n8n vs Zapier vs Make for Small Business

How we compared them

We compared published pricing and features. We did not test the products, and we make no claim about how any of them performs in use. Every figure was read on the vendor's own pricing page in November 2026, in the currency and billing basis the page showed. Plans change, so confirm before you buy.

What does each one cost, and what does it count?

The three platforms bill for different things, which is the whole story of this comparison.

Three scenarios with the arithmetic

These scenarios are illustrative, and the workflows are invented. Each shows the usage on each platform and the cheapest published plan that fits. Currencies are not converted.

Scenario A: 100 runs a month, three actions each. A form submission creates a CRM contact, sends an email and posts to team chat.

• Zapier: 100 x 3 = 300 tasks. The Free plan allows two-step workflows only, so you need Professional at USD 19.99.
• Make: 4 modules, 100 x 4 = 400 credits. Fits the Free plan at USD 0.
• n8n: 100 executions. Starter at EUR 20, or self-host for free.
• Cheapest published option: Make Free.

Scenario B: 300 runs a month, six steps each. An accepted quote creates a job, an invoice, a confirmation, a chat post and a reporting row.

• Zapier: 300 x 5 = 1,500 tasks, the 1,500-task tier at USD 39.00 billed annually.
• Make: 300 x 6 = 1,800 credits, inside the 10,000-credit Core plan at USD 9.
• n8n: 300 executions, Starter at EUR 20.
• Cheapest published option: Make Core.

Scenario C: 3,000 runs a month, eight steps each. A busy shop sending order updates through several systems.

• Zapier: 3,000 x 7 = 21,000 tasks, well above the entry tiers. The page lists higher tiers, so check the slider for the price.
• Make: 3,000 x 8 = 24,000 credits, above the 10,000-credit tier we saw priced.
• n8n: 3,000 executions, above Starter's 2,500, so Pro at EUR 50.
• The only price we can state with confidence for this volume is n8n's. The others need a live quote from the slider.

The pattern: Zapier's per-step counting makes long workflows expensive. Make is cheap for moderate use. n8n's per-run counting favours long workflows at volume, which is where it pulls ahead.

Which should you choose? Decision rules

Pick on who will build and maintain the workflows, then check the cost.

• Choose Zapier if a non-technical person will build the workflows, they are short, and you value an easy start over a lower bill.
• Choose Make if your workflows have branches and several steps, you are comfortable with a visual canvas, and your volume is moderate.
• Choose n8n if workflows are long, volume is high, you want to self-host or you have someone technical who will look after it.
• Choose none of them yet if you have not written down the process. A platform will not fix an unclear process, and our workflow automation guide shows how to draw one first.

These are our rules of thumb from the published material. We have not benchmarked ease of use.

What does self-hosting n8n really involve?

Self-hosting gives you control and costs you responsibility. n8n's documentation says the Community edition is free and offers almost the complete feature set, with a Registered Community option that adds extra features for free when you register an email. Business and Enterprise are paid and need a licence key. n8n's pricing page says the key must contact its licence server daily and the check includes production execution counts, and that telemetry is collected by default on self-hosted instances and can be turned off.

You then own the server: updates, backups, security and uptime. If it goes down at 6pm on Friday, there is no support ticket. The pricing page did not name the licence of the Community edition, so read n8n's licence documentation before using it for anything beyond your own business. For a business with no technical person, Cloud is usually the safer choice.

Data protection and the three platforms

Whichever you choose, customer data flows through it. This is general information, not legal advice.

• You need a processor contract. GDPR Article 28 requires a binding contract with any processor that handles personal data for you, covering instructions, confidentiality, security, sub-processors and deletion or return of data. Ask each vendor for its data processing agreement.
• Ask where data is processed and kept. We did not verify this for any of the three, so ask.
• Self-hosting changes who is responsible, but not whether you are. You become responsible for security and for processing records.
• Limit what passes through. Send only the fields a workflow needs.

What does it cost to switch later?

Switching means rebuilding the workflows, because each platform stores them in its own format. That cost is small for five workflows and large for fifty. Keep a one-page description of each workflow, with its trigger, steps and accounts, so a rebuild is a matter of hours and not archaeology. Keep the accounts in your own name.

Which fits which small business?

If you are weighing whether to build yourself or hire help, read when do you need an AI automation consultant. For wider tool choices, see best AI tools for small business, and for build help, our AI automation service.