Automate your business without code: Zapier, Make and n8n

Automating means letting an app do on its own what you now copy by hand: moving a lead from a form into the CRM, creating an invoice when a payment arrives or alerting the team when an order comes in. Zapier, Make and n8n all do this by connecting your apps. They agree on the what and differ on the how, especially on how they charge.

Zapier: the short path

In Zapier you build “Zaps”: a trigger, like a new form submission, and the actions that follow. It connects more than 9,000 apps and includes an AI assistant that builds the Zap from a plain description.

It charges per task: every action that runs counts. The free plan includes 100 tasks a month and only allows two-step Zaps. Professional starts around US$19.99 a month billed annually, and the price climbs with the tasks you need.

It fits if you want results today, your volume is low or the app you need to connect only shows up in its catalog.

Make: more control over the logic

Make uses a visual canvas where you build “scenarios.” You see each module, how data moves and where the flow branches with routers and filters. It connects more than 3,000 apps.

It charges in credits. The free plan includes 1,000 a month, though on that plan scenarios run at most every 15 minutes. Core starts around US$9 a month, and annual billing saves about 15%. Long scenarios, or ones with AI steps, burn through credits quickly.

It fits if your flows have conditions and branches, or if you run enough volume that Zapier already feels expensive. The learning curve is somewhat steeper.

n8n: your server, your rules

n8n is also a visual node editor, but you can write JavaScript or Python in any step. It includes nodes for building AI agents with memory and tools.

You can use it two ways. In their cloud, Starter costs about €20 a month billed annually and includes 2,500 executions; Pro runs about €50. Unlike Zapier, it charges per full workflow run, not per step. The Community edition is free when you self-host it, with no execution limit.

Two caveats. Its license is “fair-code,” not open source in the strict sense, and it restricts offering n8n as a service to third parties. Also, the interface and documentation are in English only.

It fits if someone on your team codes or is willing to learn, if your flows have many steps or if your data can't leave your infrastructure.

When to run it on your own server

Self-hosting changes the math. Instead of paying per task or per run, you pay for a server. At high volume, the difference can be large.

It makes sense when:

• You handle sensitive data, like patient records or a fintech's customer data, and don't want it passing through someone else's cloud.
• Your volume is high and per-task pricing has become your biggest software expense.
• You have someone technical who can install it with Docker, update it, back it up and keep it secure.

It doesn't make sense when nobody on the team can maintain it. A server that goes down at 2 a.m. is a cost too, even if it never shows up on an invoice.

A fourth option: Activepieces

If self-hosting appeals to you but your team isn't technical, look at Activepieces. Its editor follows Zapier's style, its core is open source under the MIT license, and the interface is available in Spanish. Its cloud has a free plan with 1,000 credits a month.

It has fewer integrations than Zapier or Make, so first check that the apps you use are there.

How to choose

1. List the three automations that would save you the most time.
2. Check that your apps are in each tool's catalog.
3. Estimate how many tasks, credits or runs you'd use each month.
4. Try the simplest option that covers your apps, and switch when price or limits start to pinch.

Prices in this guide are approximate. Confirm them on each tool's website.