n8n vs Zapier

Quick answer

Updated October 27, 2026. Zapier is the hosted choice with the widest catalog, 9,000+ apps and 40,000+ actions, and it bills tasks for each action a Zap runs.[12, 10] n8n can also run on your own servers, bills its cloud plans per workflow execution with unlimited steps, and has native Evaluations for scoring AI output.[1, 4] Both pause for human approval before an AI tool runs; Zapier also has a general Human in the Loop step.[6, 7, 5]

Key takeaway

Choose n8n when the platform must run on your infrastructure, when one run has many steps, or when you want to test AI output against a dataset.

Choose Zapier when the apps you need are only in its catalog, or when non-technical teammates build and own the automations.

  • n8n wins on self-hosting: a self-hosted Community Edition and self-hosted Business and Enterprise plans; Zapier documents no self-hosted edition.
  • Zapier wins on catalog breadth: 9,000+ apps and 40,000+ actions through its integrations and MCP.
  • n8n wins on testing AI output: Evaluations run a dataset through the workflow and score results with deterministic, AI or custom metrics.
  • Tie on human approval: both pause before a selected AI tool runs, and Zapier adds a separate approve, decline or edit step.

By , CTO, Trampoline AI. Updated · Facts checked · Published by the Avalanche team. Avalanche competes with both.

01 / The core differencen8n vs Zapier

Control of the platform, or reach across apps

n8n and Zapier both automate work across apps and both now put AI agents inside workflows. The choice usually turns on three things: whether you can or must self-host, how many steps a typical run has, and whether the apps you depend on are in each catalog. Zapier's newer Next Gen Zaps change some limits but are in early access by request.[2]

n8n's distinguishing choice is operational: run it yourself, set your own workflow timeout, and keep source available under a restricted license.[1, 13] Zapier's is reach: the largest catalog of ready-made actions, built for people who connect apps rather than run servers.[12] A Classic Zap holds up to 100 steps including paths, which fits most app-to-app automations and pushes long processes into several Zaps.[11]

02 / At a glanceChecked 2026-10-27

n8n and Zapier, side by side.

n8n and Zapier compared, checked 2026-10-27
Criterionn8nZapierEdge
Self-hostingCommunity Edition; Business and Enterprise self-hostedHosted service; no self-hosted edition documented[1, 10]n8n edge
Catalog breadth2,000+ integrations9,000+ apps, 40,000+ actions[14, 12]Zapier edge
Billing unitWorkflow executions, unlimited stepsTasks per action; AI tier, tools and code runtime change the rate[1, 10]Depends
Size and length of one runNo step cap; Cloud run 5 min Starter, 40 min ProClassic: 100 steps; Delay holds up to 30 days[1, 11, 8]Depends
Human approvalReview before selected AI tool callsPer-tool approval in AI steps; Human in the Loop step[5, 6, 7]Similar
Testing AI outputNative Evaluations with datasets and metricsAI Guardrails checks for PII, toxicity and prompt attacks[4, 15]n8n edge

Catalog counts are each vendor's own figure on October 27, 2026 and use different units. Zapier rows describe Classic Zaps unless they say Next Gen; Next Gen Zaps are in early access by request.

03 / Where each one winsOne claim per card

Where each one wins

Where n8n wins

  • Self-host the whole platform

    The Community Edition and the Business plan are self-hosted, and Enterprise can be hosted or self-hosted.[1]

  • Steps are not metered

    Starter and Pro bill workflow executions, each with unlimited steps, so a 40-node run counts once.[1]

  • Scored AI tests

    Evaluations run test cases through a workflow, compute metrics and compare runs; production failures can become regression cases.[4]

  • Git between environments

    Business and Enterprise link n8n instances to git branches and promote changes through a pull request.[3]

Where Zapier wins

  • The widest catalog

    Zapier connects 9,000+ apps and 40,000+ actions, and its MCP server exposes them to AI assistants at two tasks per successful call.[12]

  • Approval as a step

    Human in the Loop pauses a Zap so reviewers can approve, decline or edit data, with a timeout that skips or ends the run.[7]

  • Tables and Forms included

    Every plan includes Zaps, Tables and Forms in one account, starting with a Free plan of 100 tasks a month.[10]

  • Automatic retries

    Autoreplay retries errored steps on a schedule without replaying the whole Zap.[9]

04 / Detailed comparison4 buyer questions

What changes for your team.

01

How big one run can get

Buyer question

Can n8n or Zapier handle a long, many-step process?

A Classic Zap is limited to 100 steps, counting every step inside paths; Zapier's advice past that is to split the work into several Zaps.[11] The Delay tool holds a run for up to 30 days, and Code by Zapier steps run 1 second on Free, 30 seconds on Professional and Team, and 2 minutes on Enterprise, extendable to 10 minutes on paid plans.[8, 16] Structural edits made while a run is delayed can stop that run from continuing.[8]

n8n puts no cap on steps per execution. n8n Cloud stops a run at 5 minutes on Starter and 40 on Pro and Enterprise, and self-hosted instances set their own timeout.[1] The Wait node saves the execution and resumes it by time, webhook or form.[17] Zapier's Next Gen Zaps, in early access, allow runs of up to a year including pauses and keep a running Zap on the version it started on.[2]

Sources [1, 2, 8, 11, 16, 17]

02

Executions versus tasks

Buyer question

Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?

As of October 27, 2026, n8n Starter is €20 a month billed annually for 2,500 workflow executions and Pro is €50 for 10,000, each with unlimited steps.[1] Zapier Free is $0 with 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps; Professional starts at $19.99 a month and Team at $69 a month with yearly billing selected, and the price rises with the task tier you pick.[10]

Zapier counts tasks for each action, and the rate depends on the AI model tier, tools used and code runtime; an AI by Zapier step can use up to 75 tasks per run by default, adjustable to 500.[10, 6] A 20-step Zap that runs 500 times a month can therefore cost thousands of tasks, while n8n would count 500 executions. For short two- or three-step Zaps the gap narrows, so price your own top workflows.

Sources [1, 6, 10]

03

Approvals and AI quality

Buyer question

Which is better for AI agents with human review?

Both stop before an AI tool acts. n8n's human review pauses before a selected tool call; Approve runs it, Deny cancels it, and the request can go to chat, Slack or Telegram.[5] In AI by Zapier, the Require approval before running toggle, off by default, pauses before a chosen tool; Human in the Loop is a separate step where reviewers approve, decline or change data.[6, 7]

For quality, n8n Evaluations score AI output against a dataset with deterministic, AI or custom metrics and compare runs.[4] Zapier's AI Guardrails check AI output for PII, toxicity, prompt attacks and sentiment, which is a runtime filter rather than a test suite.[15] If you need to know whether a prompt change made results better or worse, n8n has that built in.

Sources [4, 5, 6, 7, 15]

04

Versions and history

Buyer question

Can I roll back a workflow in n8n or Zapier?

Yes in both. Zapier publishes numbered, read-only versions; to roll back you open an old version, choose Edit from this version and publish it as a new version. History covers 1 month on Professional, 6 months on Team and 1 year on Enterprise, with none on Free.[18]

n8n restores a past version to the draft or publishes any version from history, which lasts 1 day on Starter, 5 on Pro and 365+ on Enterprise.[1, 19] Publishing in n8n can end "Published, partial" when some triggers fail to activate.[19]

Sources [1, 18, 19]

05 / FAQDirect answers

Common questions.

Can Zapier be self-hosted?
No self-hosted edition is documented; Zapier runs as a hosted service, and its SDK is a client, not the platform.[10] n8n offers a self-hosted Community Edition and self-hosted paid plans.[1]
How many steps can a Zap have?
A Classic Zap can have up to 100 steps, including steps inside paths; the Free plan allows two-step Zaps.[11, 10] n8n has no per-execution step cap.[1]
Is n8n open source?
n8n is source-available under the Sustainable Use License, which restricts some commercial uses; n8n says it is not OSI open source.[13]
Does every Zapier action cost one task?
No. AI model tier, tools, code runtime and connector type change how many tasks an action uses, and a successful Zapier MCP tool call uses two tasks.[10, 12]
What are Zapier Next Gen Zaps?
A newer Zap type written in TypeScript, in early access by request. Runs can last up to a year, a running Zap stays on the version it started on, and building and running them is free during early access on paid plans.[2]
06 / Where Avalanche fitsNeither of these

Where Avalanche fits

Avalanche suits the processes that do not fit in 100 steps: a few coarse steps written in Python, with an agent doing the document work inside each. On Avalanche Cloud, every step is a checkpoint, so a retry keeps finished work, and each run's typed step inputs and outputs stay in one history for your organization, so you can compare a step across many runs and versions. Schedules and webhooks are declared in the workflow code and follow rollbacks. The runtime is MIT-licensed.

See how Avalanche works
07 / SourcesChecked 2026-10-27

Public primary sources.

Every source was fetched on the date shown. Prices and plans change; check the vendor before you buy.

  1. [1]n8n Plans and Pricingn8n · Checked https://n8n.io/pricing
  2. [2]Get started with Next Gen ZapsZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/48391476448141-Get-started-with-Next-Gen-Zaps
  3. [3]Source control and environmentsn8n · Checked https://docs.n8n.io/administer/use-source-control-and-environments
  4. [4]Use metrics to measure quality (Evaluations)n8n · Checked https://docs.n8n.io/build/integrate-ai/test-and-improve-ai-workflows/use-metrics-to-measure-quality
  5. [5]Human-in-the-loop for toolsn8n · Checked https://docs.n8n.io/build/integrate-ai/ai-examples/human-in-the-loop-for-tools
  6. [6]Add tools to your AI by Zapier stepZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/45863491098893-Add-tools-to-your-AI-by-Zapier-step
  7. [7]Request approval with Human in the LoopZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/38731463206029-Request-approval-to-keep-your-workflow-running-with-Human-in-the-Loop
  8. [8]Add delays to Zap workflowsZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496288754829-Add-delays-to-Zap-workflows
  9. [9]What is replay?Zapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/19220226086797-What-is-replay
  10. [10]Zapier Plans & PricingZapier · Checked https://zapier.com/pricing
  11. [11]Zap limitsZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496181445261-Zap-limits
  12. [12]Zapier MCPZapier · Checked https://docs.zapier.com/mcp/home
  13. [13]n8n Community licensen8n · Checked https://docs.n8n.io/n8n-community-license
  14. [14]n8n integrations directoryn8n · Checked https://n8n.io/integrations
  15. [15]Get started with AI Guardrails by ZapierZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/43960366238221-How-to-get-started-with-AI-Guardrails-by-Zapier
  16. [16]Using Code by ZapierZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/45405528551181-Using-Code-by-Zapier
  17. [17]Wait noden8n · Checked https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/core-nodes/n8n-nodes-base.wait
  18. [18]Create Zap drafts and versionsZapier · Checked https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/9693520498445-Create-Zap-drafts-and-versions
  19. [19]Save and publish workflowsn8n · Checked https://docs.n8n.io/build/understand-workflows/save-and-publish-workflows
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See the runtime for yourselfOpen source · MIT

Our code speaks for itself.

The Avalanche runtime is open source under the MIT License. Read the code, run the starter project, and see how it fits the work your team repeats.