n8n vs Make vs Zapier in 2026: choosing an automation tool for a small business in the EU

Three tools, three ways of counting

All three work in a similar way: something starts the workflow, such as a new inquiry or a time on the calendar, and then a few steps run. What affects your bill most is the unit you pay for. In n8n a one-step workflow and a ten-step workflow cost the same; in Make and Zapier they don't.

• n8n counts executions. According to n8n, an execution is a single run of the entire workflow, no matter how many steps it has or how much data it processes.
• Make counts credits. Since August 27, 2025, credits have replaced operations as the billing unit. Every module action consumes credits: most actions use 1 credit, while some features using Make's AI Provider may use more. The Router module and error handler modules don't consume credits.
• Zapier counts tasks. A task is used when an action in a Zap completes successfully. Triggers don't use tasks, and neither does checking for new data. Some apps and actions may use more than one task.

Plans and prices in November 2026

Below is what the vendors' pricing pages showed when I opened them. Prices change, so check again before you buy.

• n8n Cloud has no free plan; there is a trial with no credit card and a limit of 1,000 executions. Starter: 20 EUR per month billed annually, 2,500 executions. Pro: 50 EUR per month billed annually, 10,000 executions. The Business plan (667 EUR per month billed annually, 40,000 executions) is available only as a self-hosted version. The page says annual billing saves 17% but does not list the monthly-billing amounts.
• Self-hosted n8n: without a license key it runs as the free Community edition.
• Make: the Free plan at 0 USD with 1,000 credits per month and a 15-minute minimum interval between runs. At 10,000 credits per month: Core 9 USD, Pro 16 USD and Teams 29 USD per month billed annually, or 10.59 USD, 18.82 USD and 34.12 USD with monthly billing.
• Zapier: the Free plan at 0 USD with 100 tasks per month and two-step Zaps, meaning a trigger and one action. Professional starts from 19.99 USD per month, Team from 69 USD per month. The Professional price depends on the task tier you pick, and the page says paying yearly saves 33%.

Worked example: 300 inquiries a month

Take a five-step workflow: a website form starts it, the data goes into a spreadsheet, the customer gets a confirmation email, the owner gets a notification, and a follow-up reminder appears in the calendar. I assume 300 inquiries a month and that each step uses one unit. This is an example, not a rule: a real workflow may include filters, loops or AI steps that are counted differently.

• n8n: 300 runs are 300 executions. That fits within the Starter plan (2,500 executions), i.e. 20 EUR per month billed annually.
• Make: 5 modules times 300 runs is 1,500 credits. The Free plan (1,000 credits) is not enough, so you need Core with 10,000 credits: 9 USD per month billed annually or 10.59 USD billed monthly.
• Zapier: the trigger doesn't use tasks, so 4 actions times 300 runs is 1,200 tasks. The Free plan is out, since it has 100 tasks and only two-step Zaps. The smallest Professional tier (750 tasks) is not enough either, so you need the 1,500-task tier. According to the plan data embedded in Zapier's pricing page, it costs 58.50 USD with monthly billing or 468 USD a year, which is 39 USD a month.

At low volume the price differences are small, and what matters more is your data and who will maintain the workflow. The more steps and inquiries you have, the more per-execution billing pays off.

Where customer data goes

A workflow that handles inquiries passes customers' names, emails and phone numbers through the tool. The vendor processes that data on your behalf, so it's worth knowing where it is stored and having a data processing agreement (DPA) with the vendor.

• n8n: on hosted plans, data is stored within the EU, on servers in Frankfurt, Germany. When self-hosted, the data is wherever you install n8n. n8n offers a pre-signed data processing agreement to download, countersign and return.
• Make: for each organization you choose the data center location, the United States or the European Union. The location cannot be changed after the organization is created, so make that choice deliberately at the very start.
• Zapier: data, including customers' personal data, is hosted on AWS servers in the United States, and Zapier does not offer an option to store data only within the EU. Zapier is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and provides its own DPA with Standard Contractual Clauses. It does not sign DPAs drafted by customers.

Self-hosting n8n: what the license allows

n8n is distributed under the Sustainable Use License, which n8n describes as a fair-code license. It allows you to use and modify the software only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use. According to n8n's FAQ, a company can use it for internal business purposes as long as it doesn't make n8n available to its customers for them to connect their accounts and build workflows. If in doubt, n8n points to its license FAQ or to license@n8n.io.

For a typical small business automating its own inquiries, invoices and reports, that is internal use. You need a server for n8n to run on, and someone to install it, keep it updated and back it up. The cost is a small server plus the time to maintain it. In return, customer data stays on a server you choose yourself, including one in Poland.

AI features in 2026

All three tools now have built-in AI features. I describe only what the vendors state.

• n8n: every cloud plan includes the AI Agent node and AI steps, and the Starter and Pro plans include an Assistant (in preview) with a monthly credit allowance, for example 1,600 on Starter. Unused credits don't roll over.
• Make: Make AI Agents and Make AI Toolkit are available on all plans with Make's AI Provider. AI features may consume more credits than regular actions.
• Zapier: the Free plan includes the Zapier Copilot assistant, Professional adds AI fields, and Agents and Chatbots are separate add-ons with their own plans. AI steps are billed in the same tasks as everything else, and the rate depends on factors such as the AI model tier.

Which one fits your situation, and how to start

This is not a ranking. Each tool works best in a different situation.

• Low volume and nobody technical in the business: Make is the quickest to start and needs no server. The Free plan lets you test a simple workflow, and Core covers the 300-inquiry example. When creating the organization, pick the EU data center right away.
• You process customer data and want to keep it in-house: self-hosted n8n. In this situation I usually recommend n8n, because data stays on the server you choose and the cost doesn't grow with every step. The condition: someone has to look after that server.
• Many popular SaaS apps to connect: Zapier lists more than 9,000 apps, Make more than 3,500. If your tool is niche, check that it's on the list before you choose. With Zapier, remember that the data is in the US.
• Growing volume: count the steps. For workflows with many steps, per-execution billing in n8n usually works out better than paying for every step. In Zapier, a higher task tier means a lower cost per task.

To start, write down one process, count how many times a month it repeats and how many steps it has, then work out the usage as in the example above. One workflow tested for two weeks is worth more than several half-finished ones. I build automations in n8n and Make for small businesses, including on the client's own server. If you'd like me to assess which tool fits your process, write to me through the contact form.

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