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Comparison

n8n vs Zapier — pricing, features, and verdict

Zapier is the fastest way to connect two SaaS apps if you've never automated anything before. n8n is the right answer once your automation hits more than a handful of steps, needs branching or loops, or starts costing real money on per-task plans. The crossover usually happens around the 50,000-tasks-per-month line.

n8n

This one

Open-source workflow automation with 400+ nodes, self-hostable for free, unlimited executions on your own server. Pair with pre-built templates from n8n Template Store for instant time-to-value.

Pricing: n8n: free self-hosted, n8n Cloud from €20/mo. n8n Template Store templates: one-time $7–$29 each, bundle covers full catalog.

Zapier

SaaS automation platform with the broadest integration catalog (7,000+ apps). Per-task pricing, no self-hosting, optimised for the no-code beginner.

Pricing: Free tier (single-step Zaps only), Professional from $19.99/mo (2,000 tasks), Team from $69/mo, Enterprise custom.

Feature matrix

Side-by-side comparison

Featuren8nZapier
Self-hostable
n8n self-host runs on a $5–$10/mo VPS with unlimited executions.
YesNo
Pricing modelFree self-hosted; one-time template purchasePer-task subscription ($19.99–$799/mo)
Integration count400+ native nodes + HTTP Request for any REST API7,000+ pre-built app integrations
Branching (if / switch / multi-path)YesPaths feature — Professional plan and above
Loops & iteration over arraysYesLimited (beta Looping feature)
Inline code (JavaScript / Python)JavaScript or Python in every Code nodeCode by Zapier (sandboxed, time-limited)
Sub-workflows / reusable componentsYesNo
Error handling & retry policiesPer-node retries + dedicated error triggersBasic retries, no error-trigger workflows
Data residencyYour server (self-hosted) or EU (n8n Cloud)US or EU (plan-dependent), Zapier-hosted
Learning curveModerateLow
Ready-made workflow templatesYes — n8n Template Store catalog, one-time purchaseVendor template gallery (varies in depth)
Why pick n8n

Where n8n + n8n Template Store wins

Zero per-task meter

Self-hosted n8n runs unlimited executions on a $5/mo VPS. A workflow that processes 5,000 form submissions through 4 steps would burn 20,000 Zapier tasks in a day — that's the entire Professional plan in one day. n8n removes that meter entirely.

Loops and branching are first-class

Iterating over an array in n8n is one node. In Zapier, looping over more than ~10 items requires the beta Looping feature plus workarounds. Multi-path workflows are gated behind Professional or higher.

Inline JavaScript in every node

Need to reshape JSON, parse a malformed date, or call a private API? Drop in a Code node. Zapier's Code by Zapier exists but is sandboxed, time-limited, and feels bolted on. n8n's Code node is part of the canvas.

Pre-built templates that drop in

n8n Template Store sells the workflow JSON directly — import it, paste credentials, activate. No marketplace markup on every execution.

Honest tradeoffs

When Zapier wins

Zapier wins when you need a one-step integration with a niche SaaS that has no public API but has a Zapier connector. The 7,000+ app catalog covers tools that n8n can only reach via custom HTTP requests.

Choose Zapier if

You need a single-step automation between two SaaS tools, you have zero developer time, and your monthly task volume is under 750.

Choose n8n if

You're running more than 5,000 tasks/month, you need branching or loops, you want your data on your own server, or you'd rather pay once for a template than pay per task forever.

FAQ

About this comparison

Can n8n really replace Zapier for most use cases?
Yes for the majority of workflow shapes (CRM sync, form-to-Slack, drip campaigns, scheduled reports, AI pipelines). Zapier still wins on niche SaaS connectors where n8n doesn't have a native node — but the n8n HTTP Request node can call any REST API, so the gap is smaller than the app count suggests.
How much does it cost to self-host n8n compared to Zapier?
A $5–$10/month Hetzner or DigitalOcean VPS handles n8n with unlimited workflows and executions. The same workload on Zapier Professional ($49/mo) caps at 2,000 tasks; Team ($69/mo) at 50,000. Heavy users routinely hit $100–$300/mo on Zapier — self-hosted n8n stays flat.
Is the learning curve much steeper on n8n?
Moderately. Zapier hides every workflow behind a step-by-step wizard; n8n shows the full graph. Once you've built two or three workflows the graph is faster to debug than the wizard, but the first one takes longer.
Where do n8n Template Store templates fit in?
They're the equivalent of Zapier's pre-built Zap templates — except you own the workflow JSON outright, can edit any node, and pay once instead of per-month.