Zapier vs n8n
Zapier vs n8n compared on app coverage, hosting, licensing, and cost model, so you can pick the automation platform that matches the way your team works.
Last updated: September 10, 2026
Tool Overview
Zapier
The largest hosted app ecosystem, built for teams who never want to touch a server
Pros
- •Largest app catalogue of the three, with 9,000+ apps
- •Fastest path from idea to a running automation
- •Fully managed, so there is no server to patch or monitor
- •Deep template library and first-party documentation
- •Zapier Agents adds an AI layer over the same app connections
- •Support and uptime commitments that procurement teams accept
Cons
- •Task-based billing climbs quickly as volume grows
- •Branching and data reshaping are shallower than Make or n8n
- •Cloud only, so every run passes through Zapier infrastructure
- •Custom code is a bolt-on step rather than a first-class node
- •Premium apps are gated behind paid plans
Best For
- •Non-technical teams
- •Businesses that need the widest app catalogue
- •Teams with no appetite for infrastructure work
- •Getting a first automation live the same day
n8n
Fair-code, source available, self-hostable automation with real code nodes
Pros
- •Fair-code and source available, so you can read and change it
- •Self-host it and execution volume is bounded by your server, not a plan
- •JavaScript and Python nodes sit alongside the visual canvas
- •Data stays inside infrastructure you control
- •Built-in AI agent and LangChain tooling
- •Cloud plans bill per workflow execution rather than per step
Cons
- •Self-hosting means you own upgrades, backups, and monitoring
- •Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- •The Sustainable Use License restricts reselling n8n as a service
- •Smaller app catalogue than Zapier
- •Governance features such as SSO sit behind paid editions
Best For
- •Developers and technical teams
- •Organisations with data residency requirements
- •High-volume automation on hardware you already pay for
- •Workflows that need custom code in the middle
Feature Comparison
Pricing Comparison
Zapier Pricing
Free
Free tier, capped tasks per month- 100 tasks per month
- Unlimited Zap workflows, Tables, and Forms
- Two-step Zap workflows
- Zapier Copilot
Professional
Paid, billed per task- Multi-step Zap workflows
- Unlimited premium apps
- Webhooks
- AI fields
- Email and live chat support
Team
Paid, billed per task with seats included- Shared Zap workflows and folders
- Shared app connections
- SAML SSO
- Priority support
Enterprise
Custom, quoted by Zapier- Unlimited users
- Advanced admin permissions and app controls
- Annual task limits
- Observability
- Priority support with screen sharing
n8n Pricing
Community, self-hosted
Free, you pay for the server- Almost the complete feature set
- Unlimited workflows and users on your own hardware
- Community forum support
Cloud Starter
Paid, billed per workflow execution- Workflow executions with unlimited steps
- 1 shared project
- Unlimited users
- Forum support
Cloud Pro
Paid, billed per workflow execution- Higher execution allowance than Starter
- 3 shared projects
- Admin roles
- Workflow history and execution search
Business
Paid, licence key on top of self-hosting- SSO, SAML and LDAP
- Separate environments
- Version control using Git
- Scaling options
Expert Verdict
These two win on opposite axes. Zapier owns the app catalogue, roughly six times the size of n8n, and asks nothing of you operationally. n8n owns control: the source is readable, the server is yours, and code sits inside the workflow instead of beside it. Neither is a strict upgrade on the other, and the honest tiebreaker is whether anyone on your team wants to run a server.
Choose Zapier
Choose Zapier if your team is non-technical, you want zero operations work, you need an app connection only Zapier offers, or you want an automation running this afternoon.
Choose n8n
Choose n8n if you want to self-host, you need real code inside a workflow, your data cannot leave your own infrastructure, or your volume makes per-task billing painful.
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