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n8n vs Zapier
n8n scores higher overall (8.5 vs 8.2), but the right pick depends on what you need.
Choose n8n if…
Technical teams who want full control over AI agents, data and hosting
8.5/10★★★★★Full review →Choose Zapier if…
Non-technical teams who want the widest app coverage and the fastest setup
8.2/10★★★★★Full review →Side by side
| n8n | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.5/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 10 | #3 of 10 |
| Price | Freemium · from €20/month | Freemium · from $19.99/month |
| Free version | Community Edition is free to self-host, with no execution limits | 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps, Agents with 400 activities a month |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web |
| Made by | n8n GmbH | Zapier, Inc. |
| Automation power | 9 | 8 |
| Ease of use | 6.5 | 9.5 |
| Features | 9 | 8.5 |
| Value for money | 9 | 6 |
| Platforms | 9 | 10 |
n8n: what the AI does
- AI Agent node with tools and memory
- MCP server and client support
- Local models via Ollama when self-hosted
- Human-in-the-loop approvals for agent actions
- AI Assistant for building workflows
- Free to self-host, so data stays on your own servers
- Most flexible agent building here, with code wherever you need it
- Charges per workflow run, not per step, which is cheap for long workflows
- Huge community (200,000+ members, 200K+ GitHub stars)
- Steepest learning curve of the mainstream tools
- Fewer pre-built integrations (500+) than Zapier or Make
- Self-hosting means you handle updates and maintenance
Zapier: what the AI does
- Zapier Agents that work across connected apps
- Copilot builds Zaps and agents from plain English
- AI by Zapier steps inside workflows
- AI chatbots trained on your own docs
- Agent templates for leads, support and sales
- Largest integration catalogue of any tool here (9,000+ apps)
- Easiest builder to learn, with Copilot doing much of the setup
- Agents, chatbots, Tables and Forms in one account
- Usable free plan
- Most expensive per task; costs climb quickly at volume
- Cloud only, with no self-hosting
- Agent capabilities are less flexible than n8n or Make