n8n vs Zapier vs Make: What 1,000 AI Runs Would Cost (2026)

Last updated: October 19, 2026. By Veer. Prices checked October 19, 2026 against Zapier’s pricing page and task usage rates, n8n’s pricing page, Make’s credits documentation and Make vs Zapier page, and OpenAI’s API pricing. Euro conversions use the ECB reference rate for October 16, 2026 (€1 = $1.1253 = £0.84385). This is a cost model built from published prices, not a measured benchmark: we haven’t run these workflows on the three platforms ourselves.

Search “n8n vs zapier vs make” and you’ll find plenty of feature checklists. What’s harder to find is the actual bill. The three tools meter usage in completely different ways, so the same workflow can cost ten times more on one than another. Below, we take two realistic AI workflows, run each one 1,000 times a month on paper, and price them on all three platforms using only the vendors’ published rates.

How do n8n, Zapier and Make charge for usage?

Zapier bills per task, Make bills per credit, and n8n bills per execution. A Zapier task is one successful action step. A Make credit is roughly one module action. An n8n execution is one full run of a workflow, however many steps it has. That single difference decides most of the cost gap.

Here’s how each vendor defines its unit:

• Zapier: “Each successful action in a Zap counts as a separate task,” according to Zapier’s help center. Triggers, Filters, Paths, Formatter, Delay and Looping steps don’t use tasks. AI steps cost more: Zapier’s usage rates page lists 1 task for a standard model, 3 for an advanced model and 5 for a premium model, and each tool call an AI step makes is billed again at the same rate. A Zapier MCP tool call costs 2 tasks.
• Make: “Every time a module in a scenario performs an action, it consumes credits,” says Make’s pricing FAQ. Most modules use 1 credit, and that includes the trigger that reads data in. Routers and error-handler modules are free. AI modules that run on Make’s own AI provider also charge credits for tokens. With your own OpenAI or Anthropic key, you pay Make 1 credit per operation and pay the provider for tokens.
• n8n: “An execution is a single run of your entire workflow. It doesn’t matter how many steps are in the workflow or how much data it processes,” according to n8n’s pricing page. AI calls are billed by whichever model provider you connect.

What do the plans cost in October 2026?

Entry-level paid plans start at $9 a month on Make (annual billing), €20 a month on n8n Cloud (annual) and $19.99 a month on Zapier (annual, 750 tasks). The headline prices aren’t comparable, though, because each one buys a different unit. The table shows the tiers that matter for 1,000 runs.

Zapier’s tier prices come from the plan data on its US pricing page, which offers billing in GBP and other currencies. Make’s annual prices are on its Make vs Zapier page. Its monthly prices come from Jet Admin’s September 26, 2026 reading of the pricing page, because Make’s credit slider doesn’t load outside a browser. n8n shows its Cloud prices in euros; the €24 and €60 monthly figures come from CloudZero’s n8n pricing breakdown and match n8n’s “Save 17%” annual discount. UK buyers should expect VAT on top of all three.

Workflow 1: What does a simple AI step cost for 1,000 runs?

About $9 to $10.59 on Make, €20 to €24 plus roughly $1 of OpenAI fees on n8n, and $89 to $133.50 on Zapier. The workflow is a common one: a new form submission or email arrives, an AI model classifies and summarizes it, a filter drops spam, then the workflow updates a CRM record and posts to Slack.

The cost math, per run and per 1,000 runs:

The token assumption is 2,000 input tokens and 300 output tokens per AI call. On Make’s AI provider, the credits documentation lists GPT-5 mini at 3,616 input tokens and 452 output tokens per credit, which works out to about 1.2 credits a call. On n8n, or on Make with your own key, the same call through OpenAI’s API costs about $0.0011 at GPT-5 mini’s list price of $0.25 per million input tokens and $2.00 per million output tokens. That’s roughly $1.10 for 1,000 runs.

Zapier’s 2,000-task tier ($49 a month billed annually) is too small here, because each run burns three tasks even with the cheapest AI model.

Workflow 2: What does an AI agent with tools cost for 1,000 runs?

n8n and Make stay on their entry plans, while Zapier jumps to its 20,000-task tier at $189 to $283.50 a month. The workflow is an AI agent that reads an incoming support request, makes three tool calls (look up the customer, check an order, search a help article), then writes a reply draft and updates the ticket.

This run assumes 6,000 input tokens and 800 output tokens across the agent’s reasoning. On OpenAI’s GPT-5 mini that’s about $0.0031 a run. On Make’s own Large model it adds about 3.4 credits, which pushes the total just past the 10,000-credit base tier, so you’d either buy extra credits or switch to Make’s cheaper Small or Medium tier (18,080 input and 2,260 output tokens per credit), which keeps it under 8,000 credits.

Zapier gets expensive fast as the model gets smarter. With a premium model the same agent costs 22 tasks a run, which needs the 50,000-task tier at $289 a month billed annually or $433.50 monthly. Bringing your own model to Zapier cuts the agent to 6 tasks a run (1 task per AI step and per tool call), so it fits the 10,000-task tier at $129 to $193.50, plus your provider bill.

One caveat: this uses AI by Zapier inside a Zap. Zapier’s separate Agents product doesn’t use tasks at all. It has its own activity quota, according to Zapier’s help center.

Is self-hosted n8n really free?

Yes, the software is free, but the server and the upkeep are not. n8n’s hosting docs say that “without a license key, n8n runs as the free Community edition,” with no execution limit. You pay for a server, and you own updates, backups and security.

That trade-off is worth taking seriously. A self-hosted automation server holds API keys for your CRM, email and payment tools, so a missed update is a real risk. If you go this way, follow the basics in our AI agent security checklist: least-privilege API keys, human approval for risky actions, and logging. The paid self-hosted Business plan starts at €667 a month billed annually and adds SSO, Git version control and multiple environments, which most small teams won’t need.

Why is Zapier so expensive?

Zapier is expensive per run because it charges for every action step, and AI steps and tool calls cost up to 5 tasks each. You’re paying for convenience: 9,000+ app connections, a linear editor most people can use without training, and polling as often as every 2 minutes on Professional.

For a two-step Zap that runs a few hundred times a month, the difference doesn’t matter much; Zapier’s $19.99 tier covers it. The cost only bites when workflows get long, run often or lean on AI. Zapier also switches you to pay-per-task billing at a higher rate when you hit your limit, unless you turn that off, so set an alert if your volume is unpredictable.

Which is best for AI agents?

n8n is the strongest fit for AI agents if someone on your team is technical, and Make is the better pick if nobody is. n8n’s per-execution pricing means an agent that makes ten tool calls costs the same as one that makes two. Its pricing page lists an AI Agent node, an MCP client and MCP server trigger, and human approval for tool calls among its agent features.

Make’s AI Agents app works on any plan, and with your own model key each agent run costs 1 credit plus the tools it calls. Zapier’s AI steps are the simplest to set up, but the per-tool-call pricing makes busy agents the most expensive option of the three. If you’re wiring AI into your own site, our guide to connecting Claude to WordPress with MCP covers the other side of that setup, and our ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro vs Google AI Pro comparison helps if you’d rather use a chat app than an automation tool.

Is n8n harder to use than Zapier?

Usually, yes. n8n describes itself as “AI agents and workflows for technical teams,” and it leans on code steps, HTTP requests and JSON data. Zapier is built for people who have never written code. Make is in the middle, with a visual canvas that makes branching logic easier to follow.

n8n vs Zapier vs Make for small business: which should you pick?

Pick Zapier if you want it working today, Make if you want the lowest hosted bill, and n8n if you run lots of multi-step or AI workflows and have someone technical.

Our verdict: for most small businesses doing AI work in 2026, Make offers the best price-to-effort ratio, n8n wins once volume or complexity climbs, and Zapier is worth its premium only when ease of use matters more than cost.

FAQ

Which is cheapest for 1,000 runs a month?

Make is cheapest for simple workflows, at $9 a month billed annually or $10.59 monthly for 10,000 credits. n8n Starter costs €20 to €24 a month for 2,500 executions. Zapier needs its 5,000-task tier, at $89 to $133.50, for a three-step AI workflow.

Is self-hosted n8n really free?

The n8n Community edition is free to self-host with no execution limit. You still pay for the server and handle updates, backups and security yourself.

Why is Zapier so expensive?

Zapier charges a task for every successful action step, and AI steps and tool calls cost 1, 3 or 5 tasks depending on the model tier. Long or AI-heavy workflows multiply the task count quickly.

Which is best for AI agents?

n8n is best for AI agents if you have technical help, because each agent run counts as one execution however many tools it calls. Make is a cheaper hosted option, and Zapier is the easiest but costs the most per tool call.

Is n8n harder to use than Zapier?

Yes, for most people. n8n targets technical teams and relies more on code, HTTP requests and JSON, while Zapier is designed for non-developers.

Can n8n and Zapier work together?

Yes. n8n workflows can start from webhooks, and Zapier’s paid plans include webhooks, so a Zap can hand data to an n8n workflow and the other way around.

Sources

Zapier: pricing, task usage rates, how task usage is measured. Make: pricing FAQ, credits, Make vs Zapier, AI Provider token pricing update. n8n: pricing, hosting docs. Model prices: OpenAI API pricing. Exchange rate: ECB euro reference rates. Secondary: Jet Admin’s Make review (September 30, 2026), CloudZero’s n8n pricing guide. Related on TrustLoud: AI agent security checklist, Claude Code vs Codex, Sonnet 5.5 vs GPT-6.1 Sol cost per task.