n8n vs Zapier vs Make Cost Calculator
Estimate subscription cost on the three platforms from your run volume, using pricing pages we checked on 2026-09-20
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Your workload (assumptions, edit them)
Monthly cost by platform
Lowest modeled monthly cost
Make: $9.00
| Platform | Plan picked | USD per month | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Team (2,000 tasks) | $242 | 4,000 overage tasks at 1.25x base rate |
| Make | Core (10,000 credits) | $9.00 | monthly price, annual discount not modeled |
| n8n Cloud | Cloud Starter (2,500 executions) | $22 | EUR 20 at 1.1 USD per EUR, annual billing |
Volume used: 6,000 tasks or credits (1,500 runs x 4 actions) and 1,500 n8n executions.
The formulas
Zapier tasks = runs x actions
Zapier cost = plan price + max(0, tasks - included) x (plan price / included) x overage multiple
(overage allowed up to 3x the plan allowance, then the plan is skipped)
Make credits = runs x actions, lowest plan whose credits cover it
n8n executions = runs, lowest Cloud plan that covers it, EUR x rate
Self-hosted = server + admin hours x hourly costWhat this number does not include. Build time, testing, error handling, monitoring, API costs of the apps you connect, AI model usage, and every vendor tier above the entry ones we verified. Zapier and Make count usage differently from n8n, so a workflow with many steps costs far more per run on task and credit pricing. Self-hosting shifts cost to your team. Treat the result as a floor for subscription fees only.
Pricing sources
- Zapier pricing page (last verified 2026-09-20, listed in USD)
- A task is a successfully completed action. Triggers, polling, Formatter, Paths and Tables do not count.
- Pay-per-task overage is 2.5x the base rate on monthly plans and 1.25x on annual plans, capped at 3x the plan's task allowance.
- Only entry tiers were read from the page. Larger tiers exist and are not modeled.
- Make pricing page (last verified 2026-09-20, listed in USD)
- Each module action in a scenario uses one credit. Routers and error-handler modules do not.
- When credits run out, scenarios stop until credits are added. Extra credits come in 1,000 or 10,000 bundles, priced at checkout and not modeled here.
- The page says annual billing saves 15% or more but shows no exact annual price in the text we read, so monthly prices are used.
- Core, Pro and Teams list the same 10,000 credits at entry volume. Higher tiers exist and are not modeled.
- n8n pricing page (last verified 2026-09-20, listed in EUR)
- An execution is one run of a whole workflow, whatever the number of steps.
- Cloud prices are the annual-billed monthly figures. The page text does not list monthly-billed rates.
- Self-hosted Community Edition is free to license. Business and Enterprise licences are priced through sales and are not modeled.
If the numbers point to n8n and you want it built and maintained for you, see our custom workflow automation service. Custom Workflow Automation.
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