Guide · Free and trial
When free isn’t enough — trial, free plan, or first paid plan
What a free plan or Cloud trial actually unlocks, what forces the first paid plan, and when that is enough to learn versus not enough to run. Totals are not published yet. A score is not a free plan. This page does not add new scores.
Use this page if you are still on free or a trial
Use
Use this page if…
You need the free or trial shape versus the first paid plan: what you can run while learning, and what forces Zapier Professional, Make Core, n8n Cloud Starter, or a self-host license. You will stay in units and plan limits. This page names that gate, accessed 2026-09-21.
Skip
Skip if…
You are already on a paid plan and near the cap — that is When you hit the meter. You only need the dictionary of the three words — Tasks vs credits vs executions. You need one job counted three ways — Same job, three meters. You need what multiplies the meter — How to meter automation. You still need to pick a product — Which automation tool for small teams. You want a free-to-paid savings calculator. This page does not rank products.
A use-or-skip check for free and trial limits.
- You are on Zapier Free, Make Free, an n8n Cloud trial, or n8n self-host and need what that plan unlocks versus the first paid plan.
- You will check the vendor plan page in units — not a monthly dollar from this page.
Read more
What this page tells you. What Zapier Free, Make Free, the n8n Cloud trial, and the n8n Community edition unlock, and what forces the first paid plan. Companion to the ceiling read, the 5-step job, and the picker. This page shows units and plan limits only, with dated quotes from primary vendor pages, accessed 2026-09-21. It does not invent a monthly dollar, a converted list, or a savings figure. This page publishes no annual savings. Verify before buy. Check the vendor plan page with your own unit count. It does not add new scores.
GuideSome scores not shown yetVendor pages accessed 2026-09-21Live scorecard
This page vs the meter reads
Tasks vs credits vs executions is the dictionary of the three words. This page does not reprint that dictionary. It is the free or trial gate.
Same job, three meters is one 5-step job counted as Zapier tasks, Make credits, and n8n executions at 50 / 500 / 5,000 runs. This page does not reprint that volume ladder.
How to meter automation is what to watch — usage, volume, and credits — and what multiplies a job. This page does not reprint that watch list.
When you hit the meter is the ceiling after you are already on a plan: hold, extra credits, fail, or upgrade. This page does not reprint that ceiling.
How AI steps change the meter is the AI / agent delta. This page does not reprint those rates.
This page is only the free or trial shape versus the first paid plan. Units and plan limits only. It does not invent a monthly dollar.
What free or the trial unlocks
Zapier and Make publish an ongoing free plan. n8n Cloud publishes a trial, then a paid plan. n8n self-host publishes a free Community edition you run yourself. Do not treat those four shapes as the same “free.” Dated quotes below are from primary vendor pages, accessed 2026-09-21.
Free plan
Zapier
The Free plan gives you 100 tasks per month to use between Zap workflows and MCP server actions.
Zapier’s Free-plan help also lists two-step Zaps (one trigger and one action), one user, and a 15-minute polling interval. Sign-up includes a 14-day trial of paid-plan features. If you do not upgrade, or if you downgrade, those features are no longer available. The pricing page says the trial is Professional and that no credit card is required. Professional is the first paid plan and is still one user.
Free plan
Make
If you are on the Free plan, you have 1000 credits per month, which equals 1 MB of data storage and 1 data store.
The pricing page says there is no time limit on the Free plan. The Free card lists 1,000 credits/month and a 15-minute minimum interval. The comparison lists 2 active scenarios on Free and unlimited active scenarios on Core. Core is the first paid plan.
Cloud trial
n8n Cloud
The trial gives you Pro plan features with a limit of 1000 executions and the same computing power as the Starter plan.
The same docs page says a new Cloud trial lasts 14 days. If you do not upgrade, the trial expires and n8n deletes the workspace. You have 90 days to download workflows. There is no ongoing free Cloud plan on the choose-how page. Starter is the first paid Cloud plan.
Community
n8n Self-host
The Community edition includes almost the complete feature set of n8n.
You can stick with the free Community edition indefinitely. Registering your email is still free and adds folders, debug in editor, and custom execution data. The edition does not include custom variables, environments, external secrets, projects, SSO, sharing, or version control using Git. You must provide and manage infrastructure. A paid license key unlocks those paid features. Self-hosted is a separate lane.
What forces the first paid plan
The first paid plan is not always a second user. Zapier Professional is still one user. Make Core is the first plan with unlimited active scenarios. n8n Cloud Starter is the first ongoing hosted plan. n8n self-host stays free until you need a license key. This table stays on units and plan limits. It does not invent a monthly dollar.
Swipe sideways on a narrow screen. Not a scored table.
| Product | What free or the trial unlocks | What forces the first paid plan | Enough to learn vs run |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 14-day Professional trial. The pricing page says no credit card is required. After the trial or a downgrade: 100 tasks/month, two-step Zaps, 1 user, 15-minute polling, unlimited Zaps. | Professional is the first paid plan and is still 1 user. It adds multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks, Filters and Paths, Formatter, and AI by Zapier. Team is the first shared plan (25 users). | Enough to learn a two-step Zap. Not enough to run a multi-step production job, a premium app, or a shared team. |
| Make | No time limit. 1,000 credits/month, 2 active scenarios, 15-minute minimum interval, 5-minute maximum run, 5 MB files, 512 MB data transfer, 7-day logs. One team. One free organization. | Core is the first paid plan: unlimited active scenarios, intervals down to 1 minute, higher data transfer, and the Make API. Extra-credit auto-purchasing is listed for Core, Pro, and Teams. Custom AI provider connections are paid plans. | Enough to learn two scenarios. Not enough when you need more than two always-on scenarios, a faster schedule, or the Make API. |
| n8n Cloud | No ongoing free Cloud plan. 14-day trial: Pro features, 1,000 executions, 5 concurrent executions, a 180-second timeout, 1 team project, and Starter computing power. No credit card for the Cloud trial. If you do not upgrade, n8n deletes the workspace. 90 days to download workflows. | Starter is the first paid Cloud plan: 2,500 workflow executions per month, 1 shared project, 5 concurrent executions, unlimited users, 7-day execution history. The Cloud FAQ says Business is not currently available on Cloud. | Enough to learn for 14 days. Not an ongoing production host. Running after the trial means a paid Cloud plan, or self-host. |
| n8n Self-host | Community edition is free with no time limit and includes almost the complete feature set. A free email registration adds folders, debug in editor, and custom execution data. You provide and manage the infrastructure. | A Business or Enterprise license key is the first paid self-host plan. It unlocks paid features the Community edition does not include, such as SSO, environments, projects, and sharing. | Enough to run if you will own the box. Not enough if you need those paid features, and not a substitute for hosted uptime. |
Sources and access date sit under Sources, accessed 2026-09-21. n8n’s pricing FAQ also describes a Business trial that requires a credit card. The Cloud FAQ says Business is not currently available on Cloud. Dollar and euro bands on those pages are omitted here. Check the vendor plan page.
Enough to learn, or not enough to run
Free and trial are a learning shape when the job fits the published limit. They are not a production host when the job needs the next plan’s features. A /500 score does not change that gate.
- Enough to learn a two-step Zap, two Make scenarios, a 14-day n8n Cloud trial, or a Community install you will run yourself.
- Not enough to run a multi-step Zap, more than two always-on Make scenarios, n8n Cloud after the trial, or self-host features that need a paid license.
- Self-host is a different free. The Community edition has no time limit. You still own uptime, upgrades, and backups. See When n8n self-host is worth it (and when it is not) (self-host is a separate lane).
Not a free-to-paid savings calculator. Not tax or billing advice. See editorial standards.
Don’t turn free into a bill
A task cap, a credit cap, a trial expiry, or a license key is not a monthly dollar. A /500 score is not a plan. This page does not invent a converted list. It publishes no annual savings.
- Stay in units until you can name the gate in the vendor’s meter — tasks, credits, executions, or a license feature.
- Then open the plan page for the product you will actually run. Zapier points task tiers to pricing. Make points credits to the pricing comparison. n8n points Cloud limits to the trial docs and the Cloud FAQ.
- Verify the shape you have. A Zapier trial, a Make Free organization, an n8n Cloud trial, and a Community install are four different gates. This page does not invent the dollar between them.
If you are already paid and near the cap, use When you hit the meter. That page covers hold, extra credits, and fail. This page does not.
After you can name the gate
You can name free versus the first paid plan. Now count the job — without treating this page as a ranking.
- The non-AI 5-step volume ladder: Same job, three meters — tasks vs credits vs executions.
- The ceiling after you are on a plan: When you hit the meter — hold, overage, or upgrade.
- Loops, retries, and polls: How to meter automation.
- AI and agent multipliers: How AI steps change the meter — tasks, credits, executions.
- Four questions, then a pick: Which automation tool for small teams.
- If the job is running the box: When n8n self-host is worth it (and when it is not) (self-host is a separate lane).
- When to pick each: Make vs n8n vs Zapier — when to pick each · live scorecard (totals are not published yet; self-host is a separate lane).
Primary CTA stays Same job, three meters. This page does not reprint that volume ladder.
How this sits on the scorecard
How this sits on the scorecard
Totals are not published yet.
If you still need to pick a product before you count units, see Which automation tool for small teams. When-to-pick copy lives on Make vs n8n vs Zapier — when to pick each.
Product links
Sources
Primary vendor pages. Access date for every citation on this page: 2026-09-21. Dollar and euro bands on the vendor pricing pages are omitted. We do not invent search volumes, testimonials, or a converted list.
- Zapier — what’s included in the Free plan · accessed 2026-09-21
- Zapier pricing · accessed 2026-09-21
- Make pricing · accessed 2026-09-21
- Make — cancel your subscription · accessed 2026-09-21
- Make — credits · accessed 2026-09-21
- n8n — try free then choose a plan · accessed 2026-09-21
- n8n pricing · accessed 2026-09-21
- n8n Cloud FAQ — subscription features per tier · accessed 2026-09-21
- n8n — choose how to use n8n · accessed 2026-09-21
- n8n — compare editions · accessed 2026-09-21
FAQ
What does Zapier Free include, and what is the first paid plan?
New accounts get a 14-day free trial of Professional. The pricing page says no credit card is required. Zapier’s Free-plan help says that if you do not upgrade, or if you downgrade, those premium features are no longer available. Free then includes 100 tasks per month (Zap workflows and MCP), two-step Zaps (one trigger and one action), one user, and a 15-minute polling interval. Professional is the first paid plan and is still one user. It adds multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks, Filters and Paths, Formatter, and AI by Zapier. Team is the first shared plan, with 25 users. This page does not invent a monthly dollar. Accessed 2026-09-21.
What does Make Free include, and what is the first paid plan?
Make’s pricing page says there is no time limit on the Free plan. Free includes 1,000 credits per month, 2 active scenarios, a 15-minute minimum interval, a 5-minute maximum scenario run, 5 MB files, 512 MB data transfer, and 7-day execution logs. The pricing FAQ says 1,000 credits equals 1 MB of data storage and 1 data store. Cancel help says the Free plan supports one team and one free organization. Core is the first paid plan: unlimited active scenarios, intervals down to 1 minute, higher data transfer, and the Make API. Extra-credit auto-purchasing is listed for Core, Pro, and Teams. Custom AI provider connections are paid plans. Make’s AI Provider is on all plans. Accessed 2026-09-21.
Is there a free n8n Cloud plan?
No ongoing free Cloud plan. n8n’s trial docs say a new Cloud trial lasts 14 days, with Pro plan features, a limit of 1000 executions, and the same computing power as Starter. The pricing FAQ adds 5 concurrent executions, a 180-second timeout, and 1 team project, and says no credit card is required for the Cloud trial. If you do not upgrade, n8n deletes the workspace. You have 90 days to download workflows. Starter is the first paid Cloud plan: the Cloud FAQ lists 2,500 workflow executions per month, 1 shared project, 5 concurrent executions, unlimited users, and 7-day execution history. That FAQ also says Business is not currently available on Cloud. Accessed 2026-09-21.
Is n8n self-host free enough to run?
The Community edition is free with no time limit and includes almost the complete feature set. You must provide and manage infrastructure. It does not include custom variables, environments, external secrets, projects, SSO, sharing, or version control using Git. Those need a paid Business or Enterprise license. Registering your email is still free and adds folders, debug in editor, and custom execution data. This page does not invent a hosting dollar. Accessed 2026-09-21.
When is free enough to learn, and when is it not enough to run?
Enough to learn: a two-step Zap, two Make scenarios, a 14-day n8n Cloud trial, or a Community install you will run yourself. Not enough to run production: a multi-step Zap, more than two always-on Make scenarios, n8n Cloud after the trial, or self-host features that need a paid license. Self-host still means you own uptime. This page does not turn that into a savings figure. Accessed 2026-09-21.
Does this page turn free into a monthly dollar?
No. This page stays on units and plan feature limits as printed on primary vendor pages, accessed 2026-09-21. It does not invent a monthly dollar, an overage dollar, or annual savings. It publishes no annual savings. It is not a free-to-paid savings calculator. Check the vendor plan page with your own unit count.
Does this guide change the Make vs n8n vs Zapier scores?
No. Totals are not published yet.
Where should I go next?
Count the same job on Same job, three meters. If you are already near a paid cap, see When you hit the meter. For the dictionary of the three words, see Tasks vs credits vs executions. For loops, retries, and polls, see How to meter automation. To pick a product, see Which automation tool for small teams. If the job is running the box, see When n8n self-host is worth it. Totals are not published yet.
Affiliate disclosure
Make Partner (pc=stackscorecard) is live elsewhere on the site and is not the primary call here. n8n and Zapier stay official-site URLs with UTM only — no invented IDs — and rankings are not sold (Affiliate disclosure · Disclosures).