n8n bills each workflow run as one execution, so a long workflow costs the same as a short one, and its free Community edition can run on your own server. Zapier bills every action step as a task and is easier to start. Pick Zapier for quick, simple automations and n8n for long, frequent or self-hosted workflows.
- n8n bills per execution, one run of a whole workflow however many steps it has. Zapier bills per task, each successful action step.
- The cheapest paid plans start at €20 a month for n8n Starter and $19.99 a month for Zapier Professional, both billed annually.
- The n8n Community edition is free to self-host, but you pay for the server and you run the updates, backups and fixes.
- n8n builds agents inside a workflow with your own model keys. Zapier sells Agents as a separate product billed in activities.
n8n vs Zapier: the short answer
Zapier is the faster start: you connect apps in a guided editor and pay for each action that runs. n8n asks more of you up front, then charges per run of the whole workflow, and it can run on your own server.
| Question | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Execution: one run of a whole workflow | Task: each successful action step |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter, €20 a month billed annually | Professional, $19.99 a month billed annually |
| Free option | Community edition, self-hosted | Free plan, 100 tasks a month |
| Self-hosting | Yes | No, cloud only |
| AI agents | AI Agent node inside any workflow | Zapier Agents, a separate product |
| Best for | Technical teams, long or frequent workflows | Non-technical teams, quick links between apps |
n8n vs Zapier pricing in 2026
Prices below come from the official pricing pages of n8n and Zapier, checked on 22 October 2026. n8n lists prices in euros for annual billing, which it says saves 17%. Zapier lists dollars for both billing options.
n8n plans
| Plan | Price | Included each month | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community edition | Free licence | Set by your server | Your server |
| Starter | €20 a month | 2,500 executions | n8n cloud |
| Pro | €50 a month | 10,000 executions | n8n cloud |
| Business | €667 a month | 40,000 executions | Your server |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom | Cloud or your server |
Every n8n plan includes unlimited users and workflows. n8n counts an execution as "a single run of your entire workflow", whatever its length. Business is for companies under 100 employees and adds single sign-on, Git version control and queue mode.
Zapier plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Tasks each month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 100, two-step Zaps only |
| Professional | $19.99 a month | $29.99 a month | 750 |
| Professional | $39.00 a month | $58.50 a month | 1,500 |
| Team | $69.00 a month | $103.50 a month | 2,000 |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales | Custom |
Zapier counts a task each time an action step succeeds. Triggers, Filter, Formatter and Paths steps do not use tasks, and failed actions are not counted. Some AI actions cost more than one task.
Past your allowance, extra tasks cost 1.25 times your plan's task rate on annual billing and 2.5 times on monthly billing.
What the same workflow costs on each
Take one workflow: a trigger and four action steps, such as a new form entry that creates a CRM contact, adds a row to a sheet, sends an email and posts a team message. It runs 300 times a month.
| Line | n8n cloud | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| What is counted | 300 executions | 1,200 tasks (4 actions x 300 runs) |
| Plan that covers it | Starter, 2,500 executions | Professional, 1,500 tasks |
| Price | €20 a month billed annually | $39.00 billed annually, $58.50 monthly |
Now add steps or runs. On n8n, a ten-step workflow still counts one execution per run. On Zapier, each extra action adds a task to every run.
At 1,000 runs, the same workflow uses 1,000 n8n executions, still inside Starter, and 4,000 Zapier tasks, which needs a larger Zapier tier than the ones listed here.
The gap works the other way for small jobs. A two-step Zap that runs 80 times a month fits Zapier's Free plan, while n8n has no free cloud plan.
Self-hosting n8n: what it really costs
n8n's documentation says that "without a license key, n8n runs as the free Community edition." The licence is free. The work around it is not.
| Cost | n8n cloud Starter | Self-hosted Community edition |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | €20 a month billed annually | €0 |
| Server and database | Included | Your host's price |
| Updates and security patches | n8n | You |
| Backups | n8n | You |
| Fixing an outage | n8n | You |
How you set it up matters too. n8n recommends Docker Compose with a database for production, and says installing with npm is deprecated from n8n 3.0. Its hosting documentation has guides for AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Heroku and OpenShift.
Self-host when someone on your team already runs servers, or when your data must stay on your own infrastructure. Features such as single sign-on and Git version control on your own server come with the Business licence at €667 a month, not with the free edition. If nobody owns the server, start on n8n cloud.
Building with AI models? AIGROW API credit runs Claude, GPT and Grok models up to 75% below list price.
AI agents: n8n vs Zapier
Both tools now build AI agents: a model that decides which step to take next and uses tools to act. They package it differently.
| Feature | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Where agents live | An AI Agent node inside a workflow | Zapier Agents, a separate product |
| Models | Your own keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others | AI by Zapier steps on Professional and up |
| Tools and memory | Tools and memory attach to the agent | Agents act across Zapier's app integrations |
| MCP | Agents can connect to an MCP server | Zapier MCP, 2 tasks per tool call |
| How AI is billed | Your model provider bills you; a run is one execution | Agents use activities: 400 a month free |
| Building by chat | AI Assistant, with credits on cloud plans | Copilot, unlimited on paid plans |
On Zapier, 1,500 agent activities a month cost from about $33.33 a month billed annually, on top of your Zapier plan. On n8n, the agent's model calls are billed by the model provider you connect, so the cost depends on the model and how much text it reads and writes.
The practical difference: n8n puts the agent inside a workflow you can inspect step by step. Zapier puts it behind a chat-style builder that a non-technical person can set up. For a step-by-step build, read how to build AI agents with n8n.
Which one to pick
| If you | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want automations live today without technical help | Zapier |
| Run long or frequent workflows | n8n |
| Must keep data on your own servers | n8n self-hosted |
| Want agents that use your own model keys | n8n |
| Need a few small automations at no cost | Zapier Free |
Two more options are worth a look. Make bills per credit and sits between the two: see Make vs Zapier. If cost is the main reason you are leaving Zapier, the guide to cheaper Zapier alternatives compares Make, n8n and Activepieces on price.
If you would rather not build or maintain it at all, AIGROW's ready solutions are pre-built systems, such as a support agent, a reporting pipeline and a data integration hub, set up on your own tools.
Sources
Official pages checked on 22 October 2026:
Prices change. Check the vendor's page before you buy.
The newest Claude, GPT and Grok models, up to 75% below list price
One API key for Claude, GPT and Grok models. It works with the OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs and with Claude Code.
Each model’s rate through AIGROW credit sits beside its maker’s list price, never above it.
Frequently Asked Questions
