Eltherion
Free estimate

FREE TOOL

Zapier vs Make vs n8n Cost Calculator

Enter how many workflow runs you have a month and how many steps each takes. See the plan each platform needs and what it costs, from their published prices (checked November 3, 2026), next to a custom build over three years.

The same workload can cost 7.6 times as much depending on the platform. At 5,000 runs a month with 5 action steps each, on annual billing, Zapier Professional is $289 a month, n8n Pro is $50 and Make Core is $38.

Your automations

One run = one new lead, order, form or row going through a workflow.

Steps after the trigger: create the contact, send the email, post to Slack…

Sizes the custom build: one integration per app.

Billing

What it costs · prices checked November 3, 2026

Platform and planBilled usagePer month3 years
Zapier Professional25,000 tasksplan covers 50,000$289$10,404
Make Core● LOWEST30,000 creditsplan covers 40,000$38$1,368
n8n Pro5,000 executionsplan covers 10,000$50$1,800
Custom build (Eltherion estimate)no per-run fees$28k–$70k once,
then $595–$1,225/mo		$49k–$114k

At this volume Make is the cheapest option. Stay on a platform unless the automations break often or need logic it can't handle. Make counts the trigger as a credit; Zapier doesn't; n8n counts whole runs.

Keep this estimate

Book a call about this estimate

Not sure which of your workflows are worth automating, or rebuilding? Get a free 30-minute audit and a written plan, including when to stay on Zapier or Make.

Get the free audit

How each platform bills

The three platforms charge for different units, which is why the same workload costs so differently. For R runs a month with S action steps each:

  • Zapier tasks = R x S. The trigger is free, and so are utility steps like Filter, Formatter and Delay. (Zapier help)
  • Make credits = R x (S + 1). The trigger module counts too. (Make help)
  • n8n executions = R. One per workflow run, however many steps. (n8n pricing)

The calculator picks the smallest published tier that covers that usage: Zapier Professional (Team when more than one person edits), Make Core up to 300,000 credits and Pro above that, and n8n Starter or Pro in the cloud, then n8n Business (self-hosted) above 50,000 executions. Prices are US prices from zapier.com/pricing, make.com/pricing and n8n.io/pricing, checked . The custom row is Eltherion's own estimate range for an internal automation service from the software development cost calculator model, plus maintenance and hosting.

Worked examples

A small team's lead and invoice automations

500 runs a month with 3 action steps each (for example: a new form lead creates a CRM contact, sends a welcome email and posts to Slack), billed annually.

  • Zapier: 1,500 tasks a month, Professional plan at $39 a month ($1,404 over 3 years)
  • Make: 2,000 credits a month, Core plan at $12 a month ($432 over 3 years)
  • n8n: 500 executions a month, Starter plan at $20 a month ($720 over 3 years)
  • Custom build: $26k to $65k once; $46k to $106k over 3 years

A growing service business

5,000 runs a month with 5 steps each across 4 apps, billed annually, one person editing.

  • Zapier: 25,000 tasks a month, Professional plan at $289 a month ($10,404 over 3 years)
  • Make: 30,000 credits a month, Core plan at $38 a month ($1,368 over 3 years)
  • n8n: 5,000 executions a month, Pro plan at $50 a month ($1,800 over 3 years)
  • Custom build: $28k to $70k once; $49k to $114k over 3 years

High-volume order processing

50,000 runs a month with 6 steps each across 6 apps, billed annually, a team editing the workflows.

  • Zapier: 300,000 tasks a month, Team plan at $1,199 a month ($43,164 over 3 years)
  • Make: 350,000 credits a month, Pro plan at $533 a month ($19,188 over 3 years)
  • n8n: 50,000 executions a month, Pro plan at $120 a month ($4,320 over 3 years)
  • Custom build: $32k to $80k once; $56k to $130k over 3 years

Common questions

Is Zapier, Make or n8n cheapest?
It depends on how many steps each workflow has. n8n bills one execution per workflow run however many steps it has, so it is usually cheapest for long workflows. Make bills a credit for every module run, including the trigger, and is usually cheaper than Zapier at the same volume. Zapier bills a task for every action step but not the trigger or utility steps like Filter and Formatter. Enter your own runs and steps above to see the plan each one needs.
How does Zapier count tasks?
A task is any successful action that runs in a Zap. Triggers never use tasks, and neither do failed actions, steps skipped by a Filter or Paths, or utility steps such as Formatter, Filter, Paths and Delay. AI by Zapier steps use more than one task per run depending on the model. Source: Zapier's help center, checked November 3, 2026.
How does Make count credits?
Make bills credits; by default one operation is one credit. An operation is a single module run: the trigger runs once per check, and every other module runs once per bundle it receives. Routers and error handlers are free. Make's AI modules are charged by tokens, and the Make Code app costs 2 credits per second. Source: Make's help center, checked November 3, 2026.
How does n8n count executions?
One execution is one run of an entire workflow, regardless of how many steps it has or how much data it processes. n8n's cloud Starter and Pro plans are capped at their execution limit. The Community Edition is free to self-host, but the server, database, backups and upkeep are yours. Source: n8n's pricing page, checked November 3, 2026.
What does 10,000 automations a month cost on each platform?
On annual billing, Zapier Professional with 10,000 tasks is $129 a month, Make Core with 10,000 credits is $12 a month (US price), and n8n Pro with 10,000 executions is $50 a month. Those units aren't equal: 10,000 Zapier tasks is 2,000 runs of a 5-step workflow, while 10,000 n8n executions is 10,000 runs of any length.
When is a custom automation cheaper than Zapier or Make?
When volume is high, workflows are long, or the platform bill grows every year as you add steps and users. A custom build costs more up front but has no per-run fees. It also makes sense, whatever the price, when the platforms can't handle your logic, data rules or error handling. At low volume the platforms almost always win, and the calculator will say so.
What does the calculator leave out?
Zapier Agents and Chatbots and n8n's AI credits are billed separately; Make's empty polling checks can add credits on frequent schedules; and the platforms' Enterprise plans are quoted through sales. Custom-build figures are Eltherion's estimate ranges for an internal automation service (MVP scope, one integration per connected app), not a fixed quote.

Related guides

Related: AI automation services · free 30-minute automation audit · AI automation by industry