n8n vs Zapier: executions vs tasks, costed on the same workflow

Executions vs tasks: the difference that decides

n8n counts one “execution” per complete workflow run, however many steps it has. Zapier counts one “task” per successful action; the trigger, filters and polling checks do not count. As soon as a run chains several actions, Zapier counts several units where n8n counts one.

Three more gaps weigh on the choice. n8n can be installed on your own server; Zapier cannot. n8n’s hosted plans store data in the EU; Zapier stores it in the United States. Zapier has a permanent free plan; n8n Cloud has only a 14-day free trial. Finally, the two price lists were not recorded in the same currency (euros for n8n, US dollars for Zapier), so the amounts cannot be compared without an exchange rate. This page analyzes both vendors’ public pricing and documentation, recorded on the date shown.

The same workflow on both

Take a lead form on your website. Each entry arrives by webhook (an instant trigger) and sets off four actions: add a row to a spreadsheet, create a contact in the CRM, send an email, post a message in a team chat.

At 1,000 entries a month.

• n8n: 1,000 runs, so 1,000 executions. The Starter plan includes 2,500 executions a month for €24 a month.
• Zapier: 1,000 × 4 actions = 4,000 tasks. The free plan is out at any volume: it is limited to two-step Zaps and does not include webhooks. Professional starts at 750 tasks a month for $29.99; this workflow needs its 5,000 tier, the fourth tier of that plan.

At 10,000 entries a month.

• n8n: 10,000 executions, exactly the first tier of the Pro plan (€60 a month), with no headroom. The next tier is 50,000.
• Zapier: 40,000 tasks, which means Professional’s 50,000 tier.

Monthly volume	n8n	Zapier
1,000 runs of 1 action	1,000 executions (Starter)	1,000 tasks (Professional, 1,500 tier)
1,000 runs of 4 actions	1,000 executions (Starter)	4,000 tasks (Professional, 5,000 tier)
10,000 runs of 4 actions	10,000 executions (Pro, 10,000 tier)	40,000 tasks (Professional, 50,000 tier)
What the first paid tier covers	2,500 runs of any length	187 runs of 4 actions

The prices for these tiers are in the two tables below. The cost calculator redoes the math with your own numbers and takes an exchange rate to line up euros and dollars.

n8n volume tiers

Plan	Monthly volume (executions)	Monthly price	Monthly price, billed annually
Starter	2,500	€24	€20
Pro	10,000	€60	€50
Pro	50,000	€144	€120
Business	40,000	€800	€667
Business	50,000	€985	€821
Business	75,000	€1,456	€1,213
Business	100,000	€1,726	€1,438
Business	150,000	€2,189	€1,824
Business	200,000	€2,639	€2,199
Business	300,000	€3,512	€2,927
Business	400,000	€4,381	€3,651
Business	500,000	€5,245	€4,371

In this table, the Business rows belong to a self-hosted-only plan.

Zapier volume tiers

Plan	Monthly volume (tasks)	Monthly price	Monthly price, billed annually
Free	100	$0	$0
Professional	750	$29.99	$19.99
Professional	1,500	$58.50	$39
Professional	2,000	$73.50	$49
Professional	5,000	$133.50	$89
Professional	10,000	$193.50	$129
Professional	20,000	$283.50	$189
Professional	50,000	$433.50	$289
Professional	100,000	$733.50	$489
Professional	200,000	$1,149	$769
Professional	300,000	$1,599	$1,069
Professional	400,000	$1,899	$1,269
Professional	500,000	$2,199	$1,499
Professional	750,000	$2,999	$1,999
Professional	1,000,000	$3,299	$2,199
Professional	1,500,000	$4,499	$2,999
Professional	1,750,000	$4,799	$3,199
Professional	2,000,000	$5,099	$3,389
Team	2,000	$103.50	$69
Team	5,000	$178.50	$119
Team	10,000	$253.50	$169
Team	20,000	$373.50	$249
Team	50,000	$598.50	$399
Team	100,000	$898.50	$599
Team	200,000	$1,499	$999
Team	300,000	$1,799	$1,199
Team	400,000	$2,099	$1,399
Team	500,000	$2,699	$1,799
Team	750,000	$3,299	$2,199
Team	1,000,000	$3,749	$2,499
Team	1,500,000	$5,099	$3,399
Team	1,750,000	$5,699	$3,799
Team	2,000,000	$5,999	$3,999

When Zapier counts less than n8n

Zapier only counts work that gets done. A Zap that triggers but stops at a filter uses no tasks, and neither do polling checks. n8n counts every production run, however far it goes.

An example: a check that runs every 15 minutes, finds something to process only 100 times a month, and takes a single action. On Zapier, that is 100 tasks: exactly the free plan’s quota, and the free plan’s polling interval happens to be 15 minutes. On n8n, a Schedule Trigger counts one execution each time it fires: 2,880 executions a month, more than Starter’s quota. Likewise, an n8n webhook counts one execution per incoming request, even with an empty body.

Not counted on n8n: manual executions from the editor, sub-workflows and error workflows.

What counts for more than one task on Zapier

• AI steps: an AI by Zapier step, reserved for paid plans, counts as 1, 3 or 5 tasks depending on the model tier.
• MCP: 2 tasks per successful tool call.
• Code: Code by Zapier counts as 1 task per run, plus 1 task for each 30-second block beyond the included run time.

All of these draw on the same quota as your Zaps. The guide to tasks, credits, operations and executions covers both rules in detail, with their sources.

Past the quota

On n8n, Starter and Pro are “Capped”: according to the tooltip on the pricing page, workflows keep running and these two plans have no overage fees. On Zapier, paid plans switch to pay-per-task billing up to 3 times the quota, then Zaps are paused; on the free plan, they are paused as soon as the quota is reached. The vendor’s pages contradict each other on the rate for extra tasks: the exact rate is shown in the account’s billing settings.

Self-hosting: n8n only

n8n publishes a free Community edition, with no license key, that you install on your own server. According to the pricing grid, it does not limit users, active workflows or concurrent executions. What is left for you is paying for the server and running it: the vendor recommends Docker and reserves self-hosting for experienced users. n8n does not call itself “open source”: its “fair-code” license allows use for your own internal business purposes, not hosting n8n as a service where your customers build their workflows. See n8n Cloud vs self-hosted and self-hosting n8n on a VPS.

For Zapier, the answer recorded is: No: no self-hosted plan; the vendor hosts data on AWS servers in the United States source.

Where your data lives

n8n’s hosted plans store data in the EU, on servers in Frankfurt; when you self-host, data stays wherever you install n8n. Zapier hosts data on AWS servers in the United States and states that it does not offer EU-only storage. The vendor states that it is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.

AI, agents and MCP

• n8n: the AI Agent node is included on Cloud and in the Community edition. The execution stays the unit; model calls are paid separately, with your own provider keys or with Gateway credits (a prepaid balance, on Starter and Pro).
• Zapier: AI by Zapier is counted in tasks, as described above. Zapier Agents is a separate add-on, counted in “activities”: 400 a month on the free plan.
• MCP: both include it on every plan.

What does not separate them, and what is left

• The catalog: Zapier lists more than 9,000 apps, with “premium” apps reserved for paid plans. On n8n, the pages contradict each other: “500+ native integrations” on the home page, “2,000+ integrations” on the integrations page, community nodes included.
• Users: unlimited on n8n Starter; 1 on Zapier’s Free and Professional plans, 25 on Team.
• Support: forum for n8n Starter and Pro; on Zapier, no email support on Free, email on Professional.
• Polling interval and code step: recorded for Zapier, not recorded for n8n.
• A free trial: 14 days on both, with no credit card required; n8n’s Cloud trial is limited to 1,000 executions.

To widen the comparison: n8n vs Make, Make vs Zapier and the Zapier alternatives.