n8n vs Zapier Pricing (2026): Plans Compared
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n8n vs Zapier

AI Automation pricing comparison · 2026

n8n pricing ranges from $0–$800/month, while Zapier ranges from $0–$69/month. Zapier is typically 52% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Option A

n8n

$0–$800
/month
5 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Option B

Zapier

$0–$69
/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

n8n and Zapier are both popular ai automation solutions, but they differ in pricing and approach. n8n starts free, paid from $24/mo while Zapier starts free, paid from $29/mo. This comparison breaks down every tier, hidden cost, and feature to help you pick the right tool for your budget.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan n8n Zapier
Community Edition (Self-Hosted) Free /month Free /month
Starter (Cloud) $24 /month $29 /month
Pro (Cloud) $60 /month $73 /month
Business (Cloud) $800 /month $99 /month
Enterprise (Cloud) Custom —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

n8n

7 scenarios
$10/month
Developer Self-Hosting on VPS
for hosting only. n8n Community Edition is free with unlimited executions. Requires ~5 hours/month for setup, updates, and maintenance.
$24/month
Small Team with Light Cloud Usage
for Starter (2,500 executions/month, 5 active workflows). Team must pause 5 workflows or upgrade to Pro ($60/month) for 15 active workflows if more are needed.
$60/month
Growing SaaS with Complex Automations
for Pro (10,000 executions/month, 15 active workflows). Must upgrade to Business ($800/month) for unlimited active workflows if exceeding 15, or optimize to pause inactive workflows.
See all 7 scenarios →

Zapier

11 scenarios
$0/month (free tier with basic features)
Solo / Getting Started
$73/month
Growing Business
$99/month
Enterprise Setup
See all 11 scenarios →

What Users Say

n8n

Trustpilot
2.1/5 (17)
Top complaints
  • Terrible customer support - emails ignored, no way to contact real people
  • Enterprise pricing is absurdly expensive compared to community/starter tiers
  • Account access issues with no resolution path

Zapier

Trustpilot
1.8/5 (25)
Top complaints
  • Strict no-refund policy on annual and monthly plans
  • Cost escalates rapidly as task volume and automation complexity grow
  • Outages and reliability issues causing duplicate records and workflow failures

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

n8n 4 hidden costs

critical
Enterprise Self-Hosted Licensing Costs $20,000-$50,000
low
Infrastructure Costs for Self-Hosting $3-$10/month
high
External API and Service Costs 5-50% of revenue
medium
Limited Support on Lower Tiers 5-15% of license costs
See all n8n hidden costs →

Zapier 10 hidden costs

high
Task Usage Cost Escalation 20-50% of license costs
high
No Refund Policy on Annual Plans $240-$828
medium
Multi-User Pricing Jump 30-100% of license costs
medium
Third-Party Integration Surcharges 5-20% of license costs
low
Free Plan Feature Gating and Forced Trial Pressure $240-$588
See all Zapier hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term n8n Zapier
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation Not specified in sources Not publicly stated; users report no partial refunds are issued at any point after billing
Minimum commitment Monthly or annual billing options available Annual (monthly billing available at higher rates)
Price escalation No published schedule, but enterprise pricing structure makes scaling expensive - users report dramatic price jumps from free/starter tiers to enterprise (from $20/month to $20,000/year) No published automatic uplift schedule; flat renewal rates available with pushback per Vendr
Can downgrade Yes Yes
Try n8n Free
Try Zapier Free

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