Broadly speaking, the three platforms do the same thing: connect applications and execute steps. The differences show up when volume grows or when something fails at three in the morning.
The numbers, as of August 2026
| Platform | Entry paid plan | Included per month | Billing unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n Cloud | €20–24/mo | 2,500 executions | One full workflow run, however many steps it has |
| n8n self-hosted | €0 licence + €5–20/mo server | No platform limit | You only pay for the machine it runs on |
| Make | ≈$10–16/mo | 10,000 credits | Every module consumes one credit per item processed |
| Zapier | ≈$20–30/mo | 750 tasks | Every action step counts as a task |
The fine print matters more than the sticker price: a 20-step workflow that runs 1,000 times a month is 1,000 executions in n8n, but on the order of 20,000 credits in Make and thousands of tasks in Zapier. With long flows or high volume, the billing model decides your invoice long before the plan price does. Prices change: always check each platform's official page before deciding.
Cost per execution versus fixed cost
Platforms that charge per task reward simple flows and punish loops. The ones you can host yourself have a predictable fixed cost, in exchange for someone maintaining the infrastructure.
What happens when a step fails
This is the point almost nobody checks before deciding, and the one that hurts most afterwards. Check whether you can define retries, error routes and alerts, and whether the execution history lets you reconstruct what happened.
Where your data lives
If you handle personal data or sensitive information, it matters to know on which servers each step is processed and how long it is stored. Hosting the tool yourself completely changes that conversation.
Our rule of thumb
- Simple flows and few users: the fastest option to set up wins.
- High volume or branching logic: prioritize error handling and predictable cost.
- Sensitive data or compliance requirements: self-hosting.
- In every case: the flow should be documented and yours.