Zapier's task-based pricing is the usual trigger: a workflow that polls every fifteen minutes burns tasks whether or not anything happened.
Compare on how each tool counts work — per task, per operation, per run — not on the sticker price of the cheapest plan.
Side by side
| Tool | Pricing | Best for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make | Freemium | An operations person automating a multi-step workflow with conditions that a two-step tool cannot express. | Web |
| n8n | Freemium | A developer who wants automation workflows on their own server and will maintain them. | Web, Docker |
The options, and what each one costs you
- Better if
- An operations person automating a multi-step workflow with conditions that a two-step tool cannot express.
- You give up
- The interface is dense and error messages are unhelpful, so debugging a broken scenario can consume an afternoon.
- Better if
- A developer who wants automation workflows on their own server and will maintain them.
- You give up
- Self-hosting means maintaining a server, the hosted pricing is not the cheapest, and the community is smaller than the market leader's.
Frequently asked
What is the best alternative to Zapier?
It depends on what you are leaving for. Compare on how each tool counts work — per task, per operation, per run — not on the sticker price of the cheapest plan. Our closest match on features and price is Make.
Is there a free alternative to Zapier?
Make is free to start. n8n is free to start.
How much does switching from Zapier cost?
Migration is usually the expensive part, not the licence: exports rarely preserve permissions, history or automations. Budget a day per active workspace for anything with a database in it.
How we picked
Every tool here is in our No-Code & Automation directory, which means we have used it and written down where it falls short. Nothing on this page is sponsored, and the order is not for sale.