Zapier alternatives: Make and n8n, priced against Zapier
The two Zapier alternatives we list, priced from each vendor's page: Make bills credits per module run, n8n bills executions per workflow run. One workflow at three volumes, read September 23, 2026.
About this guide
Published by StackOnSale. Publisher: Emmanuel Grenier. Guide updated: 2026-09-23.
Research based on official vendor pages, not a hands-on review.
StackOnSale may earn a commission through disclosed affiliate links on the site. This does not decide which tool fits your needs.
The two alternatives we list
Make in US dollars, n8n in euros, before tax. Your cost depends on steps per run, runs per month and how your triggers start.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-23. These are dated plan details, not a live checkout quote. Confirm current pricing and eligibility on the official pages.
Some vendor links on offer pages are disclosed affiliate links; this is not a paid ranking.
| Plan | Recorded price | Billing and limits | Before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make Core | $12/month | 10,000 credits a month, billed annually; $16 billed monthly. US price, read November 3, 2026 | Every module run uses a credit, trigger checks included. Make also has a free plan with 1,000 credits a month. |
| n8n Community Edition | Free | Self-hosted, from GitHub | You run and pay for the server. n8n Cloud starts at €20 a month billed annually. |
The short answer
We list two alternatives to Zapier: Make and n8n. Each of the three counts usage in a different unit. Zapier counts tasks, one per successful action. Make counts credits, one per module run, trigger checks included. n8n counts executions, one per full workflow run, whatever the number of steps.
For the same workflow, the unit decides the bill. In the three volumes we priced, Make Core cost the least of the cloud plans, n8n came second, and Zapier cost the most. n8n's Community Edition costs nothing in licence fees if you run it on your own server.
Prices were read in a browser on zapier.com/pricing, make.com/en/pricing and n8n.io/pricing on September 23, 2026. Zapier and Make show US dollars and n8n shows euros; we do not convert currencies. StackOnSale has not tested these products.
How each one counts usage
Zapier: "A task is any successful action that runs in Zapier." Its help center says triggers never use tasks, and built-in tools such as Formatter, Paths, Filters, Delay and Looping use 0 tasks.
Make: "An operation is a single module run to process data or check for new data." By default one operation uses one credit, so a trigger that checks on a schedule uses a credit on every check.
n8n: plans are based on monthly workflow executions, and one execution is one full run of a workflow with unlimited steps.
Entry prices and free options
The table shows each tool's free option and its cheapest paid plan. Paid plans rise with volume: Zapier by tasks, Make by credits and n8n by executions.
| Tool | Unit | Free option | Entry plan, billed annually | Entry plan, billed monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Task: one successful action | Free: 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps | Professional: $19.99 a month for 750 tasks | $29.99 a month |
| Make | Credit: one module run or trigger check | Free: 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios | Core: $12 a month for 10,000 credits | $16 a month |
| n8n | Execution: one full workflow run | Community Edition: free to self-host | Starter: €20 a month for 2,500 executions | €24 a month |
Read in a browser on zapier.com/pricing, make.com/en/pricing and n8n.io/pricing, September 23, 2026. Make re-read November 3, 2026 on the US price list its pricing page loads; Canada differs. Zapier and Make in US dollars, n8n in euros.
One workflow, three bills
The table prices one workflow with a trigger and 9 actions, 10 steps in all, at three monthly volumes, on each tool's cheapest plan that covers it. It counts 9 Zapier tasks, 10 Make credits and 1 n8n execution per run. For Make, that assumes an instant trigger such as a webhook, as in our Make vs n8n comparison; a scheduled trigger adds one credit per check.
| Runs a month | Zapier | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 9,000 tasks: Professional, $129 a month | 10,000 credits: Core, $9 a month | 1,000 executions: Starter, €20 a month |
| 4,000 | 36,000 tasks: Professional, $289 a month | 40,000 credits: Core, $29 a month | 4,000 executions: Pro, €50 a month |
| 15,000 | 135,000 tasks: Professional, $769 a month | 150,000 credits: Core, $99 a month | 15,000 executions: Pro, €120 a month |
StackOnSale arithmetic on the prices read September 23, 2026, using the Zapier task tiers of 10,000, 50,000 and 200,000, the Make credit tiers of 10,000, 40,000 and 150,000, and the n8n Starter, Pro 10,000 and Pro 50,000 tiers. The plans do not include the same features.
Which one fits which buyer
Zapier: triggers and built-in tools such as Filters and Formatter use no tasks, and its free plan covers 100 tasks a month with two-step Zaps. It cost the most of the three in each volume we priced.
Make: the lowest cloud price in each volume we priced. A scheduled trigger uses one credit per check, so count how often your scenarios poll before you choose a tier.
n8n: free to self-host with the Community Edition, on a server you run and pay for. Its cloud plans count runs, not steps, so a long workflow costs the same as a short one.
What we could not verify
Make and Zapier prices between the tiers we read. Whether Zapier bills trigger steps: its rates page lists "trigger and action steps" at 1 task per step, while its help center says triggers never use tasks; the Zapier plan in each row of our table is the same either way. What your own server would cost to self-host n8n. Whether any annual price holds at renewal.
StackOnSale earns a commission if you buy Make through our link. n8n declined our affiliate application, so its links are direct, and our Zapier links pay us nothing.
Questions
What is the cheapest Zapier alternative?
For cloud plans, a 10-step workflow run 1,000 times a month is $12 a month on Make Core (read November 3, 2026), €20 on n8n Starter and $129 on Zapier Professional (read September 23, 2026), billed annually. At 15,000 runs Make Core is $129 against €120 on n8n Pro, so compare in your own currency. n8n's Community Edition is free to self-host.
Is there a free Zapier alternative?
Make has a free plan with 1,000 credits a month and 2 active scenarios. n8n's Community Edition is free to self-host, on a server you pay for.
Why does the same workflow cost so differently?
Each tool counts a different unit. Zapier counts successful actions, Make counts module runs and trigger checks, and n8n counts full workflow runs.
Related offers
- Make, about 20% to 31% off with annual billing
- n8n Community Edition and start-up discount
- Zapier, 33% off paid plans with annual billing
Buying guides and next steps
- Before paying for Make: coupon rules, Free limits and eligibility
- Compare current offers for your software shortlist
Read next
- Make credits: calculate usage before choosing a plan
- Zapier, Make and n8n: what automation actually costs
- Make vs n8n: credits per step against executions per run
- Make vs Zapier pricing: credits, tasks and three workloads
- Annual vs monthly billing: when the discount is worth the lock-in
Sources
- Zapier pricing
- Zapier Help Center: How is task usage measured
- Make pricing
- Make Help Center: Operations
- n8n pricing
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