The Race · video notes
Zapier vs Make vs n8n: the math
The same job priced three ways. Below: the list prices, how each tool counts usage, and the math behind the numbers in the video. We did not build or time the workflow in the three tools, so nothing here is a test result.
The job
A lead fills in a website form → AI writes a 2-line summary → a CRM contact is created → a Slack message goes out. That's 1 trigger and 3 actions.
List prices
List prices as of 2026-10-08. Zapier and Make in US dollars, n8n in euros, as each vendor shows them. Taxes and local prices may differ.
| Plan | Price | Allowance | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier Free | $0 | 100 tasks/month | Two-step Zaps only (1 trigger + 1 action), so it can't run this 4-step flow |
| Zapier Professional | $19.99/mo billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly) | 750 tasks/month (entry tier) | 1 task per successful action step; triggers don't use tasks |
| Make Free | $0 | 1,000 credits/month | 2 active scenarios, 15-minute minimum interval |
| Make Core | $9/mo billed monthly (annual billing saves “15% or more”) | 10,000 credits/month | 1 credit per module action (credits were formerly called operations) |
| n8n Starter (cloud) | €20/mo billed annually | 2,500 executions/month | 1 execution = one run of the whole workflow, however many steps |
| n8n Pro (cloud) | €50/mo billed annually | 10,000 executions/month | Same as Starter |
| n8n Community Edition | Free, self-hosted | You run it | Free for your own internal business, non-commercial or personal use (Sustainable Use License) |
Our math: leads per month on the entry paid plan
Our math. Calculated from each vendor's own docs, not measured in a live account. Make's number is our estimate.
| Tool and plan | Usage per lead | Leads per month |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier Professional, AI step on Standard | 3 tasks (AI 1 + CRM 1 + Slack 1; trigger 0) | 750 ÷ 3 = 250 |
| Zapier Professional, AI step on Premium (the default) | 7 tasks (AI 5 + CRM 1 + Slack 1) | 750 ÷ 7 = 107 |
| Make Core | About 4 credits (trigger + 3 modules, AI with your own key) | 10,000 ÷ 4 ≈ 2,500 (our estimate) |
| n8n Starter | 1 execution | 2,500 |
The assumptions
- Zapier's AI step. AI by Zapier steps use tasks at a multiplier: Standard 1x, Advanced 3x, Premium 5x, your own AI key 1x. Zapier's help page says a new AI by Zapier step on a paid plan defaults to Premium. No tool calls are counted here.
- Make. Each module action counts as one credit; routers and error handlers don't. We counted the trigger as one credit per run. We haven't confirmed the per-lead figure on a real Make account, so treat 2,500 as an estimate.
- n8n. n8n's pricing page: “An execution is a single run of your entire workflow. It doesn't matter how many steps are in the workflow.”
- The AI bill. On Zapier the AI step is inside the task count. On Make with your own AI key, and on n8n with your own key, you usually pay the AI provider for tokens separately. n8n's cloud plans also include some AI models without your own key; the allowance isn't stated, so we don't count it.
- Hitting the limit. When a Zapier plan reaches its task limit, Zapier holds new runs until the cycle resets, unless pay-per-task overage is on.
Our pick
Small volume: Make. Zapier for app range (its pricing page says 9,000+ apps; Make's says 3,000+). n8n for long flows or self-hosting. That's our opinion from the numbers above, not a test result. Note the prices differ too: n8n's €20 and Zapier's $19.99 are both billed annually; Make's $9 is billed monthly.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these pages, opened on 8 October 2026. Things change: check the live page before you rely on it.
- Zapier pricing Plans, tasks, two-step Zaps on Free, 9,000+ apps, overage.
- Zapier help: how task usage is measured
- Zapier help: AI by Zapier task multipliers and default tier
- Make pricing Plans, credits, 3,000+ apps.
- Make help: credits What uses a credit; AI with your own key.
- n8n pricing Executions, plans, AI models on cloud plans.
- n8n docs: hosting (Community Edition)
- n8n Sustainable Use License
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