Automation comparison · 2026
Zapier vs n8n (2026 Comparison)
Side-by-side: pricing, features, pros, cons, and our editorial winner for automation.
Winner summary
Zapier wins overall
Scoring 9.2/10 vs 8.8/10 in our 2026 review.
Cheaper
Zapier
Higher rated
Zapier
Better free tier
Zapier
Feature comparison
| Dimension | Zapier | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| ProductsVerdict score | 9.2/10 | 8.8/10 |
| User rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Starting price | $19.99/mo | $20/mo |
| Free trial | Free plan | Self-host free |
| Best for | Small teams automating across SaaS | Developers & privacy-first teams |
| Badge | Editor's Choice | — |
Zapier key features
- 6,000+ app integrations
- Multi-step Zaps
- AI Actions
- Webhooks
- Conditional logic
n8n key features
- Self-hosted option
- 400+ nodes
- Code nodes (JS/Python)
- AI agent nodes
- Fair-code license
Zapier — pros & cons
Pros
- Largest app ecosystem
- Easiest to learn
- Reliable execution
Cons
- Task-based pricing scales fast
- Limited data transforms vs Make
n8n — pros & cons
Pros
- Self-hostable
- Free if self-hosted
- Code + no-code hybrid
Cons
- Requires technical setup for self-host
- Smaller community
When to pick which
Choose Zapier if…
- Lead routing
- Sales automation
- Notifications
- Data sync
- Marketing automation
Choose n8n if…
- Workflow automation
- AI agents
- Internal tools
- API orchestration