Free Tools /Cost
Zapier vs Make vs n8n: Real Cost Calculator
Enter your actual monthly automation volume to see what you would really pay on each platform, not just the entry-tier price on the pricing page.
Based on published entry/mid-tier pricing as of late 2026. Volume discounts, annual billing, and enterprise tiers are not reflected. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before deciding.
How this tool works
Real published pricing tiers
Uses each platform's public pricing structure: Zapier bills per task, Make bills per operation, n8n Cloud bills per execution while self-hosted n8n is a flat infrastructure cost regardless of volume.
You enter your actual volume
Tasks, operations, and executions are not the same unit across platforms, one multi-step workflow run can be 1 task on Zapier but 5+ operations on Make. Enter your monthly runs and typical step count for a fair comparison.
Estimates, not quotes
Published tier pricing changes periodically and enterprise volume discounts are not reflected here. Treat this as a starting point for a real conversation with each vendor, not a final invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the same workflow cost differently across platforms?
Because the billing unit is different. Zapier counts one "task" per triggered action in a Zap. Make counts each individual module execution as an "operation," so a 5-step scenario uses 5 operations per run. n8n Cloud counts full workflow executions regardless of step count.
Is self-hosted n8n really free?
The software license is free and open-source, but you still pay for hosting (typically $10-40/month for a small VPS) and your own time or a developer's time to maintain, monitor, and update it. It is not zero cost, just a different cost structure than per-task SaaS pricing.
At what volume does n8n usually become cheaper than Zapier or Make?
Generally once monthly task or operation volume crosses a few thousand, since Zapier and Make both scale cost with volume while self-hosted n8n's cost stays flat regardless of how much you run through it.
Does this calculator include the cost of building the workflows?
No, only platform subscription cost. Build cost (whether DIY time or an agency) is separate and varies by workflow complexity, see our n8n template library for examples of what production-grade workflows actually involve.
Which platform is actually best, not just cheapest?
It depends on your team's technical comfort and workflow complexity, not just cost. See our full n8n vs Make vs Zapier comparison for the non-cost tradeoffs.
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