Automation Planning · Free Tool
n8n vs Zapier vs Make Cost Calculator
Compare the monthly cost of running the same workflows on Zapier, Make, n8n Cloud, and self-hosted n8n, using each platform's own way of counting usage.
| Platform | Billed usage / month | Plan | Cost / month |
|---|
Pricing assumptions (checked October 2026, editable)
Zapier uses its published Professional task tiers (750 to 100K tasks). Make is estimated by 10K-credit blocks on the Core plan, with each scheduled check that finds nothing still using a credit. n8n Cloud shows the annual-billing price, the only one n8n publishes. Self-hosted n8n is the free Community edition plus your server.
About this tool
The three big automation platforms bill for different things. Zapier counts a task for every successful action step (triggers and built-in tools like Filter and Formatter are free). Make counts a credit for nearly every module that runs, including the trigger. n8n counts one execution per full workflow run, however many steps it has. The same workflow can therefore cost very different amounts as it grows.
Enter how many times your workflows run each month and how many steps they have, and the calculator converts that into each platform's billing unit, picks the smallest plan that covers it, and shows monthly and annual cost side by side. Plan prices were checked against the vendors' pricing pages in October 2026 and are editable, because they change.
Common uses
- Check whether a growing Zapier bill would be cheaper on n8n or Make
- Pick a platform for a new automation project based on expected volume
- Estimate savings before migrating workflows from Zapier to n8n
Frequently asked questions
Why is n8n so much cheaper at high volume?
n8n bills per workflow execution, not per step, so a 10-step workflow costs the same as a 1-step one. Self-hosted n8n (the free Community edition) has no execution limit at all; you pay only for the server, typically a small VPS.
Is self-hosted n8n really free?
The Community edition is free to self-host. You still pay for hosting and for someone to keep it updated, backed up, and monitored, which is why the calculator includes a server cost and why maintenance should be part of your ROI math.
How accurate are these prices?
They come from the vendors' public pricing pages (Zapier and n8n checked directly in October 2026; Make's plan prices are the commonly published figures). Vendors change prices and tiers often, so open the pricing assumptions panel and adjust anything that has changed.
Is my data uploaded to a server?
No. This tool runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript, so nothing you type is transmitted, logged, or stored anywhere. You can even use it offline once the page has loaded.