n8n vs Make vs Zapier: which one to pick in 2026?
n8n, Make and Zapier compared honestly on price, free tier, self-hosting, licence and client work. Updated automatically from our tool database.
In short
Pick n8n if you want to self-host or build automations for clients: the Community Edition has no licence fee. Pick Make if you want to build visually without your own server. Pick Zapier if you want to connect something simple today without technical skills. All three have a free way in.
- Fact-checked on 2 November 2026
All three connect apps and let AI do a step in your workflow. The difference is where it runs, how you pay and what you are allowed to do for clients.
- 1
n8nFor self-hosting and client work
+ Self-host without licence fees: you only pay for your server, however often your workflows run. · − Needs more technical skill, and version 3.0 (Dec 2026) breaks old workflows.
- Price from
- €20/month (Cloud Starter, billed yearly, 2,500 executions)
- Free tier
- yes (Community Edition: €0 licence, self-hosted; VPS ± €6-12/month)
- Self-host
- yes
- Licence
- Sustainable Use License
- Works in NL
- yes
- Checked
- 2 Nov 2026
- 2
MakeVisual, no server
+ Visual builder without a server, with a free plan to practise on. · − Bills in credits: every module action costs at least one, so the price grows with your volume.
- Price from
- $9/month (Core, billed yearly, 10,000 credits)
- Free tier
- yes (1,000 credits per month)
- Self-host
- no
- Licence
- propriëtair
- Works in NL
- yes
- Checked
- 2 Nov 2026
- 3
ZapierFastest start
+ Lowest barrier: start free, no server, no technical skills needed for simple integrations. · − You pay per task, so the price grows with your volume.
- Price from
- $19.99/month (Professional, billed yearly; $29.99 billed monthly)
- Free tier
- yes (100 tasks per month, two-step Zaps only)
- Self-host
- no
- Licence
- propriëtair
- Works in NL
- yes
- Checked
- 2 Nov 2026
Order = our advice for most readers. Prices as shown by the provider; ⚠ = not fully verified. Sources: n8n · Make · Zapier
The Make and Zapier starting prices assume yearly billing. According to the providers themselves, that saves you 15% (Make) and 33% (Zapier) compared with paying monthly.
Which one should you pick?
Section titled “Which one should you pick?”- You want to learn automation and have a VPS, or want to learn that too: n8n. Self-hosted, you pay no licence per execution; your server is the limit.
- You build automations for clients: n8n, and read the insider block below first.
- You want to build visually without managing a server: Make. Start with the free plan.
- You want to connect two apps today without technical skills: Zapier. The free tier is enough to try it. You pay per task, so work out your volume first.
- Not sure: build the same small workflow in two tools. After an hour you know which builder suits you.