Workflow automation tools: six compared by need, n8n vs Zapier vs Make and three more

Which workflow automation tool to pick

None of the six wins everywhere. The choice comes down to three questions. Who hosts it: n8n and Activepieces can run on your own server, and the other four are described as hosted services. What gets counted: the action on Zapier and Pabbly Connect, the module on Make, the whole run on n8n and Activepieces, the duration on Latenode. Which apps: Zapier lists more than 9,000, the highest published figure.

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

What a workflow automation tool does

A workflow automation tool connects your apps without programming. A trigger (a form submitted, an email received, a set time) starts a series of actions (add a row to a spreadsheet, send a message). You assemble those steps in a visual editor. Each vendor has its own word for the result: a “Zap” on Zapier, a “scenario” on Make and Latenode, a “workflow” on n8n and Pabbly Connect, a “flow” on Activepieces.

The same automation on six meters

Billing units can’t be compared by eye. Here are three volumes, counted under each vendor’s own rule. Assumptions: the automation is started by a webhook (a call an app sends the moment something happens) and each run takes 5 seconds.

Tool	Rule	100 runs, 1 action	1,000 runs, 4 actions	10,000 runs, 4 actions
n8n	1 execution per run	100 executions	1,000 executions	10,000 executions
Make	1 credit per module, trigger included	200 credits	5,000 credits	50,000 credits
Zapier	1 task per successful action	100 tasks	4,000 tasks	40,000 tasks
Latenode	Seconds of compute	500 CPU seconds	5,000 CPU seconds	50,000 CPU seconds
Pabbly Connect	1 task per action	100 tasks	4,000 tasks	40,000 tasks
Activepieces	1 credit per flow run	100 credits	1,000 credits	10,000 credits

How those numbers land against the recorded quotas:

• Small volume: the free plan is enough on five of the six (right at the quota on Zapier and Pabbly Connect, whose free plans allow a single action). On n8n Cloud, which has no permanent free plan, you need Starter.
• Mid volume: the free plans of Activepieces (1,000 credits, right at the quota) and Latenode (10,000 CPU seconds) are still enough. You need Core on Make (10,000 credits), Standard on Pabbly Connect (10,000 tasks), Starter on n8n (2,500 executions) and the 5,000-task tier of Professional on Zapier, whose first tier stops at 750 tasks.
• High volume: Pro on n8n (10,000 executions), Plus on Activepieces (10,000 credits), the 80,000-credit tier of Core on Make, the Unlimited plan on Pabbly Connect, the 50,000-task tier on Zapier, and per-second billing on Latenode past the 10,000 free seconds.

Entry prices are in the table at the top of the page. The price of each tier is in the cost calculator, which applies these rules to your own volumes.

n8n vs Zapier vs Make

n8n builds workflows out of nodes, on the vendor’s service (n8n Cloud) or on your own server. It counts one execution per complete run, however many steps: Starter includes 2,500 executions a month for €24 a month, listed in euros. n8n Cloud has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day free trial. The Community edition is free when self-hosted, under the Sustainable Use License (n8n does not call itself “open source”). One thing to watch: a scheduled workflow counts one execution every time it fires.

Zapier is a hosted service that counts one task per successful action; triggers and filter steps don’t count. The free plan is limited to 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps; Professional starts at 750 tasks for $29.99 a month. The vendor states that it hosts data in the United States.

Make is a hosted service built around visual scenarios. Every module that runs uses one credit, the trigger included, even with no new data; routers and filters use none. The free plan includes 1,000 credits a month and 2 active scenarios; Core includes 10,000 credits for $16 a month. You pick a US or EU data center when you create the organization.

The head-to-head pages go further: n8n vs Zapier, Make vs Zapier and n8n vs Make.

Latenode, Pabbly Connect, Activepieces: three other models

Latenode bills the compute time of a run, not the number of nodes. The “Pay as you go” plan has no base fee: 10,000 CPU seconds free every month, then a per-second rate in declining brackets. The JavaScript node and the headless browser are included on the Free plan. The scheduling interval is 10 minutes unless you pay for an add-on; webhooks are instant. See Latenode vs n8n.

Pabbly Connect counts the way Zapier does (only actions are tasks), with a larger entry quota: Standard includes 10,000 tasks a month for $19 a month. The free plan is limited to 100 tasks and two-step workflows. The vendor’s pages contradict each other on the Unlimited plan: the price list says “Unlimited Tasks,” while the terms specify 100,000 tasks credited at the start.

Activepieces releases its core under the MIT license and comes as a cloud service or self-hosted. One flow run costs 1 credit, however many steps. The free cloud plan includes 1,000 credits a month; Plus includes 10,000 credits for $20 a month. The cloud is hosted in Frankfurt by default. The vendor’s pages contradict each other on when free credits renew (monthly or daily).

AI workflow automation: what costs extra

All six vendors publish AI features, meaning steps that call a language model or an AI agent. They are not counted like other steps:

• Zapier: 1, 3 or 5 tasks per AI by Zapier step depending on the model; Agents are a separate add-on.
• Make: 1 credit per agent operation, plus credits based on the tokens used with Make’s AI provider.
• n8n: AI Agent node included; models are paid for with your own keys or with Gateway credits.
• Activepieces: an AI step on the vendor’s models costs more than one credit, and 1 credit with your own keys; the vendor’s pages contradict each other on the rate.
• Latenode: models used without an API key are paid for in “PnP tokens,” on top of compute time.
• Pabbly Connect: “AI Agent” and “AI Assistant” are reserved for the Unlimited plan.

The MCP row of the table shows which tools expose their automations to an AI assistant through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The cost calculator does not count AI steps. If what you need is an agent that talks to customers, the AI agent builders comparison covers a different set of tools.

What the table doesn’t tell you

A table compares what is published. It says nothing about how comfortable each visual editor is or how good support is. An app count does not tell you whether your app is in the catalog or which actions are covered. Several vendors publish two different figures depending on the page: the table quotes them as they are.

How to choose

• You want to run the tool on your own server: n8n or Activepieces, depending on the license.
• You want to start without paying, with multi-step automations: Make, Activepieces or Latenode.
• Your automations have many steps: n8n or Activepieces, which count the run.
• Your automations check often and find nothing: Zapier or Pabbly Connect, which don’t count triggers.
• You write JavaScript: Latenode.
• You are leaving a specific tool: see the Zapier alternatives and the n8n alternatives.