Zapier vs Make vs n8n vs Power Automate: automation pricing explained
Automation platforms connect your apps so work moves between them without copy and paste: a form fills a spreadsheet, a new lead gets an email, an invoice lands in a folder.
They price very differently. Some charge per task, some per scenario run, one can be self-hosted, and some only show yearly prices. Here is what each one costs today.
The quick answer
- Zapier, Make, n8n have a free plan; Microsoft Power Automate does not.
- Zapier: paid plans start at $19.99/month, billed yearly (Professional).
- Make: paid plans start at $11/month, billed yearly (Core).
- n8n: paid plans start at €20/month, billed yearly (Starter).
- Microsoft Power Automate: paid plans start at $15/month, billed yearly (Premium).
Plans and prices
| Tool | Plan | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Free | Free | 100 tasks/month |
| Professional | $19.99/month, billed yearly | Starting price; multi-step Zaps, premium apps | |
| Team | $69/month, billed yearly | Starting price; 25 users | |
| Make | Free | Free | 1,000 credits/month |
| Core | $11/month, billed yearly | 10,000 credits/month, unlimited active scenarios | |
| Pro | $20/month, billed yearly | 10,000 credits/month, priority execution, custom variables | |
| n8n | Community Edition (self-hosted) | Free | Free, self-hosted |
| Starter | €20/month, billed yearly | 2.5K executions/month | |
| Pro | €50/month, billed yearly | 10K executions/month | |
| Microsoft Power Automate | Premium | $15/month, billed yearly | Per user; cloud and attended desktop flows |
Prices from each vendor’s official pricing page. Yearly plans are shown as the monthly equivalent. Confirm on the official site before you buy.
What each platform is good for
Zapier
No-code automation platform that connects apps with multi-step workflows (Zaps).
- Connecting apps without code
- Lead routing
- Automating repetitive tasks
Make
Visual automation platform for building multi-app scenarios, with AI agent features.
- Complex multi step automations
- Data syncing between apps
n8n
Workflow automation platform you can self-host or use in the cloud, with AI agent features.
- Self hosted automations
- AI agent workflows
- Developer friendly integrations
Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft's low-code automation for cloud flows and desktop (RPA) flows.
- Automating Microsoft 365 processes
- Desktop RPA
Things to know before you choose
- Zapier: Free plan: 100 tasks/month, two-step Zaps
- Zapier: Paid prices start at the listed amount and rise with task volume
- Make: Free plan: 1,000 credits/month
- Make: Most actions cost 1 credit
- n8n: Cloud has no free plan (trial only); the free Community Edition is self-hosted
- n8n: Cloud prices are in EUR and billed annually
- Microsoft Power Automate: No free plan (30-day trial)
- Microsoft Power Automate: Premium is priced per user, paid yearly
How to choose
- Count how many times a month each automation will run, then check what each plan includes. Usage limits matter more than the headline price.
- If your company already runs on Microsoft 365, look at Power Automate first; it is built around Microsoft apps.
- If you are comfortable running your own server, a self-hosted option can remove per-task costs entirely.
- Start with one automation that saves you time every week. Add more once it runs reliably.
Tools in this guide
- ZapierAutomation No-code automation platform that connects apps with multi-step workflows (Zaps). Free plan · from $19.99/month, billed yearly
- MakeAutomation Visual automation platform for building multi-app scenarios, with AI agent features. Free plan · from $11/month, billed yearly
- n8nAutomation Workflow automation platform you can self-host or use in the cloud, with AI agent features. Free plan · from €20/month, billed yearly
- Microsoft Power AutomateAutomation Microsoft's low-code automation for cloud flows and desktop (RPA) flows. from $15/month, billed yearly