Both Zapier and N8N are powerful workflow automation tools, but they serve different needs and budgets. Here's our comprehensive comparison.
Overview
| Feature | Zapier | N8N |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $19.99/mo | Free (self-hosted) or from $20/mo (cloud) |
| Integrations | 6,000+ | 400+ (growing fast) |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes |
| AI Features | AI Actions | AI Nodes (OpenAI, etc.) |
| Complexity | Simple to Medium | Medium to Complex |
When to Choose Zapier
Best For
- Non-technical teams
- Simple automations (2-5 steps)
- Maximum app coverage
- Quick setup, no maintenance
Strengths
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface
- Massive integration library
- Excellent documentation
- Reliable cloud infrastructure
Limitations
- Expensive at scale (task-based pricing)
- Limited logic and branching
- No self-hosting option
- Vendor lock-in
When to Choose N8N
Best For
- Technical teams and developers
- Complex, multi-step workflows
- Data-sensitive operations (self-host)
- Budget-conscious scaling
Strengths
- Free and open-source
- Visual workflow builder with code nodes
- Self-hosting for data privacy
- AI-native workflows
- No per-task pricing limits
Limitations
- Smaller integration library
- Steeper learning curve
- Self-hosting requires maintenance
- Community support (vs enterprise support)
Our Recommendation
At AWZ Digital, we primarily use N8N because:
- Self-hosting gives us full data control
- Complex AI workflows are first-class citizens
- No per-task pricing means predictable costs
- Open-source means no vendor lock-in
However, we recommend Zapier for clients who need simple automations up and running in minutes without any technical setup.
Conclusion
There's no wrong choice; it depends on your team's technical capability, budget, and automation complexity. Many businesses even use both platforms for different use cases.
