to self-host and write custom JavaScript nodes — particularly if you value data sovereignty or need automations that Zapier/Make can't handle.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Zapier if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $29.99/mo).
- You match the profile Zapier is built for: worth it as the default no-code automation platform for anyone (solo entrepreneurs to enterprise) that wants to connect apps without engineering — particularly if you value the widest integration catalog and simplest UX in the category.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | $25.92/mo | $29.99/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Last verified | September 19, 2026 | September 11, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 19, 2026. Tracked daily.