If you've landed here you probably have a Zapier invoice that keeps going up, or a friend has told you n8n is "Zapier but free and more powerful". Both are true in some sense. Neither is the whole story. This is the comparison we would want if we were weighing the switch ourselves.
We run our own n8n on Hetzner. What follows is the honest trade-off map — which wins for which job, what breaks, what nobody tells you, and a live cost calculator so you can see the exact monthly difference for your own volume.
The quick version
- Zapier wins on ease-of-start, breadth of native integrations, and polish. Higher cost, especially past 2,000 tasks/month.
- n8n (self-hosted) wins on total cost of ownership, flexibility, and data control. Small initial learning curve. Unlimited workflows for a flat ~$6/month server.
- n8n Cloud sits between them — no hosting to manage, still dramatically cheaper than Zapier at volume.
- If you plan to build AI agent workflows (LLM chains, RAG, vector DBs), n8n is ahead by at least 12 months.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Category | Zapier | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-task, tiered. Starts $0 (100 tasks), climbs fast | Per-execution (Cloud) or flat server cost (self-host) |
| Free tier | 100 tasks/month, 5-step Zaps | Unlimited self-hosted. 2,500 executions on Cloud Starter |
| Entry price | $19.99/mo (750 tasks) | ~$6/mo server or $20/mo Cloud |
| Integrations (native) | 7,000+ apps | 400+ native + 1,500+ via HTTP request node |
| Learning curve | Very easy (drag-drop-configure) | Moderate day 1, fast after day 3 |
| Custom code | Code step (Python/JS), limited | Full Node.js/Python in Code nodes |
| Self-hosting | Not available | Docker image, one command |
| AI/LLM workflows | Zapier AI actions, OpenAI integration | LangChain-native, vector DBs, agent loops |
| Error handling | Auto-retry, basic paths | Error workflows, try/catch, branching |
| Version control | Limited | Git-native, JSON export |
| Data location (GDPR) | Zapier's US/EU servers | Wherever you host — your control |
| Team collaboration | Built-in, polished | Good, improving quickly |
| Execution logs retention | 7–30 days depending on plan | Unlimited on self-host |
| SOC 2 / compliance | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA add-on | Cloud: SOC 2 Type II. Self-host: your own compliance |
Real pricing — with the numbers that actually bite
Zapier markets a $19.99 entry price. That tier includes 750 tasks. One task is one action. A single workflow that reads a form, adds a CRM contact, sends a welcome email, and slacks the sales team = 4 tasks per trigger. So 750 tasks is not 750 workflows — it's roughly 180 workflows a month. A busy business can use that up quickly.
Monthly cost — Zapier vs n8n
Drag the slider to see what each platform costs at your real volume.
Zapier counts "tasks" (one action = 1 task). n8n counts "executions" (one workflow run, regardless of how many steps). An n8n execution often does what 4–8 Zapier tasks would do, so the true gap is larger than it looks.
Beyond 10,000 tasks/month Zapier gets genuinely expensive — £100+/month for what n8n will do on a £5 server. For a UK business with even moderate automation needs, that gap can cover the migration effort within a few months, depending on your volume.
When Zapier is the right choice
- Solo or two-person teams doing under 200 tasks/month — the free tier covers you and Zapier's polish is worth the trivial cost.
- You need integrations with obscure SaaS tools where Zapier has a native connector and n8n doesn't. Check the n8n integration list before committing either way.
- Nobody on the team has any technical inclination and there's no budget to hire help. Zapier is more forgiving if something breaks at 2am.
- Highly regulated environments where you specifically need Zapier's HIPAA / compliance certifications out of the box.
When n8n is the right choice
- You're past 2,000 tasks/month and Zapier is starting to hurt your monthly P&L.
- You want data sovereignty — GDPR, UK-only data handling, or a client who insists on on-prem automation.
- You're building AI-agent workflows (LLM routing, RAG pipelines, multi-step reasoning). n8n is measurably ahead here in April 2026.
- Complex branching, error handling, and retries matter — e.g. e-commerce order processing that must never silently fail.
- You have even a small team with basic JavaScript or Python literacy. The productivity payoff is huge.
A five-day Zapier → n8n migration plan
If you're doing it internally, here's a clean sequence to follow:
Export every Zap. Categorise by business-critical vs nice-to-have. Many teams find some of their Zaps haven't run in 90 days — delete those before migrating.
Spin up a Hetzner CX22 (£4.50/mo) or DigitalOcean droplet. Install n8n with Docker Compose. Set up HTTPS with Caddy or Nginx. Takes under 2 hours if you've done it before.
Rebuild the 10–15 most business-critical workflows first. Keep Zapier running — don't cut it off yet. Test each n8n workflow against its Zapier twin.
Everything else. Use n8n's Import node to paste JSON from the Zapier export where possible. Most webhook/HTTP-triggered workflows map one-to-one.
Run both platforms in parallel for 48 hours. Monitor n8n executions and Zapier task counts. When n8n matches or exceeds Zapier volume, disable Zapier.
n8n in the UK — hosting, GDPR, and data handling
A common question from UK firms: "where does my automation data actually sit?". With Zapier, it's their servers (US or EU based on your data region). With n8n self-hosted, it's wherever you point Docker — which is why we recommend Hetzner's German or Finnish data centres for simpler GDPR handling.
Hosting options worth considering:
| Provider | Spec / price | UK data centre? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner CX22 | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / €4.51 (~£3.80) | No (Germany / Finland) | Best price, EU GDPR-safe. What we run ourselves. |
| DigitalOcean Basic 2GB | 1 vCPU / 2 GB / $14 | Yes (London LON1) | Slightly pricier but UK-resident data. |
| Vultr High Frequency | 1 vCPU / 2 GB / £6 | Yes (London) | Good NVMe performance. |
| AWS Lightsail | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / $24 | Yes (eu-west-2) | Overkill for small teams but enterprise-friendly. |
| n8n Cloud Starter | No hosting, $20/mo | EU region available | Zero ops. Good for teams with no Linux comfort. |
Frequently asked questions
The honest verdict
For most UK small and mid-size businesses past the first 1,000 tasks/month, self-hosted n8n saves money and gives you more power. For a solo operator with a couple of simple Zaps, Zapier is still the path of least resistance — don't over-engineer it.
The breakpoint is roughly £40/month in Zapier bills. Below that, stay put. Above that, our rough estimate is that a 1–5 day migration pays back within a few months — check it against your own figures in the calculator above.
Want help deciding or migrating?
We offer a fixed-fee Zapier → n8n migration service for UK businesses, and an even simpler setup-only option if you're starting fresh. Both include the server, HTTPS, backups, and two weeks of parallel-run support. Each workflow is a one-off build from £399, then £49/month covers hosting and monitoring.
Related reading
n8n workflow automation — beginner's guide · our n8n setup and hosting service · conversational AI guide (for building AI-agent workflows in n8n).
