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Zapier
From $0Best for: most businesses wanting the widest app coverage and the simplest starting experience.
Zapier remains the easiest entry point, with the largest library of app integrations (9,000+) and a simple trigger-then-action model. Costs can climb with usage, but nothing else matches its breadth of connections.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 tasks/mo |
| Starter | $19.99/mo | 750 tasks/mo |
| Professional | Higher tiers | More tasks, advanced logic |
Make (formerly Integromat)
From $0Best for: businesses wanting a visual, branching workflow builder at a lower cost per operation.
Make offers a drag-and-drop visual canvas that makes complex, branching automations easier to actually see and manage. Its pricing works out significantly cheaper per operation than Zapier at similar usage levels.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 operations/mo |
| Core | $9/mo | 10,000 operations/mo |
| Pro | Higher tiers | More operations, priority execution |
n8n
From $0 (self-hosted)Best for: technical teams wanting full control, including self-hosting, with a dedicated owner.
n8n is the strongest choice if you have someone technical who can own it, it bills by full workflow execution rather than per-action, and can be self-hosted for free if you're comfortable managing your own infrastructure.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | Free | Requires your own server |
| Cloud Starter | From $20/mo | Hosted, managed for you |
Activepieces
From $0Best for: budget-conscious teams wanting an open-source alternative with modern AI agent features.
Activepieces is a newer, open-source (MIT-licensed) automation platform used by some genuinely large companies. A strong pick if Zapier or n8n's pricing or licensing terms don't fit your situation.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free / self-hosted | $0 | Open source |
| Cloud | From $5/flow/mo | Unlimited runs per active flow |
Before You Subscribe
What actually matters when comparing automation tools
Billing units aren't comparable
Zapier counts tasks, Make counts operations, n8n counts executions. The same workflow can cost very different amounts depending on the platform, check the real math for your use case.
Technical ownership required
Tools like n8n offer more power but need someone who can actually build and maintain the workflows. Match the tool to who's going to own it.
Start with the free tier
Every tool here has a usable free tier. Build your first real workflow before paying anything, this tells you far more than reading feature lists.
Self-hosting trade-offs
Self-hosted options are free but require you to manage uptime and updates yourself. Factor in that time cost, not just the dollar saving.
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