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| What matters | 🔗 n8n | ⚡ Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Workflow automation platform combining application connections, custom code, and AI agent or retrieval steps. | Automation platform for connecting apps, AI steps, agents, data tables, forms, and programmatic workflows. |
| Best for | Technical teams automating app, code, and AI workflows | App automation and AI workflow steps |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Free plan + paid |
| Free-plan limits | A self-hosted Community edition is available under n8n's licence. Cloud plans are paid with a trial; infrastructure and model-provider charges are separate. | Free and paid plans have task limits. AI steps, code, and SDK usage follow the provider's task-based pricing; advanced workflows can require paid access. |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Key capabilities | Visual workflows App integrations Custom code AI agents MCP and AI nodes | App automation AI workflow steps Agents Tables and forms MCP and SDK |
| Strengths | Connected steps and custom logic fit workflows with explicit review gates. | App connections let you join a source record, a draft and a review destination. |
| Limitations | A self-hosted Community edition is available under n8n's licence. Cloud plans are paid with a trial; infrastructure and model-provider charges are separate. Valid structured output does not prove policy compliance; test duplicate events and failures before enabling writes. | Free and paid plans have task limits. AI steps, code, and SDK usage follow the provider's task-based pricing; advanced workflows can require paid access. Check the actual available action and account limits before copying a workflow design. |
| No signup required | Not verified | Not verified |
| No credit card required | Not verified | Not verified |
| Open source | Not verified | Not verified |
| Free trial | Not verified | Not verified |
| Access details reviewed | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Official pricing / source | Check pricingAccess source | Check pricingAccess source |
| Next step | Explore n8n | Explore Zapier |