Head-to-head · profiles checked Oct 1, 2026
Pick n8n if your team is technical and wants code steps, self-hosting or billing per workflow execution; pick Zapier for a no-code builder with 9,000+ apps. n8n has a free self-hosted Community Edition, and n8n cloud Starter is 20€/mo. Zapier has a free plan with 100 tasks per month, then Zapier Professional at $19.99/mo.
We based this comparison on our verified n8n and Zapier profiles, both checked on Oct 1; we ran no benchmark and took no vendor payments, and we did not use third-party tests.
Pick n8n if your team is technical, wants JavaScript or Python steps, or needs to self-host; it bills per workflow execution and has unlimited users and workflows on all plans. Pick Zapier if you want a no-code builder for small business or operations work, with 9,000+ app integrations and a free plan. The cost models differ: n8n counts executions, Zapier counts tasks, so high-volume workflows scale differently on each.
Based on our verified profiles of n8n and Zapier, both last verified on 2026-10-01; no benchmark was run.
If you only want the answer, this is the table. Everything below is the evidence from the two documented profiles.
| You want to | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Automate work without writing code | Zapier | Zapier is built for non-technical users with a no-code editor. |
| Run automation on your own servers | n8n | n8n offers a self-hosted Community Edition via Docker or npm; Zapier lists web and API only. |
| Add custom JavaScript or Python logic | n8n | n8n supports JavaScript and Python code steps on all plans. |
| Connect the widest range of apps | Zapier | Zapier documents 9,000+ app integrations. |
| Build AI agents or RAG pipelines | n8n | n8n lists AI agent nodes, RAG use cases and MCP support; Zapier agents cost extra. |
| Try a simple two-step automation for free | Zapier | Zapier's free plan gives 100 tasks per month for two-step Zaps. |
| Sync data between SaaS apps | Either | n8n and Zapier both list app-to-app syncing and lead routing among their use cases. |
| Collect form input and store records | Zapier | Zapier includes Tables and Forms on all plans. |
| Let AI assistants trigger actions in other apps | Either | Zapier offers Zapier MCP; n8n lists MCP support for building workflows from AI apps. |
| Run a long, many-step workflow cheaply | n8n | n8n counts one execution per full run, while Zapier counts each completed action as a task. |
| Plan | Tool | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | n8n | Free | Unlimited executions, users and workflows; self-hosted |
| Starter | n8n | 20€/mo, billed annually (EUR shown) | 2,500 executions/mo; 5 concurrent; 1 shared project |
| Pro | n8n | 50€/mo, billed annually (EUR shown) | 10,000 executions/mo; up to 50 concurrent; 3 shared projects |
| Business (self-hosted) | n8n | 667€/mo, billed annually (EUR shown) | 40,000 executions/mo; 200+ concurrent; 6 shared projects |
| Enterprise | n8n | Custom | Custom executions; 200+ concurrent; unlimited shared projects |
| Free | Zapier | $0 | 100 tasks/mo; two-step Zaps only; 2,500 table records |
| Professional | Zapier | $19.99/mo, yearly billing selected | 750 tasks/mo starting tier; 100,000 table records |
| Team | Zapier | $69/mo, yearly billing selected | 2,000 tasks/mo starting tier; 25 users; 500,000 table records |
| Enterprise | Zapier | Custom | Custom task limit; unlimited users |
| Zapier Agents Pro (add-on) | Zapier | $400/yr | Not stated |
| Zapier Chatbots Pro (add-on) | Zapier | $160/yr | Not stated |
USD as published on each vendor's pricing page, checked Oct 1, 2026. n8n pricing in full · Zapier pricing in full
| n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Executions / tasks | 2,500 per month on Starter, 10,000 on Pro, 40,000 on Business; unlimited on Community Edition | 100 per month on Free; 750 starting tier on Professional; 2,000 on Team |
| Concurrency / workflow size | 5 concurrent on Starter, up to 50 on Pro, 200+ on Business | Free plan limited to two-step Zaps; multi-step Zaps on paid plans |
| Seats / team | Unlimited users and workflows on all plans | 25 users included on Team; unlimited users on Enterprise |
| Overage | Not stated | Switches to pay-as-you-go unless disabled or a higher tier is chosen |
| Feature | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Visual workflow editor | Yes | Yes |
| Code steps | Yes (JavaScript, Python) | Not stated |
| Webhooks | Yes (webhook and queue triggers) | Paid plans only |
| Agents / tools | Yes (AI agent nodes, MCP support) | Yes (Agents Pro and Chatbots Pro add-ons, Zapier MCP) |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Not stated |
| API | Yes, included on all listed plans | Separate on Professional and Team, included on Enterprise |
| Mobile apps | None seen | Not confirmed |
| n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Training on your data | Data not used to train n8n or third-party ML models | No AI training use disclosed |
| Retention | Execution history kept 7 to 365+ days depending on plan | Execution history retained; custom retention on Enterprise |
| Business controls | Encrypted credential store, audit logging, 2FA enforcement on Enterprise, DPAs available | SAML SSO on Team and Enterprise, audit logs and advanced admin permissions on Enterprise |
Taken from each vendor's published policy pages at the time of our check. Policies change; the source links are at the bottom.
Workflow automation platform for technical teams to build AI agents and integrations, cloud-hosted or self-hosted.
Free stops at: Unlimited workflow executions, Unlimited concurrent executions (depends on server hardware)
Pricing US price unconfirmed
No-code automation platform connecting 9,000+ apps via Zaps, with AI agents, chatbots, tables, forms and an MCP server.
Free stops at: 100 tasks per month, Two-step Zaps only
Free · paid from $19.99/mo US · checked Sep 29
n8n can be cheaper, depending on how you run it. n8n has a free self-hosted Community Edition, and its cloud plans bill per workflow execution rather than per step. Zapier has a free plan with 100 tasks per month, with paid plans from $19.99/mo. n8n's cloud prices were shown in EUR, so a direct USD comparison is not possible from our data.
n8n can be self-hosted through the free Community Edition using Docker or npm, and its Business plan is self-hosted only. Our Zapier profile lists web and API platforms and documents no self-hosted option.
No coding is needed for Zapier, which is built for non-technical users with a no-code editor. n8n has a visual editor too and supports JavaScript and Python code steps, but self-hosting requires technical expertise.
An n8n execution is one full run of a workflow, whatever the number of steps. A Zapier task is counted when a Zap successfully completes an action; triggers do not count. A multi-step workflow therefore uses one n8n execution but can use several Zapier tasks.
For no-code business automations, yes, Zapier can replace n8n: Zapier has 9,000+ integrations and a free plan. It cannot replace n8n if you need self-hosting, JavaScript or Python code steps, or execution-based pricing for high-volume workflows.
n8n suits technical teams that self-host or write code steps; Zapier suits non-technical teams that want the most app integrations; Make sits between them. See our n8n vs Make and Make vs Zapier comparisons.
Only official vendor pages. No third-party benchmarks, forum threads or press were used. How we review.
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