If you've started looking into automating parts of your business, two names keep coming up: Zapier and n8n. They do similar things (connect your apps and automate repetitive tasks) but they work very differently under the hood.
I'm not going to tell you one is better than the other. That depends on your business, your budget, and how comfortable you are with technology. What I will do is give you an honest breakdown so you can pick the right one.
What These Tools Actually Do
Both Zapier and n8n are automation platforms. They connect the software you already use (Gmail, Google Sheets, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Slack, your CRM) and move data between them automatically.
Example: A lead fills out your website contact form. The automation creates a new contact in HubSpot, sends you a Slack notification, adds a row to your tracking spreadsheet, and fires off a welcome email. All without you lifting a finger.
That's what both tools do. The difference is in how they do it.
Zapier: The Easy Button
What it is: A cloud-based automation platform. Everything runs on Zapier's servers. You build automations (called "Zaps") through a point-and-click interface in your browser.
Founded: 2011. It's the original and most widely known automation tool.
Zapier Pros
Dead simple to use. If you can use a website, you can use Zapier. The interface walks you through each step. Pick your trigger app, pick your action app, map the fields, turn it on. Most people build their first Zap in under 15 minutes.
Massive app library. Zapier connects to over 6,000 apps. If you use a piece of software, Zapier almost certainly supports it. This is its biggest competitive advantage, and the breadth of integrations is unmatched.
Reliable and managed. Zapier handles all the infrastructure. It monitors your automations, retries failures, and sends you alerts when something breaks. You never think about servers, updates, or uptime.
Great templates. Zapier has thousands of pre-built templates for common workflows. "Send a Slack message when I get a new Google Form response." That's a one-click setup.
AI features. Zapier has added AI-powered features like natural language automation building and an AI code step. You can describe what you want in plain English and it helps build the Zap.
Zapier Cons
It gets expensive fast. This is the big one. Here's the pricing breakdown:
- Free: 100 tasks/month, 5 single-step Zaps
- Starter ($19.99/mo): 750 tasks/month, multi-step Zaps
- Professional ($49/mo): 2,000 tasks/month, advanced logic
- Team ($69.50/mo): 2,000 tasks/month, shared workspaces
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
A "task" is every action in your Zap. A 5-step automation that runs 20 times a day uses 100 tasks per day, or 3,000 per month. That pushes you to the Professional plan fast. For busy businesses, Zapier can easily cost $100-300/month.
Limited complexity on lower plans. Free and Starter plans have restrictions on multi-step Zaps, conditional logic, and custom code. The features you'll eventually want are locked behind higher tiers.
You're renting, not owning. If you stop paying, your automations stop running. There's no way to export your Zaps and run them elsewhere.
n8n: The Power Tool
What it is: An open-source automation platform with a visual workflow builder. You can self-host it for free or use their cloud service.
Founded: 2019. Newer, but growing fast in the small business and developer community.
n8n Pros
Free to self-host. The core software is open source. You can run it on a $5-10/month server (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.) and automate to your heart's content with no per-task fees. If you're running hundreds of automations, this saves serious money.
No task limits. This is huge. Whether your automation runs 10 times or 10,000 times a month, the cost doesn't change. For businesses with high-volume workflows (lots of transactions, leads, or messages), this is a game-changer.
More powerful workflow logic. n8n's visual builder handles complex branching, loops, error handling, and sub-workflows natively. You can build sophisticated automations that would require Zapier's most expensive plans, or wouldn't be possible at all.
You own it. Your workflows, your data, your server. If n8n the company disappeared tomorrow, your automations would keep running. You're not dependent on a subscription to keep your business processes alive.
Growing app library. n8n supports over 400 integrations natively, plus you can connect to virtually anything via HTTP requests and webhooks. It's not 6,000 like Zapier, but it covers the tools most small businesses actually use.
n8n Cons
Steeper learning curve. Let's be honest: n8n is harder to learn than Zapier. The interface is powerful but less hand-holding. You'll probably spend a few hours watching tutorials before you're comfortable. If you've never touched a technical tool, this can be intimidating.
Self-hosting requires some tech comfort. Running your own server means occasional maintenance: updates, backups, and monitoring uptime. n8n Cloud ($20/mo+) eliminates this, but then you're paying for hosting just like Zapier.
Smaller community and fewer templates. Zapier has years of head start in community templates, tutorials, and support forums. n8n's community is active and helpful, but smaller. You'll find fewer "copy this exact workflow" resources.
Some integrations require more setup. Where Zapier might have a polished, one-click integration with a niche tool, n8n might require you to use a generic HTTP node and configure the API connection manually. It works, but it's more effort.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Let's compare them on the factors that matter most to small business owners.
Ease of Use
Zapier wins. It's not close. Zapier was designed for non-technical users from day one. If ease of use is your top priority and you don't want to learn anything new, Zapier is your tool.
n8n is approachable for someone willing to invest a few hours learning, but it's noticeably more technical.
Pricing (Real-World Scenarios)
Scenario 1: Simple business (5-10 automations, ~500 tasks/month)
- Zapier: Free or Starter plan, $0-20/month
- n8n Cloud: $20/month
- n8n self-hosted: $5-10/month
At low volume, they're comparable. Zapier might even be cheaper.
Scenario 2: Growing business (20+ automations, 3,000+ tasks/month)
- Zapier: Professional plan, $49-99/month
- n8n Cloud: $20-50/month
- n8n self-hosted: $5-10/month
n8n starts pulling ahead significantly.
Scenario 3: Busy business (50+ automations, 10,000+ tasks/month)
- Zapier: Team/Enterprise: $200-500+/month
- n8n Cloud: $50-100/month
- n8n self-hosted: $5-10/month
At high volume, the difference is dramatic. This is where n8n's no-task-limit model really shines.
Reliability
Zapier wins slightly. Their infrastructure is battle-tested over a decade. Uptime is excellent, and their monitoring/alerting is top-notch.
n8n Cloud is reliable but younger. n8n self-hosted is as reliable as your server setup, which means it's on you to ensure uptime, backups, and monitoring.
Flexibility and Power
n8n wins. Complex branching, error handling, loops, sub-workflows, custom code in JavaScript or Python, and the ability to self-host and modify the source code. For advanced automations, n8n offers more capability at every price point.
App Integrations
Zapier wins. 6,000+ vs 400+. If you use niche or industry-specific software, Zapier is more likely to have a native integration. That said, n8n's HTTP/webhook nodes can connect to anything with an API. It just takes more effort.
So Which One Should You Pick?
Here's my straightforward advice:
Pick Zapier if:
- You're not technical and don't want to become technical
- You need integrations with niche or industry-specific tools
- Your automation volume is low (under 1,000 tasks/month)
- You want to be up and running in an afternoon
- You're willing to pay for convenience
Pick n8n if:
- You're comfortable learning new software (even if it takes a weekend)
- You have someone on your team who's moderately tech-savvy
- Your automation volume is high or growing fast
- You want to keep long-term costs low
- You need complex, multi-step workflows with branching logic
Pick both if:
- You want to prototype quickly in Zapier, then migrate proven workflows to n8n to save on costs. This is actually a common and smart approach.
The "Hire Someone" Option
Here's something nobody talks about enough: you don't have to set up either tool yourself. An automation consultant (like us) can build your workflows in whichever platform makes sense, hand you the keys, and teach you how to monitor them.
The consulting fee pays for itself quickly when you factor in the time you'd spend learning the tool, building workflows, debugging issues, and maintaining everything. For most small business owners, your time is better spent running your business.
Whether you choose Zapier or n8n, the important thing is that you start automating. Both tools are excellent. The wrong choice is neither.
Looking for a concrete use case to start with? Try automating invoice follow-ups, appointment reminders, or Gmail automations, all three work with either platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch from Zapier to n8n later?
Yes, but it's not a one-click migration. You'll need to rebuild your workflows in n8n. The logic transfers (the same trigger-action concepts apply), but you're rebuilding from scratch. If you're thinking about switching, it's usually best to migrate one workflow at a time while keeping both tools running in parallel.
Is n8n really free?
The self-hosted community edition is genuinely free and open source. You pay only for the server to run it on ($5-10/month typically). n8n Cloud is a paid service starting at $20/month that handles hosting for you. There's no catch. The open-source model is how n8n builds its community and funnels enterprise customers to paid plans.
What if I outgrow Zapier's free plan in the first month?
That's common and not a problem. Start with the free plan to learn and test. When you hit the task limit, you'll know exactly which automations are valuable to your business, and the $20/month Starter plan is easy to justify. Think of the free plan as a trial, not a long-term solution.
Do I need to know how to code to use either tool?
No coding required for either one. Zapier is entirely point-and-click. n8n is visual drag-and-drop. Both support custom code blocks if you want them, but the vast majority of small business automations (lead routing, email sequences, data syncing, reminders) need zero code in either platform.