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AI Tool Comparison
n8n vs Zapier
A side-by-side breakdown to help you pick the right tool for your workflow.
n8n
Visually connect apps, APIs, and AI models into multi-step automations — free and self-hostable, or run on Cloud with per-execution pricing.
Automation
freemium
Zapier
Connect 9,000+ apps to automate multi-step workflows without code — and now build AI teammate Agents that research leads, draft emails, and hand tasks to each other autonomously.
Automation
freemium
Bottom Line
n8n and Zapier are rated evenly — the right pick comes down to which workflow you're running.
Choose n8n if…
Automation
Choose Zapier if…
Automation
| Attribute | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation | Automation |
| Pricing | freemium | freemium |
| Pricing Detail | Free (self-hosted) / €20/mo Cloud Starter / €50/mo Cloud Pro | Free (100 tasks) / $19.99/mo Starter / $69/mo Team |
| Rating |
Key Features
n8n
- 400+ integrations
- AI nodes (LangChain)
- Self-hosting option
- Code nodes (JavaScript/Python)
- Complex branching logic
Zapier
- Connects 5000+ apps
- Zap builder
- Interfaces and Tables
- OpenAI integrations
- Multi-step workflows
Pros
n8n
- •Open source and self-hostable
- •More powerful than Zapier for technical users
- •AI nodes are excellent
- •Great value vs Zapier
Zapier
- •Massive app ecosystem
- •Extremely reliable
- •No-code required
- •Excellent documentation
Cons
n8n
- Higher technical bar than Zapier
- Self-hosting requires maintenance
- Debugging complex flows can be hard
Zapier
- Can get very expensive at scale
- Complex logic can be hard to build
- Customer support on lower tiers is slow