Zapier vs Make vs n8n is really a question about what you pay for. Zapier bills per task, Make bills per credit, and n8n bills per whole workflow run, so the same workflow can cost ten times more on one tool than on another. Once you see the billing unit, the right pick for a small business gets much easier.
Zapier vs Make vs n8n small business: the billing unit is the whole story
Zapier counts tasks: one task for each action step that runs, while the trigger is free. n8n counts executions: one execution for a whole workflow run, no matter how many steps it has.
Prices below are the published entry prices as checked in October and early November 2026. Zapier Professional is $19.99 a month on annual billing, or $29.99 billed monthly, for 750 tasks. Make Core is $9 a month on annual billing, or $10.59 billed monthly, for 10,000 credits. n8n Cloud Starter is 20 euros a month on annual billing, or 24 euros billed monthly, for 2,500 executions, and n8n self-hosted Community Edition is free. Check the current plan on zapier.com, make.com and n8n.io before you buy. One caution on Make: some US displays in late October 2026 showed Core at $12 a month on annual billing rather than $9, so confirm the number on the live page.
| Tool | Billing unit | Entry paid plan | Included usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Task, one action step | Pro $19.99 a month, annual | 750 tasks |
| Make | Credit, one module action | Core $9 a month, annual | 10,000 credits |
| n8n | Execution, one full run | Starter 20 euros a month, annual | 2,500 executions |
The maths: one workflow, three bills
Take a normal small business workflow: a new lead comes in, the CRM is updated, the rep gets an email, a Slack message goes out, and a row is logged in a sheet. That is a trigger plus five action steps. Run it 2,000 times a month and here is what happens. On Zapier it is 10,000 tasks, which costs $129 a month on annual billing or $193.50 billed monthly. On Make it is about 10,000 credits, which fits Core at $9 a month on annual billing. On n8n it is 2,000 executions, which fits Starter at 20 euros a month on annual billing, or costs nothing in licence fees self-hosted.
A one-step workflow run 750 times a month costs $19.99 on Zapier Pro, fits inside Make free tier of 1,000 credits, and fits inside n8n Starter at 20 euros.
Zapier: the most apps, the highest bill
Zapier lists over 9,000 apps, far more than either rival, and it is the easiest of the three to learn. Professional starts at $19.99 a month on annual billing for 750 tasks, then climbs to $49 for 2,000 tasks, $129 for 10,000 and $489 for 100,000. The Team plan starts at $69 a month for 2,000 tasks and 25 users.
The price is the problem, not the product. At about 4 cents a task on monthly billing, a workflow with five steps costs 20 cents every time it runs. A thousand runs a month is $200 before you add anything else. Pick Zapier if you need an app nobody else connects to, or if your team needs the simplest editor and you can keep your workflows short.
Make: the middle ground, and the best value for most
Make lists over 3,500 apps, fewer than Zapier but covering the tools most small businesses actually use. Its editor is visual: you draw the workflow as a diagram, add routers and filters, and see the data move through it.
Make Core costs $9 a month on annual billing, or $10.59 billed monthly, for 10,000 credits, then $16 for 20,000, $29 for 40,000, $55 for 80,000 and $99 for 150,000. Pro starts at $16 and Teams at $29 for the same starting bucket of 10,000 credits. Make is the right pick for most small businesses: close to Zapier on ease of use, far cheaper per step, and its visual builder handles real business logic without hitting a wall.
n8n: the cheapest at scale, and the most work to run
Its cloud Starter plan costs 20 euros a month on annual billing, or 24 euros billed monthly, for 2,500 executions, Pro is 50 euros for 10,000 executions, and every plan includes unlimited users and workflows. But its real trick is the self-hosted Community Edition, which is free: you run n8n on your own server and pay nothing in licence fees, only the server cost.
The trade is that you do the work Zapier and Make do for you. Self-hosting means updates, backups, security and uptime are your job, and a server that goes down at 2 a.m. stops every workflow until you fix it. Pick n8n Cloud if you want cheap long workflows without running a server. Pick self-hosted n8n if you have the skills to run it and want the lowest bill. Skip both if nobody on your team wants to own a server.
Which one should you pick in 60 seconds
If your workflows have real logic and you want the best value, take Make. Its Core plan at $9 a month covers 10,000 credits, enough for most shops for a year or more.
If your workflows are long, your volume is high, and someone on your team can run a server, take n8n. Start with the cloud Starter plan at 20 euros a month, and only move to self-hosting once you are sure the workflows are stable and worth owning. For ideas on what to automate first, read how to automate a small business with AI in 2026 and AI tools for small businesses to automate admin work.
Zapier vs Make vs n8n small business: the bottom line
Zapier vs Make vs n8n for a small business comes down to the billing unit. Zapier charges per task and starts at $19.99 a month for 750 tasks, Make charges per credit and starts at $9 a month for 10,000 credits, and n8n charges per execution and starts at 20 euros a month for 2,500 runs, with a free self-hosted option. A five-step workflow run 2,000 times a month costs $129 on Zapier, $9 on Make and 20 euros on n8n, so count your steps before you pick.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest, Zapier, Make or n8n?
It depends on how many steps your workflows have. For a five-step workflow run 2,000 times a month, Make Core at $9 a month is the cheapest paid plan, n8n Starter at 20 euros is close behind, and Zapier Professional costs $129 a month on annual billing. For very short workflows the gap is smaller, and n8n self-hosted is free in licence fees, though you still pay for the server.
How does Zapier pricing work?
Zapier bills per task, and one task is one action step that runs, while the trigger is free. The Professional plan starts at $19.99 a month on annual billing, or $29.99 billed monthly, for 750 tasks, then rises to $49 for 2,000 tasks and $129 for 10,000. Filters, formatters and delays do not count as tasks, but every action step does, so long workflows get dear fast.
How does Make pricing work?
Make bills per credit, and one credit is usually one module action, including reads and searches, while routers are free. The Core plan costs $9 a month on annual billing, or $10.59 billed monthly, for 10,000 credits, and the free plan gives 1,000 credits a month. Some US displays in late October 2026 showed Core at $12 a month, so check the live page before you buy.
Is n8n really free?
The self-hosted Community Edition is free, with no licence fee, and you only pay for the server you run it on. The cloud plans are paid: Starter is 20 euros a month on annual billing for 2,500 executions, and Pro is 50 euros for 10,000. Self-hosting is free in money but not in time, because updates, backups and uptime become your job.
Should a small business start with Zapier or Make?
Most small businesses should start with Make, because its Core plan at $9 a month covers 10,000 credits, its visual builder handles real logic, and its free plan gives 1,000 credits to test with. Start with Zapier only if you need an app that Make does not connect to, or your team needs the simplest editor and your workflows stay short.