n8n vs Zapier — which one wins for your business?
We've built production automation in both for 4+ years. Here's the honest comparison — where Zapier still wins, where n8n crushes it, and how to pick.
Updated June 2026 · By ClarioAI
TL;DR
- Pick Zapier if you're under 5K tasks/mo, need 1-step automations, and have no data-residency concerns.
- Pick n8n if you're scaling past 10K tasks/mo, need branching/error handling, or your data must stay in Canada.
- Switching cost: 1–3 weeks for a typical SMB Zap library. ROI from cost savings alone usually pays it back in 3–6 months.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat self-host ($20–50/mo) or fixed tier on Cloud | Per-task; scales painfully past 5K tasks/mo |
| Cost at 50K tasks/mo | ~$50 flat | $500+ |
| Hosting | Self-host (Canada/EU/anywhere) or Cloud | US-hosted only |
| Native integrations | 1000+ | 6000+ |
| Branching & conditional logic | First-class | Limited; needs Paths add-on |
| Code/HTTP nodes | Native JS, Python, full HTTP | Code by Zapier (limited) |
| Error retries & dead-letter queues | Built-in | Manual replay only |
| Visual editor | Yes | Yes |
| Time to first automation (non-technical user) | 30–60 min | 10–20 min |
| Open source | Yes (fair-code) | No |
| PIPEDA / data residency | Yes (self-host) | US-only data flow |
FAQs
Is n8n cheaper than Zapier?
For any workflow that runs more than ~5,000 tasks/month, n8n is dramatically cheaper. Zapier bills per task; n8n is a flat hosting cost (typically $20–50/mo self-hosted). At 50,000 tasks/month, Zapier costs $500+/mo while n8n stays flat.
Can n8n do everything Zapier can?
Yes, and more. n8n has 1000+ native integrations, plus full HTTP/code nodes for anything else. It handles branching, loops, error retries, and long-running jobs that Zapier can't.
Is n8n harder to use than Zapier?
The visual editor is comparable. Zapier is slightly faster for one-step automations. n8n wins on anything with branching, conditional logic, or multi-step transformations — the cases that matter for real ops.
Where does n8n run?
Self-hosted on your own infrastructure (Canadian servers if you need data residency), or on n8n Cloud. Zapier is US-hosted only, which is a non-starter for some Canadian healthcare and legal use cases.
Can ClarioAI migrate my Zaps to n8n?
Yes. We audit your current Zapier usage, rebuild equivalent workflows in n8n, and run both in parallel until we've verified parity. Typical migration: 1–3 weeks depending on Zap count.
Thinking about migrating?
Free 30-min audit. We'll quantify your Zapier spend, scope the n8n rebuild, and quote a fixed price within 48 hours.
Book the auditSee also: n8n vs Make · n8n in Canada