Blog · Published Oct 17, 2026 · Last updated
Zapier vs Make vs n8n: which automation tool should a solo business use?
How each one bills, what the free plans cover, and which fits a one-person business.
Your first automation is usually small. A form entry lands in your email list, a paid invoice moves a client to active, a booking creates a task. Zapier, Make and n8n can all run that. What separates them is how they bill you once the automation runs every day, and that's what this guide compares, using each vendor's published pricing and docs.
The short answer for a one-person business: start with Zapier if you want the easiest setup and your automations are short. Pick Make if your workflows have several steps or branches and you want more runs for the money. Choose n8n if you're technical, want to build AI agents, or want the option to host it yourself.
Key takeaways
- Zapier bills per action step, Make bills per module action, and n8n bills per full workflow run.
- Zapier's free plan is 100 tasks a month with two-step Zaps only, and Make's free plan is 1,000 credits a month.
- Entry paid plans start at $19.99 a month for Zapier, $12 a month for Make and €20 a month for n8n, each billed yearly.
- In our example of a five-step workflow that runs 200 times a month, Zapier needs its 1,500-task tier, while Make and n8n fit their entry plans.
Prices and limits as of October 17, 2026, from each vendor's own pricing page. All three tools are in our automation category.
How do Zapier, Make and n8n charge for automations?
Each one counts a different thing, and that choice decides most of your bill.
- Zapier counts tasks. Zapier's pricing page says each successful action uses a task, and some apps or actions use more than one. Triggers don't count. Neither do built-in tools such as Filter, Formatter, Paths and Delay.
- Make counts credits. Make's pricing page says every module action uses credits, including reading data from an app or webhook. Most actions use one credit. Some features that run on Make's own AI provider use more. Router and error handler modules use none.
- n8n counts executions. n8n's pricing page bases pricing on monthly workflow executions "regardless of complexity", so a 20-step workflow costs the same per run as a 2-step one.
Long workflows that run often get pricier step by step on Zapier and Make. On n8n they don't.
What does one real workflow cost on each?
Here's an example. A new client fills in your intake form, and the automation adds them to your email list, creates a folder, creates a task and sends you a notification. That's one trigger and four actions, running 200 times a month. Applying each vendor's published rules gives these estimates:
- Zapier. 4 actions × 200 runs is about 800 tasks. That's over the 750-task entry tier, so you'd need the 1,500-task tier at $39 a month billed yearly or $58.50 billed monthly.
- Make. About 5 credits per run, since the module that reads the form counts too, so about 1,000 credits a month. That uses the whole free allowance, which leaves no room to grow. Core at 10,000 credits is $12 a month billed yearly or $16 billed monthly.
- n8n. 200 executions, whatever the step count. Starter covers 2,500 executions for €20 a month billed yearly.
Your numbers will differ. Run the same sum on your two or three busiest workflows before you choose a plan.
Is Zapier worth it for a solo business?
ZAFor speed of setup, yes. You pick a trigger app, pick an action and map the fields. Zapier says it connects to more than 9,000 apps, and every plan, Free included, lists Zapier Copilot, its AI helper for building Zaps.
The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only, one trigger and one action, checked every 15 minutes. That's enough to try it. Running a business on it is another matter. Multi-step Zaps and webhooks start on Professional, which also checks for new data every 2 minutes. New accounts get a 14-day Professional trial with no credit card required, according to Zapier's pricing page.
Professional starts at $19.99 a month billed yearly, or $29.99 billed monthly, for 750 tasks. The 1,500-task tier is $39 a month billed yearly or $58.50 monthly. Paying yearly saves 33%.
Pick it if you want something working this afternoon and your automations are short.
Is Make cheaper than Zapier?
MAPer run, usually, and our worked example shows why. Make builds automations as scenarios on a visual canvas. You can see every module and the data passing between them, add a router to branch and loop over lists. That makes branching workflows easier to read than a long list of Zap steps. It also takes longer to learn.
The free plan includes 1,000 credits a month. At the 10,000-credit tier, Make's pricing page lists Core at $12 a month, Pro at $21 and Teams at $38, all billed yearly. Billed monthly, the same plans are $16, $28 and $51. If you run out of credits, scenarios stop until you add more. Incoming webhooks wait in a queue up to your plan's limit.
Pick it if your workflows have several steps or if-this-then-that branches and you'd rather spend an hour learning than pay for extra tasks.
Is n8n free to use?
N8The self-hosted version is. n8n's Community Edition costs nothing to run on your own server, and the source is on GitHub under n8n's fair-code Sustainable Use License, according to the n8n press page. You still pay for the server and the hours spent keeping it updated, backed up and monitored.
The hosted version is paid. Starter is €20 a month for 2,500 executions and Pro is €50 a month for 10,000, both billed yearly, with unlimited steps per workflow. Every plan includes unlimited users, unlimited workflows and every integration. Hosted data sits on servers in Frankfurt, Germany, and the trial needs no credit card, per n8n's pricing page.
n8n looks like Make at first glance. It suits people who don't mind getting technical, and its plans list an AI Agent node, MCP support and human approval before an agent uses a tool.
Pick it if you're comfortable with technical setup, you want AI agents, or your workflows are long and run often.
Zapier vs Make vs n8n at a glance
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Tasks, one per action step | Credits, one per module action for most | Executions, one per full run |
| Free option | 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps | 1,000 credits a month | Self-hosted Community Edition |
| Entry paid plan | $19.99 a month yearly, 750 tasks | $12 a month yearly, 10,000 credits | €20 a month yearly, 2,500 executions |
| Same plan billed monthly | $29.99 | $16 | Not listed here |
| Learning curve, our read | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
| Best fit | Short, simple automations | Multi-step, branching workflows | AI agents, long workflows, self-hosting |
How do you choose in ten minutes?
- List your top three automations. Count the action steps in each one.
- Estimate runs per month. A daily schedule is about 30 runs. A form that gets 5 entries a day is about 150.
- Check the one app you can't do without. If only one of the three connects to it, you're done choosing.
- Do the sum. Use the worked example above for each tool, then start on the free plan or trial of the one that fits.
Would you rather hand the work to an assistant than build workflows? Look at Lindy, an AI assistant that connects to your tools and handles jobs like inbox and calendar work.
The cheapest tool is the one that matches how often your work actually runs. Count first, then choose.
If you want help deciding what to automate first, the Amplif-AI Your Business community on Skool is where solo owners compare the automations they actually run.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest for a solo business, Zapier, Make or n8n?
It depends on steps and runs. Zapier bills each action step, Make bills each module action and n8n bills each full run. For long workflows that run often, n8n or Make usually cost less. For a few short automations, Zapier's $19.99 yearly-billed entry plan is easy to justify for the setup time it saves.
Can I use Zapier for free?
Yes. Zapier's Free plan includes 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps, meaning one trigger and one action, checked every 15 minutes. Multi-step Zaps and webhooks need Professional. New accounts get a 14-day Professional trial with no credit card required, so you can test multi-step Zaps before paying anything.
Is n8n really free?
The self-hosted Community Edition has no subscription fee, but you pay for the server and handle updates, backups and monitoring yourself. That's real time every month. n8n's hosted Starter plan costs €20 a month billed yearly for 2,500 executions, with unlimited users, workflows and integrations included.
Is Make harder to learn than Zapier?
Usually, yes. Make shows each scenario on a visual canvas with routers, loops and data mapping in view. That gives you more control than Zapier's step-by-step editor, and it also means more to learn before your first multi-step scenario works. Make's free plan of 1,000 credits a month is a low-risk place to practice.
Can I switch automation tools later?
Yes. Plan on rebuilding each automation in the new tool and testing it before you turn the old one off. Move your busiest automation first, on a free plan or trial, so you see real usage numbers. Moving one workflow costs far less effort than moving twenty after a year of building.
Keep learning
About the author
Sondra Verva runs AI Solution Vault, a free directory of AI tools for people who run a business on their own, and Amplif-AI Your Business. This comparison is based on each vendor's published pricing pages and docs, checked on October 17, 2026. We did not run paid accounts for it.