The software is free with no execution cap. Infrastructure cost is Not published by vendor (only a single secondary source so far). Self-hosting is cheaper than the cheapest ranked option (Make, $29.00/mo) only if your server plus your time costs less than that.
The catch, per option
Zapier — Professional 20,000 tasks
Overage: Pay-per-task overage is opt-in. Upper bound, estimated at 1.25x the plan's base rate (about $0.0118 per task; Zapier product update). Zaps pause at 60,000 tasks (3x the plan). Never used to rank.
Every successful billable action is a task; triggers and built-in steps (Filter/Formatter/Path) cost 0 tasks.
Free is two-step only (trigger + 1 action, no built-in steps, no webhooks).
Make — Core 40,000 credits
Overage: Scenarios stop at the credit limit; upgrade, buy credit packs or go Enterprise. No overage dollar amount is modeled.
1 credit per module action including the trigger read; Router and error handlers are free and are not entered (1 trigger + 4 billable actions per run).
When credits run out, scenarios stop; unused credits expire.
Same volume on Pro: $53.00/mo; Teams: $99.00/mo.
n8n Cloud — Pro-1
One execution = one whole workflow run, so step count does not change the price.
No auto-overage on Starter/Pro-1: upgrade or one-time reset.
Priced in EUR; converted with the exchange rate you set.
Affiliate disclosure. Some links may become affiliate links in the future; we never rank by commission.
Workload in each vendor's unit: 20,000 Zapier tasks · 25,000 Make credits · 5,000 n8n executions per month.
Ranked options
Cheapest verified option: Make Core 40,000 credits at $29.00/mo.
#
Option
Plan
Monthly
Annual (12-mo TCO)
24-mo TCO
1
Make
Core 40,000 credits
$29.00
$348.00
$696.00
2
n8n Cloud
Pro-1
$56.04
$672.48
$1,344.96
3
Zapier
Professional 20,000 tasks
$189.00
$2,268.00
$4,536.00
Self-hosted n8n Community is free software; infrastructure and time are not included.
Tax
Amounts exclude VAT/sales tax.
The catch, per tool
Zapier: Pay-per-task overage is opt-in. Upper bound, estimated at 1.25x the plan's base rate (about $0.0118 per task; Zapier product update). Zaps pause at 60,000 tasks (3x the plan). Never used to rank. Every successful billable action is a task; triggers and built-in steps (Filter/Formatter/Path) cost 0 tasks. Free is two-step only (trigger + 1 action, no built-in steps, no webhooks).
Make: Scenarios stop at the credit limit; upgrade, buy credit packs or go Enterprise. No overage dollar amount is modeled. 1 credit per module action including the trigger read; Router and error handlers are free and are not entered (1 trigger + 4 billable actions per run). When credits run out, scenarios stop; unused credits expire. Same volume on Pro: $53.00/mo; Teams: $99.00/mo.
n8n Cloud: One execution = one whole workflow run, so step count does not change the price. No auto-overage on Starter/Pro-1: upgrade or one-time reset. Priced in EUR; converted with the exchange rate you set.