Zapier vs n8n
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Zapier and n8n.
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Verdict: n8n wins
n8n scores 4.3/5, edging out Zapier at 4.1/5. Technical teams and engineers who want code-level control and the option to self-host automation as core infrastructure.
Zapier Connect your apps and automate work | n8n Workflow automation that gives you control | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1 (1 review) | 4.3 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting Price | From $19.99/mo | Free tier available |
| Best For | Non-technical teams automating mainstream business apps who value predictable, easy-to-learn glue over raw flexibility or low per-task cost. | Technical teams and engineers who want code-level control and the option to self-host automation as core infrastructure. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | no codefree tierteam features | open sourcefree tierapi access |
| Visit Zapier → | Visit n8n → |
Zapier
Pros
- + Connector depth beats raw counts: every HubSpot and Typeform field I needed was pre-mapped in my rebuild, where two rivals required manual ID mapping or raw HTTP
- + By far the easiest editor to learn — a teammate with no automation background shipped a working 3-step Zap in about ten minutes in my test
- + Honest, published tiering (750 tasks at $19.99/mo annual up to 1M tasks at $2,199/mo) with a documented rates page, at time of writing on zapier.com/pricing
- + Error handling and history are dependable: configurable autoretry on paid plans and searchable Zap history; I lost no data across weeks of runs
- + Company stability is unusual for this category — profitable, ~$1.4M total outside capital, running since 2011
Cons
- - Task metering bills every action step, so a 10-step Zap consumes 10 tasks per record; 100K tasks/month runs $489/mo billed annually
- - Polling latency: standard triggers checked every 1–15 minutes in my tests, so 'instant' downstream alerts were often 2–5 minutes behind
- - Free plan (100 tasks, single-step Zaps) is a trial in practice — any real workflow needs Professional immediately
- - Architecturally shallow at the high end: no self-hosting, weak state management, and clunky sub-workflow composition
- - Long-tail connectors are thin; two smaller vendors' integrations lagged their own APIs by months in my checks
n8n
Pros
- + Unlimited steps per execution: my 20-node nightly sync counted as one execution, so complexity stops driving cost (n8n.io/pricing)
- + Code nodes (JS/Python) with npm and env-var access meant I finished every prototype without leaving the platform
- + Self-hostable with no licence fee under the Sustainable Use License; full run snapshots and re-run-from-failed-node debugging
- + AI agent nodes (LLM connectors, vector stores, agents calling workflows as tools) are the deepest of any general automation platform I tested
- + Strong company trajectory: $180M Series C (Accel, Oct 2025) and a SAP strategic investment at ~$5.2B in May 2026
Cons
- - Not open source — the Sustainable Use License (fair-code) forbids offering n8n as a hosted service and fails OSI procurement checks
- - Assumes engineering literacy: JSON paths, expressions, and async data structures stumped every ops-only user I watched try it
- - Self-hosting carries real ops cost — queue mode, worker scaling and upgrades took me hours that a managed platform absorbs
- - Documentation is thin at the edges; AI node options and queue-mode config sent me to community forum threads
- - Business cloud tier is self-hosted-only at time of writing (cloud waitlisted), leaving a gap between Pro's 10K executions and Enterprise
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Zapier or n8n?▼
n8n scores higher at 4.3/5 vs 4.1/5 for Zapier, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between Zapier and n8n?▼
Zapier: Zapier connects thousands of web apps so you can automate repetitive tasks without code, such as sending form entries to a CRM. Free plan with 100 tasks a month. n8n: n8n is a workflow automation platform that combines AI capabilities with business process automation, giving technical teams a visual builder with the option to add code when needed.
Is Zapier or n8n more affordable?▼
Zapier starts at €19.99/mo, n8n starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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