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Zapier vs Make vs n8n task pricing calculator

Plug in your monthly task volume and how many steps the average workflow has. The calculator picks the tier each platform would actually bill you at, shows effective monthly cost and price per task side by side, and marks which one wins - plus the volumes where the ranking flips.

Zapier: tasks = each step run. Make: operations = each module run. n8n: executions = full workflow runs.
Used to normalise n8n executions. n8n charges per full run regardless of steps; Zapier and Make charge per step.
Affects Zapier plan gating (free = 2-step Zaps only). Make and n8n have no active-scenario caps on paid plans.
Annual billing saves ~15-33% on most plans. Monthly shown for comparison.
Premium apps (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) require Professional or higher on Zapier.

Pricing verified 2026-05-12. Sources: zapier.com/pricing, make.com/en/pricing, n8n.io/pricing. Re-verify before quoting; pricing changes without notice.

How the numbers are calculated

The unit problem. These three platforms charge for different things. Zapier charges per task (each individual step that runs in a Zap). Make charges per operation (each module that executes in a scenario - same concept, different name). n8n Cloud charges per execution (one full workflow run, regardless of how many steps it has). The calculator normalises everything into a common basis using your average steps per workflow.

Unit normalisation

Your input is "monthly task volume" which represents the total number of individual steps run across all workflows. Given your average steps per workflow:

Example: 10,000 tasks/month with 5 steps per workflow = 10,000 Zapier tasks, 10,000 Make operations, 2,000 n8n executions. n8n's per-execution pricing means step-heavy workflows get cheaper per-task faster than Zapier or Make.

Zapier tier selection

Zapier Professional pricing (annual billing) tiers by task volume:

The calculator picks the cheapest plan that covers your task volume. If you need premium connectors, the free tier is excluded. Monthly billing adds approximately 33% to the annual prices above.

Make tier selection

Make charges per operation (module execution). Base plan pricing (monthly billing):

Beyond 10,000 operations, additional operations are available via Make's credit/operation add-ons. The calculator estimates additional operation cost at $0.001 per operation beyond the plan base (Make's approximate per-operation rate at scale; verify current rates at make.com). Annual billing saves approximately 15%.

n8n Cloud tier selection

n8n charges per workflow execution (one full run, any number of steps). Pricing in euros, converted at €1 = $1.10:

These are annual billing rates. n8n does not publish self-serve monthly billing rates; the annual price is the standard listed price. The Business tier is a significant jump - most teams at that volume evaluate self-hosted n8n (free) instead.

Effective price per task

Monthly cost divided by the number of Zapier-equivalent tasks (steps) the plan covers at your volume. This normalises across the three different unit systems so you can compare apples to apples. A lower price per task is better.

Break-even notes

The calculator shows at what task volume each platform's ranking changes relative to the current cheapest option. These flip points shift when you change billing period, steps per workflow, or whether you need premium connectors.

What this calculator does not include

FAQ

Why does n8n come out so much cheaper at high volume?

Because n8n Cloud charges per workflow execution, not per step. A 10-step workflow on n8n costs the same as a 1-step workflow - one execution. On Zapier and Make, the same workflow costs 10 tasks or 10 operations. The more steps your workflows have, the bigger the n8n advantage. At low step counts (1-2 steps per workflow), the difference narrows significantly.

When should I pick Make over Zapier?

Make tends to win at mid-volume when your workflows have many branching steps and you do not need premium connectors. Make Core at $9/mo gives 10,000 operations - substantially more than Zapier Professional 750 at $19.99/mo for 750 tasks. Make also handles complex multi-path scenarios (routers, iterators) that would chew through Zapier task counts faster. Zapier wins on app breadth, trigger reliability, and ease of use for non-technical users.

What counts as a task on Zapier vs an operation on Make?

They are effectively the same thing: each individual step (action or trigger) that runs counts as one unit. A Zap with a trigger + 3 actions costs 3 Zapier tasks per run (the trigger is free). A Make scenario with 4 modules costs 4 operations per run. The naming is different, the billing unit is nearly identical.

Does n8n have a free cloud tier?

No public free tier on n8n Cloud - the lowest paid plan is Starter at €20/mo. n8n does have a free self-hosted community edition. If budget is the primary constraint at low volume, Zapier Free (100 tasks/mo) or Make Free (1,000 operations/mo) are the entry points.

What is the trigger frequency input for?

It affects Make specifically. Make Free plan checks for new data at most every 15 minutes. Make Core, Pro, and Teams support 1-minute polling. If your use case requires near-real-time triggers (under 5-minute polling), Make Free is eliminated. Zapier and n8n support instant/webhook triggers on all paid plans.

Can I share my scenario with a colleague?

Yes - the URL updates as you change inputs. Copy the address bar and the link reproduces your exact scenario. There is also a “Copy as Markdown” button for pasting into Slack, Notion, or a team doc.

Need help picking the right platform?

The pricing comparison is only one dimension. Connector availability, trigger reliability, team permissions, and build complexity all matter. AutomateLab runs platform selection engagements as a fixed-scope advisory - we map your workflows to the best fit and build the migration plan.

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