This article is part of our AI Agents for Business hub. Want help applying it? Talk to eSEOspace.
Choose Zapier if non-technical staff will build, n8n if you want control and self-hosting, and Make if you want visual building with credit billing. All three can run AI agents, so the real differences are metering, hosting and who maintains it.
This guide is part of our AI agents for business hub. Everything here was checked against each vendor's documentation on 9 November 2026. We did not test these products.
Disclosure: eSEOspace is a member of the Claude Partner Network. None of the three products is ours, and no vendor paid to appear here.
Key Takeaways
- n8n says: "Pricing is based on monthly workflow executions, regardless of complexity."
- Zapier bills Agents separately from Zaps, in activities, on an add-on with its own limits.
- Make uses credits as its billing unit, and its AI Agent credits depend on tokens and the model you choose.
- n8n can be self-hosted, but its license limits how you can use it.
- Make's newer AI Agent app is in open beta, so features and pricing may change.
The comparison at a glance
| n8n | Zapier | Make | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Workflow executions | Tasks for Zaps, activities for Agents | Credits |
| Agent feature | Agents, MCP and AI nodes listed on all plans | Zapier Agents, an add-on | Make AI Agent (New), open beta |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Not listed on the pages we read | Not listed on the pages we read |
| Free option | Self-hosted Community edition; 14-day cloud trial | Free plan with 100 tasks and 400 agent activities | Free plan with 1,000 credits a month |
| Human approval for tool calls | Listed on the pricing page | Not described on the pages we read | Not described on the pages we read |
"Not listed" means we did not find it on the pages we opened, and it does not mean the feature is absent. Ask the vendor if it matters to you.
Pricing, as of 9 November 2026
Prices change often, so check each page before you decide. n8n prices are in euros and are shown as billed annually.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| n8n Starter | €20 per month | 2.5K workflow executions |
| n8n Pro | €50 per month | 10K workflow executions |
| n8n Business | €667 per month | 40K workflow executions, self-hosted only for now |
| n8n Enterprise | Contact sales | Custom |
| Zapier Free | $0 | 100 tasks a month |
| Zapier Pro | From $19.99 per month, billed annually | From 750 tasks |
| Zapier Team | From $69 per month, billed annually | From 2,000 tasks |
| Zapier Agents Free | $0 | 400 activities a month |
| Zapier Agents Pro | $33.33 per month, billed annually | 1,500 activities a month |
| Make Free | Free plan | 1,000 credits a month |
We list no Make paid-plan prices or credit amounts, because they did not appear on the pricing page we opened. Check Make's page directly for current figures.
How each one charges for agent work
The meter matters more than the sticker price, because agents take a variable number of steps.
n8n: per execution
n8n says: "Pricing is based on monthly workflow executions, regardless of complexity." One run counts once, however many steps it has. That can suit long agent runs, since a run with many steps counts the same as a run with few.
You still pay for the AI model separately, unless you use the gateway credits n8n lists on its Starter and Pro plans. Check how those credits work for your usage.
Zapier: per activity
Zapier's usage article says: "An activity is any billable action that your agent takes." Each trigger, knowledge lookup, action, web search or page browse counts as one.
It also says: "Using activities does not affect your Zapier task usage." Runs are capped at 10 activities on Free and 40 on paid plans. At the cap, the agent asks for your input before continuing.
Make: credits based on tokens and model
Make's pricing page says: "As of August 27, credits are the billing unit in Make." For AI agents, Make's credits article says usage is based on tokens and depends on the model you choose.
For example, it lists Claude Sonnet 5 at 452 input tokens or 90 output tokens per credit through Make's AI Provider. Make notes these rates may change. Output costs more credits than input, so long agent responses add up.
Which fits which situation
These are our judgments, based on the documentation above.
Choose Zapier if you have many apps to connect and non-technical staff will build. Its Free plan lets you try Agents, and Zapier's activity view shows what an agent did on a run.
Choose n8n if you have technical people and you want control. It offers self-hosting, Code steps, evaluations and human approval for tool calls. Read about self-hosting n8n before you commit, because you will own the upkeep.
Choose Make if you like visual scenario building and are comfortable with credit-based billing. Its AI Agent app is available on all plans using Make's AI Provider, with custom provider connections on paid plans. It is in open beta, and Make says: "While the app is in open beta, product functionality and pricing may change."
Do you need any of them?
If the steps are the same every time, you may not need an agent at all. A plain workflow in any of these tools may do the job. Our guide on whether you need an agent can help you decide.
Before you go live, test your agent on real examples, as our guide to agent evals explains. Then measure what each task really costs.
A licensing point for agencies
If you plan to host n8n for clients, read the license first. n8n's Sustainable Use License says: "You may use or modify the software only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use."
We are not able to tell you what that means for your specific plan. Ask n8n or an attorney before you build a business on it. This is general information, not legal advice.
Connecting AI tools through MCP
All three now touch MCP, the protocol that connects AI tools to software. We have separate guides for n8n's MCP nodes, Make and MCP and Zapier's MCP server.
Next step
Pick one real job, estimate how many steps it takes, and work out the cost on each meter. If you would rather have a custom agent built, see our AI agent development service.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n better than Zapier for AI agents?
It depends on your team. n8n gives more control and can be self-hosted, while Zapier is built around connecting apps with less technical work. We did not test either one, so try both on a real job.
Is n8n free?
n8n's docs say the self-hosted Community edition is free with almost the complete feature set. You still pay for hosting and AI model usage, and you take on the maintenance. Its cloud plans are paid, with a free trial.
How much does Make cost for AI agents?
Make's page lists 1,000 credits a month on the Free plan. We could not confirm paid plan prices from the page we opened, so check Make directly. Agent credit use depends on tokens and the model you choose.
Do Zapier Agents use my Zap tasks?
No. Zapier says: "Using activities does not affect your Zapier task usage." Agents have their own monthly activity quota, and Zapier emails you at 80% of your limit.
Can I use my own AI model?
Make says custom AI provider connections are on paid plans. n8n lists its Assistant on self-hosted as a preview feature with bring-your-own-key, and its docs describe connecting multiple model providers. Check each vendor's current docs for your model.
