n8n alternatives: four tools, matched to what's holding you back

Why look for an n8n alternative

It depends on what’s holding you back. If you don’t want to run a server or pay from month one, Make, Activepieces and Latenode each publish a free hosted plan. If the license matters, Activepieces releases its core under the MIT license. If your workflows run on a fixed interval all day long, Zapier’s counting, which leaves triggers out, may suit you better. If what you need most is ready-made connectors, Zapier lists the largest number.

n8n bills executions: an “execution” is one complete run of the workflow, however many steps it has. The Starter plan on n8n Cloud includes 2,500 executions a month for €24 a month (n8n lists its prices in euros). There is no permanent free plan on n8n Cloud: free exists only when you self-host, meaning you install n8n on your own server with the Community edition.

This page is not a ranking. automascope has not run any of these tools: everything here comes from public pricing pages and documentation, as of the date shown.

Reason 1: you don’t want to host, or to pay up front

The n8n Cloud trial lasts 14 days and is limited to 1,000 executions. If you don’t move to a paid plan, the instance is deleted, and workflows stay downloadable for 90 days. The other route, self-hosting, is free but takes admin work: the docs recommend Docker, the Docker Compose guide asks for at least 4 GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs for a stack that includes the Assistant sandbox, and n8n says self-hosting is meant for experienced users. The guide to n8n Cloud vs self-hosted covers both routes.

Four hosted services publish a permanent free plan:

• Make: 1,000 credits a month, no more than 2 active scenarios, at least 15 minutes between scheduled runs.
• Activepieces: 1,000 credits a month, unlimited flows, up to 5 users. The vendor’s pages contradict each other on when credits renew (monthly or daily); the database keeps the monthly quota.
• Latenode: 10,000 CPU seconds a month, 5 active scenarios, 3 minutes at most per run.
• Zapier: 100 tasks a month, with two-step Zaps only (one trigger, one action).

Reason 2: the license is not open source

n8n is released under the Sustainable Use License, which the vendor calls “fair-code”: n8n does not describe itself as “open source.” You may use and modify it for your own internal needs. According to the license FAQ, you may not host n8n as a service where customers build their own workflows, or offer it as a white-label product. The guide is n8n free and open source goes through the details.

Activepieces answers that need: its core is under the MIT license, an open-source license, and only the Enterprise edition folders fall under a commercial license. For Make and Zapier, no self-hosted plan is recorded; for Latenode, self-hosting is not recorded.

Reason 3: scheduled runs add up

n8n’s counting favors long workflows started by an event. A five-step automation (one trigger, four actions) that runs 1,000 times a month, is started by a webhook (a call an app sends the moment something happens) and takes 5 seconds counts 1,000 executions on n8n. It counts 4,000 tasks on Zapier, 5,000 credits on Make, 1,000 credits on Activepieces and 5,000 CPU seconds on Latenode.

The meter turns against you with schedules. According to n8n’s documentation, a Schedule Trigger counts one execution every time it fires. A workflow set to “every 15 minutes” fires 4 times an hour, 24 hours a day, 30 days a month: 2,880 executions, whether or not there is anything to process. One workflow like that goes past the Starter quota on its own.

Tool	What a check every 15 minutes counts (2,880 a month)
n8n	2,880 executions
Make	2,880 credits for the trigger, plus 1 credit per module that runs afterward
Zapier	No tasks for the trigger; 1 task per successful action
Activepieces	1 credit per flow run; how an empty check is counted is not recorded
Latenode	Compute time of each run; how an empty check is counted is not recorded

On Zapier, triggers use no tasks, polling included: only successful actions count. On Make, the trigger uses one credit every time it runs, even with no new data, but the first paid plan, Core, includes 10,000 credits a month. On Latenode, the bill follows duration: on the Free plan, the vendor counts at least one CPU second per run.

Also worth knowing: on n8n, a webhook counts one execution per incoming request, even with an empty body. The cost calculator redoes this math with your own volumes.

Reason 4: more connectors, or email support

n8n’s pages contradict each other on the number of integrations: the home page says “500+ native integrations,” the integrations page says “2,000+ integrations,” counting community nodes. Zapier lists more than 9,000 apps, the highest published figure among the five. Latenode and Make each publish two different figures depending on the page (see the integrations row of the table).

On support, n8n points Starter, Pro and Business customers to its forum; dedicated support is reserved for Enterprise. Zapier includes email support from Professional, Activepieces from Team.

Activepieces vs n8n: the closest competitor

Both tools count one unit per run and both can be self-hosted. What sets them apart, according to their pages:

• Free hosted plan: yes on Activepieces, no on n8n Cloud.
• First paid plan: Plus on Activepieces, 10,000 credits a month for $20 a month; Starter on n8n, 2,500 executions for €24 a month. The currencies differ.
• Past the quota: Activepieces bills each extra credit on Plus and Team; on n8n, Starter and Pro are “Capped,” with no overage fees according to the tooltip.
• AI: on Activepieces, an AI step on the vendor’s models costs more than one credit (the vendor’s pages contradict each other on the rate); on n8n, the AI Agent node is included and models are paid for with your own keys or Gateway credits.
• Self-hosting: the Activepieces Community Edition is free with no credits, but the Docker Compose script installs the Enterprise edition by default, which applies the free plan’s credit limits. The guide to Activepieces cloud vs self-hosted explains the difference.

What n8n still has going for it

One run of the workflow counts one execution, whether it has three steps or thirty. Active workflows are unlimited on every plan. Hosted plans run in the EU, on servers in Frankfurt. The AI Agent node and the MCP nodes are included on n8n Cloud and in the Community edition alike. And the Community edition stays free, with no license key, for anyone who can run a server.

What the table doesn’t tell you

A table compares what is published. It says nothing about how comfortable the editor is, or how long it takes to rebuild your workflows somewhere else: the database records no n8n workflow import tool at these four vendors. An integration count does not tell you whether your app is in the catalog: check before you migrate.

How to choose

• You want the same logic, with a free cloud plan and an MIT license: Activepieces.
• You want a hosted service and a visual editor: Make. See n8n vs Make.
• You need a less common app, or frequent checks that often find nothing: Zapier. See n8n vs Zapier.
• You write code and want to pay for duration: Latenode. See Latenode vs n8n.
• Still undecided: the six tools picked by need adds Pabbly Connect to the comparison.