n8n vs Zapier vs Make
Choose Zapier to start fast, Make for cheaper, branching visual workflows, and n8n for high volume. Zapier bills every action step, so its costs rise fastest with volume. Make is cheaper per step. n8n bills per workflow run and can be self-hosted for free, but it asks more of your team.
Run your own numbers.
Your workflows
Add up every time any of your workflows is triggered: each new lead, order, form or message.
Steps after the trigger: add to sheet, send WhatsApp, update CRM and so on.
What you'd use each month
- Zapier tasks5,000
- Make credits6,000
- n8n Cloud executions1,000
Zapier and Make bill every step, n8n bills the whole run. At 5 steps per run, the same work counts 5× more on Zapier than on n8n. Entry plans that don't cover this: Zapier. You'd need a higher tier there, or self-hosted n8n, which has no usage limit.
| Platform | Entry plan |
|---|---|
| Zapier | Professional, $19.99/mo for 750 tasks: too small |
| Make | Core, $9/mo for 10,000 credits: covers you |
| n8n Cloud | Starter, €20/mo for 2,500 executions: covers you |
| n8n self-hosted | Free; you pay for the server. No usage limit |
Plans and billing units: Zapier, Make and n8n pricing as reported in 2026 guides (jetadmin.io, nocode.mba, neomanex.com). Prices change often: check each pricing page before you buy. Make counts most modules as one credit; AI modules can use more.
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Tell us what you'd like to automate. We'll suggest the platform that fits your volume and team, and give you a fixed quote.
Which tool suits whom?
| If you are… | Usually the best fit |
|---|---|
| A small team automating a few simple tasks, with no one technical | Zapier |
| A team building multi-step workflows with branches, on a tight budget | Make |
| A business running thousands of multi-step workflows a month | n8n (cloud or self-hosted) |
| A business that must keep customer data on its own servers | n8n self-hosted |
| A team that needs an app only Zapier connects to | Zapier |
How do the options compare?
| Compared on | Zapier | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| How usage is billed | Per task: every action step that runs (triggers are free) | Per credit: every module that runs, the trigger included | Per execution: one per workflow run, however many steps |
| Free plan | Yes, 100 tasks a month | Yes, 1,000 credits a month | No free cloud plan; self-hosting the community edition is free |
| Entry paid plan (billed yearly) | Professional, $19.99 a month for 750 tasks ($29.99 billed monthly) | Core, $9 a month for 10,000 credits | Starter, €20 a month for 2,500 executions (€24 billed monthly) |
| Next plan up | Team, $69 a month for 2,000 tasks and up to 25 users | Pro, $16 a month for 10,000 credits plus priority execution | Pro, €50 a month for 10,000 executions |
| Self-hosting | No | No | Yes, free; you pay for the server and upkeep |
| Ease of use | Easiest | Visual canvas, moderate learning curve | Most technical; code steps when you need them |
| Best at | Quick, simple automations across thousands of apps | Complex visual workflows at a low price per step | High volume, custom logic, AI agents and data control |
- Zapier0tasks · +3 a run
- Make0credits · +4 a run
- n8n0executions · +1 a run
When does each option win?
When Zapier wins
- You want something working today without anyone technical on the team.
- You need an app that only Zapier connects to.
- Your volume is low: a few hundred actions a month.
- Watch out for: every action step is a task, so a 5-step workflow costs five times a 1-step one.
When Make wins
- Your workflows branch, loop or transform data, and you like building visually.
- You want many more steps per rupee than Zapier at the entry level.
- Someone on the team can spend an afternoon learning the canvas.
- Watch out for: the trigger module also uses credits, and polling triggers can use them even when nothing new arrives.
When n8n wins
- You run thousands of multi-step workflows a month: you pay per run, not per step.
- Customer data must stay on your own server, or you want no usage limit at all.
- You need custom code, AI agents or logic the no-code tools make awkward.
- Watch out for: self-hosting means someone owns updates, backups and uptime.
What do the tools and the set-up cost?
Tool subscriptions are paid to the vendor; set-up is a one-off build. Use the calculator above to see which plan your volume needs.
| Compared on | Tool subscription | Set-up by an Indian agency |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier | From $19.99 a month (750 tasks), billed yearly | ₹25,000–₹60,000 for basic set-ups with 3–5 connected apps |
| Make | From $9 a month (10,000 credits), billed yearly | ₹25,000–₹60,000 for basic set-ups with 3–5 connected apps |
| n8n | From €20 a month (2,500 executions) on cloud, or free self-hosted plus a server | ₹25,000–₹60,000 basic; ₹80,000–₹2,50,000 for complex custom builds |
Which should you choose?
| Your situation | What we'd recommend |
|---|---|
| You want new website leads sent to a Google Sheet and WhatsApp | Zapier or Make on a free or entry plan. Low volume, few steps: don't over-engineer it. |
| You process every Shopify order through 6–10 steps (CRM, invoice, shipping, WhatsApp) | n8n, or Make if your team prefers a visual tool. Per-step billing on Zapier grows quickly with orders. |
| You're adding AI to customer support or lead qualification | n8n, for its AI agent nodes and code steps, self-hosted if conversations must stay on your server. |
| You have no developer and want to start this week | Zapier, then move busy workflows to Make or n8n once costs or limits bite. |
| You're not sure what to automate first | Start with a process audit: list the repetitive tasks, how often they happen and what they cost in time. That decides the tool. |
Where does pSkyro Labs fit, and when are we not the right choice?
pSkyro Labs builds lead, invoice, report and follow-up automations and internal tools on n8n, Make and Zapier, so we earn the same whichever tool you choose. We pick by volume, team skills and where the data must live.
We are probably not the right fit if:
- You need one simple, low-volume automation and are happy to build it yourself in Zapier's free plan.
- You haven't yet written down which process to automate. Do that first; it decides the tool.
Questions people ask.
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
At volume, usually. Zapier bills every action step as a task, while n8n bills one execution per workflow run, however many steps it has. A 5-step workflow that runs 1,000 times a month is 5,000 Zapier tasks but 1,000 n8n executions. Self-hosted n8n has no usage charge at all, only the server.
Is Make better than Zapier?
Make is cheaper per step and better for branching, visual workflows: its Core plan includes 10,000 credits for $9 a month billed yearly, against 750 tasks for $19.99 on Zapier Professional. Zapier is easier to learn and connects more apps.
Is n8n free?
The self-hosted community edition is free to use; you pay for the server and someone to maintain it. n8n Cloud starts at €20 a month billed yearly for 2,500 executions.
What is a task, a credit and an execution?
Zapier counts a task each time an action step runs. Make counts a credit for each module that runs, including the trigger. n8n counts an execution each time a whole workflow runs.
Can I move from Zapier to n8n or Make later?
Yes, but workflows are rebuilt, not imported. Start by moving the busiest workflows, where the savings are biggest, and keep simple ones where they are if they're cheap.
Which tool is best for WhatsApp automation in India?
All three can connect to the WhatsApp Business Platform through an approved provider. n8n and Make handle high message volumes more cheaply; Zapier is quickest for low volume.
Which tool does pSkyro Labs use?
All three, depending on the job. For most growing businesses with real volume we recommend n8n or Make; for a quick, low-volume automation, Zapier is fine. We'll tell you which fits on a free call.
Not sure which option fits?
Book a free 30-minute strategy call. We'll look at where your brand is and tell you honestly which model makes sense.