Zapier vs n8n
Zapier and n8n are both automation options. Zapier lists 5 features across 1 platform; n8n lists 6 features across 2 platforms — see the full breakdown below, sourced from each vendor's own site rather than ratings or reviews.
Side-by-side summary
Best for Zapier
Positioned for organizations of all sizes — from small/medium businesses to enterprise IT — that want teams to build automations while giving IT centralized governance.
Best for n8n
Positioned for technical teams — IT Ops, Security Operations, DevOps, and Sales — who want to automate processes while retaining full visibility and control, including via self-hosting.
Feature comparison
Every feature listed here comes directly from each vendor's own official site.
Zapier
- Automated workflows (Zaps) across thousands of connected apps
- AI agent and task automation
- Pre-built templates for common workflows
- Zapier Tables for lightweight data storage
- Governance and security controls for enterprise use
n8n
- Visual workflow builder with inline custom code
- Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections
- AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support
- Step-by-step traceability of agent reasoning
- Human-in-the-loop approval steps
- Enterprise controls: SSO/SAML, audit logs, RBAC, Git-based deployment
Pros and cons
Zapier
- Automated workflows (Zaps) across thousands of connected apps
- AI agent and task automation
- Pre-built templates for common workflows
- Zapier Tables for lightweight data storage
- Governance and security controls for enterprise use
- The Free plan is limited to 100 tasks per month and two-step Zaps; multi-step workflows require Professional or higher.
- Team pricing starts at $69/month with annual billing, while Enterprise pricing is quote-based.
n8n
- Visual workflow builder with inline custom code
- Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections
- AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support
- Step-by-step traceability of agent reasoning
- Human-in-the-loop approval steps
- Enterprise controls: SSO/SAML, audit logs, RBAC, Git-based deployment
- The free Community Edition is self-hosted, so infrastructure, maintenance, backups, and production operations are the user's responsibility.
- Hosted Starter is limited to 2,500 workflow executions and Pro to 10,000; higher execution needs move to more expensive plans or custom Enterprise terms.
Key differences
- Zapier lists Automated workflows (Zaps) across thousands of connected apps, AI agent and task automation, Pre-built templates for common workflows, Zapier Tables for lightweight data storage, Governance and security controls for enterprise use that n8n doesn't list.
- n8n lists Visual workflow builder with inline custom code, Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections, AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support, Step-by-step traceability of agent reasoning, Human-in-the-loop approval steps, Enterprise controls: SSO/SAML, audit logs, RBAC, Git-based deployment that Zapier doesn't list.
- Zapier supports Web, which n8n doesn't list.
- n8n supports Web (n8n.cloud), Self-hosted via Docker, npm, or Kubernetes, which Zapier doesn't list.
Choose Zapier if…
Choose Zapier if this fits: Positioned for organizations of all sizes — from small/medium businesses to enterprise IT — that want teams to build automations while giving IT centralized governance. Compared with n8n specifically, Zapier also offers Automated workflows (Zaps) across thousands of connected apps, AI agent and task automation, Pre-built templates for common workflows, and 2 more features that n8n doesn't list, plus Web support that n8n doesn't list.
Choose n8n if…
Choose n8n if this fits: Positioned for technical teams — IT Ops, Security Operations, DevOps, and Sales — who want to automate processes while retaining full visibility and control, including via self-hosting. Compared with Zapier specifically, n8n also offers Visual workflow builder with inline custom code, Hundreds of pre-built app integrations plus custom API connections, AI agent building with multi-agent setups and RAG support, and 3 more features that Zapier doesn't list, plus Web (n8n.cloud), Self-hosted via Docker, npm, or Kubernetes support that Zapier doesn't list.
Facts on this page are sourced from each vendor's official site (linked below), not from ratings or reviews. Products change — verify anything that matters to your decision directly on the vendor's own site before switching. See our Disclaimer and Sources Policy.
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