Documentation-based comparison
n8n versus Zapier
Compare documented scope and conditions. Unknowns remain unknown; different billing units do not establish a cost winner.
| Requirement | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From €24/mo | From $29.99/mo |
| Who it is for | Workflow automation priced by monthly workflow executions, regardless of complexity. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ | No-code automations that move data between 9,000+ apps to automate repetitive work. A Zap consists of a trigger and one or more actions. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier pricing page: plan comparison, FAQ and Agents plans |
| Coverage limits | The Business plan is available only for self-hosted n8n, not on n8n Cloud. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ | Every successful action uses its own task, so the monthly need is actions per run multiplied by runs per month. Failed actions do not count. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier pricing page: plan comparison, FAQ and Agents plans |
| Usage definition | One execution is one run of a whole workflow, however many steps it has or how much data it processes. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ | Trigger steps, Filter and Paths steps, failed or halted actions and skipped steps use no tasks; Tables, Forms, Formatter, Delay, Looping, Sub-Zap, Digest, Zapier Manager and Storage steps use no tasks; Zapier Agents use a separate activity quota, not tasks; Example: a Zap with two actions that runs ten times uses 20 tasks A task is any successful action. Some steps cost more: each lead routed by Lead Router uses 5 tasks and each Zapier MCP tool call uses 2. Zaps, AI steps, code, MCP and the SDK share one task allowance per account. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier help: how task usage is measured |
| Included volume | The n8n Cloud free trial includes 1,000 executions, 5 concurrent executions, a 180-second execution timeout and 1 team project. No credit card is required for the Cloud trial. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ
| Task tiers from 100 to 2M tasks a month, plus a custom task limit. The page does not print which tier each plan's starting price buys. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier pricing page: plan comparison, FAQ and Agents plans
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| Trigger polling | Each scheduled run is an execution: a daily schedule is 30 or 31 executions a month, and a 5-minute schedule about 8,600 to 8,900. No minimum schedule interval is stated. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ | Polling checks never use tasks; only successful actions do. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier help: how task usage is measured
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| Premium integrations | Every plan includes every integration, unlimited users and unlimited workflows. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ | Premium apps are available only on paid plans. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier pricing page: plan comparison, FAQ and Agents plans
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| Hosting responsibility | On n8n Cloud, n8n hosts and maintains the service; self-hosting means you provide and manage the infrastructure and maintenance. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n docs: choose n8n Cloud or self-hosted
| Not verified |
| AI charges | Assistant credits for AI-assisted building: 1,600 a month on Starter, 4,000 or 9,600 on Pro, none on Enterprise; Free trials include 800 Assistant credits; Credits refresh monthly, do not roll over, and extra credits can be bought; On self-hosted n8n you bring your own AI key and no credit limit applies Assistant is in preview. The price of extra credits is not stated. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · n8n pricing page with annual billing and FAQ | AI by Zapier steps and their tool calls use 1 task on standard models or with your own model provider (you also pay the provider), 3 tasks on advanced models and 5 on premium models. Tool calls are not available on the standard tier. Zapier MCP tool calls use 2 tasks each. Zapier says rates may change with notice. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier task usage rates for steps, AI, code and MCP
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| Overage charges |
| Tasks beyond the plan limit are charged separately through pay-per-task billing; Pay-per-task stops at three times the plan task limit; further runs are held until the billing cycle ends; Without pay-per-task, new Zap runs are held at the task limit until the billing cycle resets Pay-per-task tasks cost more than plan tasks; the rate depends on plan and billing cycle and is shown only in account billing settings. It is on by default for accounts created after January 2024. Verified Oct 11, 2026 · Zapier help: how task usage is measured |
| Coverage note | n8n Cloud stores data in the EU, on servers in Frankfurt, Germany. | Agent activities are a separate quota from Zap tasks. |
