🗓️ Prices checked on October 27, 2026
Written by Léo · Reviewed by Inès on 10/27/2026 (prices, links and availability checked) — our editorial pen names
The short answer: Make’s free plan is the best place to start for most freelancers and small businesses: 1,000 credits a month with multi-step scenarios, versus Zapier’s 100 tasks and two-step Zaps. When you outgrow it, Make Core costs $11 a month billed annually (checked October 27, 2026). Pick Zapier for the biggest app catalog, n8n if you can self-host.
In plain English: what is Make for?
The problem: chasing a late invoice, copying a new lead into a spreadsheet, emailing a client the minute they fill out your form. You do the same small chores by hand, week after week.
The solution: Make does them for you, without code. In a visual editor you build the chain once (form submitted, then a row added to your spreadsheet, then an email sent), and it runs on its own, even on the free plan.
Zapier and Make both promise to automate your busywork without writing a line of code, and n8n does it for almost nothing if you are comfortable running your own server. Their free plans are not equal, though, and picking the wrong one can cost you once you have to upgrade. Here is what each free plan really lets you run, where it stops, and what you will pay next. More guides like this one live in our Automation section.
In this article
Zapier vs Make vs n8n: the free plans side by side (October 2026)
Paid prices are the cheapest entry plan in US dollars, read on each company’s pricing page on October 27, 2026. They change often, so check before you buy.
| Tool | Free plan | Biggest strength | First paid plan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make ⭐ Our pick | 1,000 credits a month, multi-step scenarios, 2 active scenarios, runs at most every 15 minutes | The most automation you can get for $0 | Core: $11/month billed annually, or $16 month to month (10,000 credits) | Try it → |
| Zapier | 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps only, checks for new data every 15 minutes | 9,000+ connected apps, the easiest to learn | Professional: from $19.99/month billed yearly | See plans → |
| n8n | Free, open-source Community Edition you host yourself, with unlimited runs (you only pay for a small server) | Near-zero cost if you are comfortable with tech | Cloud Starter: $20/month billed annually (2,500 workflow runs) | See plans → |
🤖 How Tooli picks
We take one everyday workflow (new lead, then a spreadsheet row, then a welcome email) and check, on each company’s pricing page and help docs, what the free plan actually allows you to run, not just what the sales page headlines. We list the limits as plainly as the strengths. Tooli is our mascot, not a fake human tester, and none of these companies pays us to favor one over another.
Tool by tool: strengths and limits
Make: the most power for the price
Make (formerly Integromat) is built around a clear visual editor and a surprisingly generous free plan: 1,000 credits a month, with no time limit, and real multi-step scenarios. Most actions use one credit, so you can build a proper chain (form, spreadsheet, email, notification) without paying a cent. It connects to more than 3,500 apps, including the email tools we compare in Brevo vs Mailchimp. Good to know: the free plan keeps 2 scenarios active at once and runs them at most every 15 minutes. Core, at $11 a month billed annually, removes the cap on active scenarios and lets you schedule runs down to the minute.
Zapier: the simplest, but the free plan runs out fast
Zapier is still the reference: the easiest interface on the market, more than 9,000 connected apps (often first to support new ones) and a huge library of ready-made templates. The catch: the free plan stops at 100 tasks a month and, above all, at two-step Zaps. As soon as your automation needs a third block, such as a filter or a condition, you need Professional, from $19.99 a month billed yearly. With a few active automations, 100 tasks can be gone in two or three weeks.
n8n: the technical, almost-free option
n8n is open source. Its Community Edition can be self-hosted for free with unlimited workflow runs: you only pay for a small cloud server, usually a few dollars a month. That makes it the cheapest option at high volume. n8n also counts a whole workflow run as one execution, however many steps it has. The trade-off: you have to install and maintain it yourself. If that is not for you, the hosted Cloud Starter plan costs $20 a month billed annually, close to Zapier’s entry price.
👉 If your to-do list lives in a project tool, start by choosing the right one in Notion vs ClickUp, then automate around it. And if you sell courses or digital products, check our Systeme.io review: it bundles basic email automations, so you may need fewer Zaps. All our favorite tools are on the Recommended tools page.
Who should skip all three
If you have a single task to do once, an automation tool is overkill: a quick manual export will do. No-code automation pays off as soon as the same chore comes back every week.
FAQ
Zapier or Make: which is better for a beginner?
Start with Make: its free plan runs real multi-step scenarios, while Zapier’s free plan stops at two-step Zaps. Move to Zapier if you need a very specific app that Make does not connect to.
Can you automate your business for free all year?
Yes, for light use. Make’s free plan (1,000 credits a month) covers a few essential automations. Once your volume grows, expect to pay about $11 to $20 a month for an entry-level paid plan.
What is the difference between a Zapier task and a Make credit?
At Zapier, a task is one successful action, such as creating a spreadsheet row. At Make, most module actions use one credit each, so every step of a scenario counts. n8n bills per workflow run instead. The three are not counted the same way, so compare them carefully.
Is n8n really free?
The software itself is free and open source if you host it yourself, with unlimited workflow runs. Your only real cost is the small server it runs on, usually a few dollars a month.
How much does Make cost after the free plan?
On October 27, 2026, Make Core cost $11 a month billed annually, or $16 month to month, for 10,000 credits a month, with unlimited active scenarios.
Our verdict
Make is the free plan that lasts longest. If you want to automate several chores (invoices, reminders, notifications) without paying yet, Make gives you the most room, and Core at $11 a month billed annually is the cheapest upgrade of the three. If simplicity and app choice matter more than anything, Zapier is a reliable classic, but plan on Professional soon. If you are technical and happy to self-host, n8n will save you the most.
Our advice: open a free Make account today, build one real scenario, watch your credit use for a month, then decide. See more of the tools we recommend on the Recommended tools page, or browse the Automation section.
Sources (checked October 27, 2026)
Zapier pricing · Make pricing · n8n pricing · n8n docs: self-hosting. Prices in US dollars, before any sales tax, and subject to change.