n8n vs Zapier — open-source vs SaaS automation
When AI support needs business orchestration, both n8n and Zapier fit. Four dimensions — nodes, price, self-host, AI integration.
TL;DR#
| If you are | Pick |
|---|---|
| > 10k monthly tasks | n8n |
| Heavy Salesforce / HubSpot ecosystem | Zapier |
| Want GitHub-style version control for workflows | n8n |
| Compliance requires self-host | n8n |
| Individual / < 5-person, low volume | Zapier (free tier suffices) |
| Want deep LLM + workflow integration | n8n (AI nodes are ahead) |
4 dimensions#
1. Integration ecosystem#
| Axis | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in nodes / apps | 800+ | 7,000+ |
| China-domestic apps | Fewer | Almost none |
| Custom HTTP / webhook | ✓ Strong | ✓ but limited paths in some plans |
| Code nodes (JS / Python) | ✓ Full | ⚠ Code Steps (limited) |
Zapier dominates raw count (7,000+). But most businesses use 30-50 core integrations (Slack, Notion, Stripe, Postgres, GitHub) — n8n has them all.
2. Price#
5,000 monthly tasks, 5 workflows:
| Tool | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Zapier | |
| Professional (750 tasks/mo) | Not enough |
| Team (2,000 tasks/mo) | $69 |
| Bump to 5,000 tasks | ~$200-300 |
| n8n | |
| Self-host (2C/4G VPS) | $15 |
| n8n Cloud (5,000 executions) | $20 |
n8n self-host is 5-10% of Zapier’s cost. Gap widens with volume.
3. Self-host#
n8n’s headline value:
- Fully self-hostable — docker-compose, same network as your other infra
- No data egress — workflow data lives in your Postgres
- Version control — export workflows as JSON to Git
- CI/CD-friendly — separate test / staging / prod n8n instances deployable via Terraform
Zapier is pure SaaS, no self-host option (it’s part of their moat).
4. AI / LLM integration#
| Capability | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI nodes | ✓ Deep (incl. Function Calling) | ✓ Basic |
| Anthropic / Claude | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local LLM (Ollama) | ✓ via HTTP | ✗ |
| LangChain node suite | ✓ Built-in (dedicated AI category) | ✗ |
| RAG / vector search nodes | ✓ Pinecone / Weaviate / Qdrant | ⚠ via HTTP |
| AI agent orchestration | ✓ Agent node + tool calling | ⚠ Simple |
n8n has repositioned itself as an “AI-native automation platform” and iterates fast. Zapier trails.
Use-case examples#
Scenario A: ticket → CRM + Slack#
| Tool | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Zapier | 3 steps: Trigger (Chatwoot webhook) → Action (Salesforce create) → Action (Slack notify). 5 minutes. |
| n8n | Same 3 nodes; but you can add branches, variables, error handling for more complex versions |
Zapier is friendlier for single-flow simple automation. Once the flow needs branches / loops / retries, n8n advantages emerge.
Scenario B: nightly Chatwoot pull → compute KPI → push Notion report#
| Tool | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Zapier | Schedule by Zapier + multi-step Actions, Code Step for KPI math |
| n8n | Cron node + HTTP + JavaScript node (more flexible) |
n8n handles “semi-engineered” flows more naturally.
Licensing#
| Axis | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Self-host | ✓ Sustainable Use License (free) | ✗ |
| Resale restriction | Yes (no SaaS resale) | N/A |
| Source modifiable | ✓ | ✗ |
| Commercial self-host | ✓ Internal use | N/A |
Sustainable Use License caveat: n8n isn’t OSI-standard open source (no full SaaS resale), but internal self-host use is fully free — enough for most companies.
Decision tree#
Monthly tasks > 5,000?
├─ Yes → Strongly recommend n8n (cost crushes)
└─ No → Workflows mostly integrate big SaaS (HubSpot / Salesforce)?
├─ Yes → Zapier
└─ No → Need data sovereignty / self-host?
├─ Yes → n8n
└─ No → Workflow complexity?
├─ Simple linear → Zapier
└─ Branches / loops / AI → n8nScorecard#
| Axis | n8n | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Integration count | 7 | 10 |
| Price | 10 | 4 |
| Self-host | 10 | 0 |
| AI integration | 10 | 7 |
| Ease of use | 7 | 10 |
| Version control | 10 | 4 |
| Enterprise stability | 8 | 10 |
| Overall | 8.9 | 6.4 |