Zapier, Make or n8n?
Short answer
Zapier counts each action step, Make each module action, n8n each whole run. On short workflows the difference is small. The more steps a run has, the more n8n’s per-run count favors you. A build fits when changes need a person’s approval or nobody in-house will run it.123
- Zapier
- Make
- n8n
- LOJIK build
Your usage
What your workflow would use
Set the steps in one run and how often it runs. Each tool counts them differently.
Steps per run
Count the trigger as step one.
Runs a month
Zapier
2,000 tasks
Past the 750 tasks in Pro’s listed price. Check Zapier’s pricing for your volume.1
A task is each action step that completes. The trigger and built-in tools like Filter don’t count.1
Make
2,500 credits
Within Core. $9 a month billed annually, at 10k credits.2
A credit is each module action, like adding a row or fetching data.2
n8n
500 executions
Within Starter. €20 a month billed annually for 2.5K executions.3
An execution is one run of the whole workflow, however many steps it has.3
Estimates from each vendor’s published counting rule. Steps that don’t run, and Zapier’s built-in tools, lower the count.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you’re billed for | Tasks: each action step that completes. Triggers and built-in tools like Filter don’t count.1 | Credits: each module action, like adding a row or fetching data.2 | Executions: one per run of the whole workflow, however many steps.3 | The build, once. Not billed per run. |
| Entry paid plan | Pro: $19.99 a month billed annually, or $29.99 monthly, for 750 tasks.1 | Core: $9 a month billed annually, or $10.59 monthly, at 10k credits.2 | Starter: €20 a month billed annually for 2.5K executions, 5 at a time.3 | A one-time fixed price for one connection between systems, quoted after we review your workflow. |
| Free option | 100 tasks a month on two-step Zaps.1 | 1,000 credits a month and 2 active scenarios, run at most every 15 minutes.2 | Community Edition, self-hosted, for internal business use.4 | None. |
| Limits to know | With pay-per-task billing on, tasks past your plan’s limit cost more each than the plan’s own.1 | A run stops at 40 minutes on paid plans, 5 minutes on Free.2 | The self-hosted license bars hosting n8n for others and charging them to use it.4 | You approve the scope, schedule and price before work starts. |
| 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. |
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
- Short automations between popular apps.
- Someone non-technical builds it and owns it.
Make
- Multi-step scenarios at a low entry price.
- Someone comfortable with logic builds it.
n8n
LOJIK build
- A person has to approve changes to money or customer records, and you want a log you can read.
- Nobody in-house has time to build it or keep it running.
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 throughWhat’s the difference between a task, a credit and an execution?
Zapier counts a task for each action step that completes; the trigger and built-in tools like Filter don’t count. Make counts a credit for each module action. n8n counts one execution per run of the whole workflow, however many steps it has.123
Is Make cheaper than Zapier?
At entry prices, Make’s Core is $9 a month billed annually for 10k credits and Zapier Pro is $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks. Make counts every module action, so compare them with your own steps and runs.21
Can someone build n8n workflows for my business?
Yes. n8n’s Sustainable Use License allows internal business use and consulting such as building workflows. It bars hosting n8n and charging others to access it.4
When does a tool stop being the right answer?
When a person has to approve changes to money or customer records and you need a record of what happened, or when nobody on the team has time to fix steps that break. That is the work a fixed-scope build takes on.
Sources
Every figure, dated
Each number on this page links here. Prices change, so every source shows when we last read it.
- Zapier pricing checked Sep 17, 2026
- Make pricing checked Sep 17, 2026
- n8n pricing checked Sep 17, 2026
- n8n Sustainable Use License checked Sep 17, 2026
Product names are trademarks of their owners. LOJIK is not affiliated with them.
Compare
Keep comparing
- 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
- What does workflow automation cost?What automation costs as a tool plan, a fixed-scope build or a full-time hire, with every price checked against its source and dated.ZapierMaken8nLOJIK buildFull-time hireChecked Sep 17, 20267 dated sources
- 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
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.