Guide · alternatives
n8n alternatives for small teams
You already run n8n. This page sorts keep the box option vs leave for a hosted product — not a ranked list of eight tools. This page does not add new scores.
Stay on n8n, or consider Make or Zapier
Stay · Not scored yet
Pick n8n if…
You will keep the n8n editor and count one execution per full run. Cloud if you do not want to run a box. Community / Business self-host if a named owner will own uptime, upgrades, and backups. It is not a fourth cloud seat. Those are two jobs in one editor family.
Consider · Not scored yet
Pick Make if…
You will draw the flow on a canvas — routers, branching, a sheet row then Slack — and count credits per module in Make’s cloud. You do not get a box to run. Longer compare: Make vs n8n for small teams (2026).
Partner signup. We may earn a commission. Rankings are not sold.
Consider · Not scored yet
Pick Zapier if…
You need a working Zap this week without using the n8n editor, the app only Zapier lists, or the people who will own it will not run a box or map n8n nodes. You do not get a box to run. Longer compare: n8n vs Zapier for small teams (2026).
A pick for a small-team job.
- You already run n8n Cloud or self-host and want to know whether to stay, try Make, or try Zapier.
- You want Cloud vs self-host treated as two jobs — not a cheaper clone.
- You need dated list prices, not a ranked list of eight tools.
Read more
What this page tells you. n8n can stay Cloud or self-host. Make and Zapier are hosted products — you do not get a box. Dated list prices come from the official pages. When to pick each is also on Make vs n8n vs Zapier — when to pick each.
GuideSome scores not shown yetVendor pages accessed 2026-09-17Live scorecard
n8n can run on a box you own
Most “n8n alternatives” lists dump eight names. This page starts from the control you already have. n8n’s choose-how page splits Cloud (n8n hosts it) from self-host (you control the environment). Make and Zapier are hosted products. Leaving n8n is leaving the option to run the same editor yourself.
Stay · hosted
Keep Cloud if nobody will run a box
n8n Cloud is hosted by n8n. One execution per full run. You do not own uptime. n8n’s choose-how page starts here if you want instant access or do not want to manage infrastructure.
Stay · you run it
Keep self-host if someone owns 2am
Community Edition is the free self-host path on GitHub. Business on the pricing page is marked Self-hosted. Same editor. You own Docker or a VPS, backups, and 2am. That is not a fourth cloud seat.
Hosted product
Make does not give you a box
Leaving n8n for Make is leaving the option to run the editor yourself. You get a canvas and a credit meter in Make’s cloud. You do not self-host Make.
Hosted product
Zapier does not give you a box
Leaving n8n for Zapier is leaving the option to run the editor yourself. You get a task meter and Zapier’s catalog in Zapier’s cloud. You do not self-host Zapier.
If nobody will own 2am, stay on n8n Cloud, or leave for Make or Zapier. Those are hosted products, not a box you will not run. Ops-burden read: When n8n self-host is worth it (and when it is not). Source: n8n — choose how to use n8n · accessed 2026-09-17
List prices (dated)
Official list pages only: n8n pricing · Make pricing · Zapier pricing, accessed 2026-09-17. Zapier dollars below are the published entry task tiers. n8n plan prices vary by region, so the n8n rows point to n8n pricing for the current figure. Make’s page lists Free, Core, Pro, Teams, and Enterprise with monthly and annual billing and a credit slider — it does not publish a single fixed monthly or annual dollar on the page we could read, so those $ figures are omitted. This page does not claim you will save.
Swipe sideways on a narrow screen.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Seat / ops model | Free-plan limits | Meter | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make Free | Free | Free | Credits. Not a published per-seat price. | 1,000 credits / month; 2 active scenarios; 15-minute minimum interval | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Core | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Credits. Unlimited active scenarios. Not a published per-seat price. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Pro | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Credits. Priority execution. Not a published per-seat price. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Teams | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Credits. Team roles. Not a published per-seat price. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Enterprise | Custom — talk to sales | Custom — talk to sales | Credits. Custom enterprise features. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Cloud Starter | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Unlimited users. 2.5k workflow executions. Hosted by n8n. | Cloud trial: 1,000 executions; 5 concurrent; no credit card. No ongoing free Cloud plan on the list page. | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Cloud Pro | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Unlimited users. 10k workflow executions. Hosted by n8n. | See n8n Cloud Starter trial | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Business | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Unlimited users. 40k workflow executions. Marked Self-hosted on the list page. | See n8n Cloud Starter trial | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Enterprise | Custom — contact sales | Custom — contact sales | Custom number of workflow executions. Contact sales. | See n8n Cloud Starter trial | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Community Edition | Free | Free | Self-host on GitHub. You own the box. Not a published per-seat price. | Standard self-hosted edition. No Cloud host. | Self-host (you run it) | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Free | Free | Free | 1 seat. Tasks reset monthly. | 100 tasks / month; two-step Zaps; 1 seat | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Professional | $29.99 / month at 750 tasks | $19.99 / month billed annually at 750 tasks | 1 seat. Tasks reset monthly. | See Zapier Free | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Team | $103.50 / month at 2,000 tasks | $69.00 / month billed annually at 2,000 tasks | 25 seats. Tasks reset monthly. | See Zapier Free | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Enterprise | Custom — contact sales | Custom — contact sales | Unlimited seats on the list page. Annual task limits. | See Zapier Free | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
n8n Starter and Pro cards say Hosted by n8n. Business is marked Self-hosted. Community Edition is the free self-host path on GitHub. Zapier Professional and Team figures are the entry task tiers on zapier.com/pricing (750 tasks and 2,000 tasks). Higher task tiers exist on that page and are not copied here. Make extra-credit dollars are not listed as a fixed figure on the primary pricing page.
n8n JSON is not a Zap or a blueprint
n8n export is workflow JSON. Make export is a blueprint JSON. Zapier export is Zapier JSON. Those formats are not interchangeable. There is no one-click n8n → Make or n8n → Zapier import. Keep the source workflow on, rebuild one critical job, compare outcomes, then cut over.
What does not travel: What does not migrate between Zapier, Make, and n8n. Cutover checklist: Parallel-run before you switch.
Names that are not n8n alternatives
These names show up next to n8n in eight-tool dumps. They are different jobs, not the same kind of small-team automation tool. This page publishes no /500 totals for them.
Microsoft Power Automate
Power Automate ships beside Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Entra. It is a Microsoft 365 / Power Platform job — not an n8n Cloud, Make, or Zapier seat. We have not scored it. There is no Power Automate /500 total on this site. Microsoft Power Automate · official page · no affiliate ID · accessed 2026-09-17
Activepieces
Activepieces is an open-source, self-host-friendly automation builder. It is not a lane on Make vs n8n vs Zapier. We have not scored it. Treating it as a fourth cloud seat would invent a ranking. Activepieces · official page · no affiliate ID · accessed 2026-09-17
Workato
Workato is enterprise iPaaS. The buyer, implementation, and contract are a different job from a two-to-ten-person shop picking Make, n8n, or Zapier. We have not scored it. Workato · official page · no affiliate ID · accessed 2026-09-17
Scoring status
Scoring status
The live card is Make vs n8n vs Zapier. Totals are not published yet. Self-hosted is a separate lane. This page does not add new scores.
Criterion scores are not published yet. The /500 total is not published yet. Rules: How scoring works.
Two-tool pages: Make vs n8n for small teams (2026) · n8n vs Zapier for small teams (2026) · Make vs Zapier for small teams (2026). When to pick each: Make vs n8n vs Zapier — when to pick each.
Product links
Sources
Primary vendor pages. Access date for every citation on this page: 2026-09-17. List prices stay as published.
- n8n pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — choose how to use n8n · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — understand executions · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — export and import · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — use Docker Compose · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — credits · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — what’s a scenario · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — blueprints · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — how task usage is measured · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — Zap workflows quick start guide · accessed 2026-09-17
- Microsoft Power Automate · accessed 2026-09-17
- Activepieces · accessed 2026-09-17
- Workato · accessed 2026-09-17
FAQ
What are the n8n alternatives for a small team?
On this site the published tools next to n8n are Make and Zapier. It is not a fourth cloud seat. Stay if you want the n8n editor plus the option to run it yourself. Consider Make if you will count credits on a canvas you do not host. Consider Zapier if you will count successful action steps you do not host.
Is this a new n8n-alternatives ranking?
No. Totals are not published yet. Rules live on Methodology.
Is n8n Cloud the same job as n8n self-host?
No. Same editor family. Not the same job. n8n Cloud is hosted, and you do not own uptime. It is not a fourth cloud seat. Self-host only if a named owner will run Docker or a VPS, take backups, and page at 2am. If nobody will, stay on n8n Cloud, or leave for Make or Zapier. Honest cases: When n8n self-host is worth it.
Why aren’t Power Automate and Activepieces scored here?
They are different jobs. Power Automate sits in Microsoft 365 / Power Platform. Activepieces is an open-source builder that is not a lane on Make vs n8n vs Zapier. Workato is enterprise iPaaS. This page publishes no /500 totals for them.
Can I import an n8n workflow into Make or Zapier?
No. n8n export is workflow JSON. Make export is a blueprint JSON. Zapier export is Zapier JSON. Those formats are not interchangeable. There is no one-click n8n → Make or n8n → Zapier import. Rebuild one critical job, compare outcomes, then cut over. See What does not migrate and Parallel-run one job before you switch.
Does this page invent monthly prices or a 2026 winner?
No. Dated list prices come from the official n8n, Make, and Zapier pricing pages. Make $ is omitted where the list page did not show a fixed figure. This page does not claim you will save. Compare the same job in each vendor’s own unit on Same job, three meters. Commissions do not move a score.
Affiliate disclosure
Make is a live partner signup (pc=stackscorecard) and is marked affiliate; we may earn a commission. n8n and Zapier stay official-site URLs with UTM only — no invented IDs. Power Automate, Activepieces, and Workato are official pages with no affiliate ID. Rankings are not sold. Policy: Affiliate disclosure · Disclosures. Contact editor@stackscorecard.com.