Comparison · Updated Oct 19, 2026
Zapier Alternatives (2026): Cost at Volume
Make for a managed visual canvas. n8n to own the instance. Activepieces for a credit per run. Power Automate for Microsoft 365.
Prices verified through .
Moneda may earn a commission from some product links. Partner economics do not affect our recommendations. This page is research-based — conclusions come from product evidence and documentation, not a claim that we personally purchased every product listed.
Which of these are you?
Your pick
Make
Make stays hosted. Most module actions are one credit, so a long scenario costs more than a short one, and you do not run a server.
Tradeoff
n8n can be better when the task is mostly someone will own the instance.
Related decisions
| Feature | Make Free tierFrom $12/mo | n8n Self-hostedFrom €20/mo | Activepieces Free tierFrom $20/mo | Power Automate From $15/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free tierFrom $12/mo Free: 1,000 credits/month, 2 active scenarios (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-02) · Most module actions are 1 credit; routers and error handlers are not (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-02) · At 10,000 credits/month, in USD: Core $12/month billed annually ($16 billed monthly), Pro $21/month billed annually ($28 billed monthly), Teams $38/month billed annually ($51 billed monthly) (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-18) · Start-up Plan, in Make's words: Under 20 employees? Check if you qualify for our Start-up Plan and get 50% off Business. (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-18) | Self-hostedFrom €20/mo Self-hosted Community Edition: no license fee; infrastructure is separate (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) · Cloud Starter: €20/month billed annually. Includes agents, MCP, and AI nodes. One execution is a full workflow run, not a step (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) · Cloud Pro: €50/month billed annually (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) · Cloud Business: €667/month billed annually. For companies with fewer than 100 employees. Adds SSO and LDAP, multiple environments, version control using Git, and queue mode (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) | Free tierFrom $20/mo Free: 1,000 credits a month, no card (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) · Plus: $20/mo flat, 10,000 credits a month, up to 5 users (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) · Team: $200/mo flat, 50,000 credits a month, 25 users. Ultimate is custom (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) · Cloud or on-prem on the published plans. Annual billing saves 2 months (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) | From $15/mo Premium: $15 per user/month, billed annually, in the June 2026 Power Platform Licensing Guide (Source: https://cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/bade/documents/products-and-services/en-us/bizapps/Power-Platform-Licensing-Guide-June-2026-PUB.pdf, Checked: 2026-10-15) · Process: $150.00 per bot/month, paid yearly (Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-15) · Hosted Process: $215.00 per bot/month, paid yearly (Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-15) · Power Automate Basic is the use rights included with select Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses, for customizing those apps. It is not the Premium plan (Source: https://cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/bade/documents/products-and-services/en-us/bizapps/Power-Platform-Licensing-Guide-June-2026-PUB.pdf, Checked: 2026-10-15) |
| Free tier | ✅ | ⚠️ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Cost at volume, using each vendor's own unit | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ |
| Managed canvas versus self-host | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ❌ |
| Microsoft 365 versus multi-SaaS | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ⚠️ | ✅ |
| Best for | Operators needing more visual control than basic no-code automation | Technical teams building complex or self-hosted AI workflows | Teams that want open automation without full n8n complexity | Microsoft 365 shops |
| Direct link | View Make | View n8n | View Activepieces | View Power Automate |
✅ Included · ❌ Missing · ⚠️ Partial or add-on
Make
Free: 1,000 credits/month, 2 active scenarios (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-02) · Most module actions are 1 credit; routers and error handlers are not (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-02) · At 10,000 credits/month, in USD: Core $12/month billed annually ($16 billed monthly), Pro $21/month billed annually ($28 billed monthly), Teams $38/month billed annually ($51 billed monthly) (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-18) · Start-up Plan, in Make's words: Under 20 employees? Check if you qualify for our Start-up Plan and get 50% off Business. (Source: https://www.make.com/en/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-18)
Best for: Operators needing more visual control than basic no-code automation
- Free tier
- ✅
- Cost at volume, using each vendor's own unit
- ✅
- Managed canvas versus self-host
- ✅
- Microsoft 365 versus multi-SaaS
- ⚠️
n8n
Self-hosted Community Edition: no license fee; infrastructure is separate (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) · Cloud Starter: €20/month billed annually. Includes agents, MCP, and AI nodes. One execution is a full workflow run, not a step (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) · Cloud Pro: €50/month billed annually (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19) · Cloud Business: €667/month billed annually. For companies with fewer than 100 employees. Adds SSO and LDAP, multiple environments, version control using Git, and queue mode (Source: https://n8n.io/pricing/, Checked: 2026-10-19)
Best for: Technical teams building complex or self-hosted AI workflows
- Free tier
- ⚠️
- Cost at volume, using each vendor's own unit
- ✅
- Managed canvas versus self-host
- ✅
- Microsoft 365 versus multi-SaaS
- ⚠️
Activepieces
Free: 1,000 credits a month, no card (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) · Plus: $20/mo flat, 10,000 credits a month, up to 5 users (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) · Team: $200/mo flat, 50,000 credits a month, 25 users. Ultimate is custom (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06) · Cloud or on-prem on the published plans. Annual billing saves 2 months (Source: https://www.activepieces.com/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-06)
Best for: Teams that want open automation without full n8n complexity
- Free tier
- ✅
- Cost at volume, using each vendor's own unit
- ✅
- Managed canvas versus self-host
- ⚠️
- Microsoft 365 versus multi-SaaS
- ⚠️
Power Automate
Premium: $15 per user/month, billed annually, in the June 2026 Power Platform Licensing Guide (Source: https://cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/bade/documents/products-and-services/en-us/bizapps/Power-Platform-Licensing-Guide-June-2026-PUB.pdf, Checked: 2026-10-15) · Process: $150.00 per bot/month, paid yearly (Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-15) · Hosted Process: $215.00 per bot/month, paid yearly (Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate/pricing, Checked: 2026-10-15) · Power Automate Basic is the use rights included with select Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses, for customizing those apps. It is not the Premium plan (Source: https://cdn-dynmedia-1.microsoft.com/is/content/microsoftcorp/microsoft/bade/documents/products-and-services/en-us/bizapps/Power-Platform-Licensing-Guide-June-2026-PUB.pdf, Checked: 2026-10-15)
Best for: Microsoft 365 shops
- Free tier
- ❌
- Cost at volume, using each vendor's own unit
- ⚠️
- Managed canvas versus self-host
- ❌
- Microsoft 365 versus multi-SaaS
- ✅
What we evaluated
Evaluation criteria: Cost at volume, using each vendor's own unit, Managed canvas versus self-host, Microsoft 365 versus multi-SaaS. Conclusions are based on primary documentation, product evidence, and workflow fit — not hands-on benchmark runs unless noted. 6 primary sources checked.
This page is for readers leaving Zapier because the task bill is the problem. Make is the primary managed alternative: a visual canvas, no server to run. n8n is the control pick when someone will own the instance. Activepieces is the open builder when a run should be one credit. Power Automate is the Microsoft 365 pick. The four meters are not interchangeable. Nothing below converts one vendor’s unit into another’s.
Prices checked 15 October 2026.
Zapier pricing: Free is 100 tasks a month. Professional starts at 750 tasks for $19.99/month billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly). At 10,000 tasks, Professional is $129/month billed annually ($193.50 billed monthly). At 50,000 tasks, Professional is $289/month billed annually ($433.50 billed monthly). Team starts at 2,000 tasks for $69/month billed annually ($103.50 billed monthly). A successful action step counts as a task. Triggers and several built-in tools do not. AI by Zapier, checked 18 October 2026, bills an AI step from that same task pool. One Premium step with two tool calls is 15 tasks per run. The multipliers are on Zapier vs Make.
Make prices checked 18 October 2026. On Make’s pricing page, in USD at 10,000 credits a month, Core is $12/month billed annually ($16 billed monthly), Pro is $21/month billed annually ($28 billed monthly), and Teams is $38/month billed annually ($51 billed monthly). Most actions consume 1 credit. Routers and error handlers do not. Free includes 1,000 credits a month. The page says: “Under 20 employees? Check if you qualify for our Start-up Plan and get 50% off Business.”
n8n pricing, checked 19 October 2026: an execution is one run of the whole workflow, not a step. Cloud Starter is €20/month billed annually, Pro is €50/month billed annually, and Business is €667/month billed annually. Business is for companies with fewer than 100 employees and adds SSO and LDAP, multiple environments, version control using Git, and queue mode. Community Edition is the self-hosted version on GitHub. The n8n button is n8n.io. It does not start n8n Cloud.
Activepieces pricing: Free is $0 and 1,000 credits a month, no card. Plus is $20/month flat for 10,000 credits and up to 5 users, then $0.007 per extra credit. Team is $200/month flat for 50,000 credits and 25 users. The FAQ says a run is one credit however many steps it has. AI steps add 2, 10, or 20 credits unless Plus or above uses your own model keys, which drops those steps to 1 credit. The same plans say Cloud or on-prem. Annual billing saves 2 months. The pricing table lists Free’s credit reset as Daily, and the FAQ says a fresh 1,000 credits every month and that over-quota runs wait until the next day. Both lines are on the page.
Power Automate pricing: Process is $150.00 per bot per month, paid yearly. Hosted Process is $215.00 per bot per month, paid yearly. The June 2026 licensing guide lists Premium at $15 per user per month, billed annually, and says Power Automate Basic is the use rights included with select Microsoft 365 and Office 365 licenses for customizing those apps. Microsoft says the pricing-page figures are for marketing and checkout can differ.
The Make button is the partner registration path, with pc=monedaai2026. The n8n, Activepieces, and Power Automate buttons are product links. They are not tracking links.
Pairwise pages: Zapier vs Make, n8n vs Zapier, Activepieces vs Make, and Make vs Power Automate. Pipedream vs Make is for existing Pipedream Workflows users planning a migration before 31 March 2027. It is not a new-buyer code path: Workflows signups are closed. An AI-agent canvas versus this visual canvas is Gumloop vs Make.