n8n leads for AI agents and self-hosting. Zapier offers the most integrations. Make provides the lowest cloud pricing. Full comparison updated April 2026.
$0 (self-host) - €667+/month (Business cloud)
Editorial · no paid placements
For most readers, n8n is the right pick across pricing, feature surface, and team fit.
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Pulled from each tool's verified-fact block. Updates here propagate site-wide from one source.
n8nMakeZapier| Fact | n8n | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flagship / model | Native AI Agent node with tool calling across supported LLM providers | Make | Zapier AI orchestration across Zaps, Agents, Tables, Interfaces, Chatbots, and Central |
| Best paid tier | Community self-host for technical teams; Pro cloud for active production; Business/Enterprise for SSO and scale | $0-$29+/month | Professional for multi-step Zaps and premium apps; Team for collaboration, SSO, and shared governance |
| Best for | Developer-friendly automation, self-hosted workflows, and AI agents with tool calling | Make is best for teams that want visual, multi-step automation across SaaS apps, APIs, routers, iterators, and data transformation without owning custom orchestration code. | No-code SaaS automation across the broadest long-tail app catalog |
n8n, Make, and Zapier remain the leading workflow automation platforms as of April 2026. n8n provides open-source self-hosting with unlimited executions at no cost, cloud plans from $20 monthly for 2,500 executions, and native AI agent support including tool use and RAG (n8n Pricing). Make delivers visual workflow design starting at $9 monthly for 10,000 operations (Make Pricing). Zapier maintains over 6,000 integrations with plans from $20 monthly for 750 tasks up to $299 for higher volumes (Zapier Pricing).
Select n8n for AI agents or self-hosting with unlimited automations. Select Zapier for broad integrations and simple use. Select Make for visual design at the lowest cloud cost.
| n8n | Make | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free self-host / $20-50/mo cloud | $9-145/mo | Free-$299+/mo |
| Best for | AI agents, self-hosting, complex workflows | Visual design, moderate complexity | Integrations, simple automations |
| Utility | 9/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Value | 10/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Moat | 7/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Longevity | 9/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 |
n8n excels in technical flexibility and AI features but requires coding skills; its self-hosting avoids per-execution fees, unlike cloud-only Make and Zapier. Make balances visual design and cost for mid-level needs, with more operations per dollar than Zapier. Zapier prioritizes integration breadth and ease, though task limits make it costlier at scale. AI support is strongest in n8n, basic in others. Workflow complexity peaks with n8n’s debugging and code, followed by Make, then Zapier.
Technical users building AI agents, needing self-hosting for privacy or unlimited scale, or handling complex code-based workflows.
Users seeking visual builders for moderate complexity at low cloud cost, with standard integrations.
Non-technical users requiring maximum app connections and simple trigger-action setups.
n8n suits AI and technical automation due to self-hosting and agent tools. Make offers value for visual cloud workflows. Zapier fits broad, easy integrations despite higher costs. Trends favor n8n for AI growth, Zapier for no-code markets.
Is n8n better than Zapier? n8n serves technical needs with AI agents, self-hosting, and complexity. Zapier fits non-technical users with 6,000+ integrations.
Is n8n or Make cheaper? n8n self-hosts free with unlimited use; cloud starts at $20 for 2,500 executions. Make cloud begins at $9 for 10,000 operations.
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