What does workflow automation cost?
Short answer
Entry tool plans are $9 a month on Make, €20 on n8n and $19.99 on Zapier, billed annually, and rise with usage. A fixed-scope build is a one-time price, quoted after a review of the workflow, that grows with the systems it spans. A full-time systems analyst’s or developer’s median wage alone is $105,850 to $135,980 a year. The cheapest option depends on how many systems the job crosses and who keeps it running.12345
- Zapier
- Make
- n8n
- LOJIK build
- Full-time hire
Side by side
What you get, what you pay
Plans, prices and who does the work, row by row. Numbers link to the page they came from.
| Zapier | Make | n8n | LOJIK build | Full-time hire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Tasks: each unit of work completed. Triggers don’t count.3 | Credits: one per module action, like adding a row or fetching data.1 | Executions: one run of the whole workflow, however many steps.2 | The build, once, at a scope you approve. | Salary and benefits, all year. |
| Entry price | Pro: $19.99 a month billed annually, or $29.99 monthly, for 750 tasks.3 | Core: $9 a month billed annually, or $10.59 monthly, at 10k credits.1 | Starter: €20 a month billed annually for 2.5K executions.2 | A one-time fixed price for one connection between systems, quoted after we review your workflow. | Median wage $105,850 for computer systems analysts and $135,980 for software developers (May 2025).45 |
| Free option | 100 tasks a month on two-step Zaps.3 | 1,000 credits a month and 2 active scenarios.1 | Self-hosted Community Edition for internal business use. You run the server.6 | None. | None. |
| Bigger jobs | Team: $69 a month billed annually for 2,000 tasks and 25 users.3 | Pro $16 and Teams $29 a month billed annually, at 10k credits.1 | Pro €50 a month billed annually for 10K executions.2 | Still one-time and fixed, quoted after the review. The price grows when several systems sync, and again when the build includes a portal your customers use. | Benefits add to the wage: they were 30.0% of private-industry compensation costs in June 2026.7 |
| Who builds and runs it | You. | You. | You, plus the server if you self-host. | LOJIK builds it. Your team runs it with a documented handoff, or LOJIK manages it. | Your employee. |
LOJIK figures come from LOJIK's approved price book and are estimates until a LOJIK expert reviews the workflow.
Honest answer
When each one is the better choice
Each option wins somewhere. Two or more of these holding is a good sign it fits.
Zapier
- A few steps between popular apps, built by someone non-technical.
Make
- Branching logic and data transforms at a low entry price, with someone technical-minded to build it.
n8n
- Long workflows that run often, since a run costs the same however many steps it has. Best with an engineer who can self-host.2
LOJIK build
- One defined job across your core system and several other tools, with a person approving changes to money or customer records.
Full-time hire
- Automation is a full-time backlog all year, and you want the knowledge in-house.
Your plan
Start from your industry
Each link opens the plan builder with the builds this page is about already picked.
Questions
Asked and answered.
Tell us about the job. We will say plainly whether a tool is enough.
Talk it throughHow much does workflow automation cost for a small business?
On a tool, entry paid plans are $9 a month on Make, €20 on n8n and $19.99 on Zapier (billed annually), and rise with usage. A fixed-scope build from LOJIK is a one-time price, quoted after we review the workflow, and it depends on how many systems the build spans. A full-time systems analyst’s or developer’s median wage is $105,850 to $135,980 a year before benefits.12345
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
For long workflows it can be, because n8n bills per run of the whole workflow while Zapier bills per task. For a two-step job the difference is small, and Zapier’s free plan may cover it.23
Is self-hosted n8n free?
The Community Edition is free to self-host for internal business use under n8n’s Sustainable Use License. You pay for and maintain the server, and the license bars hosting n8n and charging others to use it.6
Why would a build cost more than a tool?
A tool plan rents you the building blocks and you do the work. A build includes the scoping, the connections between your systems, a human review step anywhere money or customer records change, and a documented handoff.
Sources
Every figure, dated
Each number on this page links here. Prices change, so every source shows when we last read it.
- Make pricing checked Sep 17, 2026
- n8n pricing checked Sep 17, 2026
- Zapier pricing checked Sep 17, 2026
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Computer systems analysts checked Sep 17, 2026
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Software developers checked Sep 17, 2026
- n8n Sustainable Use License checked Sep 17, 2026
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation checked Sep 17, 2026
Product names are trademarks of their owners. LOJIK is not affiliated with them.
Compare
Keep comparing
- Who should automate your workflows?Upwork, Toptal, a Zapier or Make partner, an in-house hire or a fixed-scope build: what each costs, who scopes the job and who keeps it running. Fees checked against each source.UpworkToptalZapier or Make partnerIn-house hireLOJIK buildChecked Sep 17, 20268 dated sources
- Zapier, Make or n8n?Zapier bills tasks, Make bills credits, n8n bills executions. See what your workflow would use on each, with prices checked against each vendor's pricing page.ZapierMaken8nLOJIK buildChecked Sep 17, 20264 dated sources
- Zapier or a custom build?When Zapier is enough, when a fixed-scope build is worth it, and what each costs, with Zapier's prices checked against its own pricing page.ZapierLOJIK buildChecked Sep 17, 20262 dated sources
Weighing something else?
Apps, automations, integrations or a whole system: tell us what you are choosing between. We will say when a tool is enough and what a build would cost.