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Short answer: for a creator or small store that wants to pay $0, Make gives the most room: 1,000 credits a month with multi-step scenarios [M2]. Zapier's free plan gives 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only [Z1]. n8n has no free cloud plan, but its self-hosted Community Edition is free if you can run your own server [N1].
Free plans side by side
| Make Free | Zapier Free | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 [M2] | $0 [Z1] | No free cloud plan; Community Edition self-hosted [N1] |
| Monthly allowance | 1,000 credits [M2] | 100 tasks [Z1] | Cloud Starter: 2.5K executions/mo; Pro: 10K [N1] |
| What's counted | Each module action [M1] | Each successful action step [Z1] | Each full workflow run [N1] |
| Workflow shape | Multi-step, routers and filters [M1] | Two-step only [Z1] | Multi-step; priced per full run, not per step [N1] |
| Fastest schedule | 15 minutes [M2] | 15-minute polling [Z1] | Not stated on pricing page |
| Webhooks | Supported; queued if credits run out [M1] | Paid plans only [Z1] | Included [N1] |
| Free trial of paid tier | None needed to start | 14-day Professional trial, no card [Z1] | Cloud trial: 1,000 executions, no card [N1] |
How each tool counts usage
Make counts credits. Each module action uses credits; most use 1 [M1]. Reading, searching, creating, updating and transforming data all count. Router and error-handler modules don't [M1]. Unused credits expire at the end of the term [M1].
Zapier counts tasks. A task is counted when Zapier "successfully completes a unit of work." Triggers, polling and built-in tools like Formatter, Filter, Paths and Delay don't count [Z1]. Some AI steps cost more than one task [Z1].
n8n counts executions. "An execution is a single run of your entire workflow," no matter how many steps it has [N1]. That makes long workflows cheap to run on n8n.
Worked example: new Shopify order to sheet and email
Say each order runs a 4-step workflow: trigger on a new order, add a row to a sheet, add the buyer to your email list, and send yourself a notification.
- Make: roughly 4 credits per order (all four modules act) [M1]. 1,000 credits ÷ 4 ≈ 250 orders a month. That's our estimate; real use depends on your modules.
- Zapier Free: this needs a multi-step Zap, which is a paid feature [Z1]. You could split it into three two-step Zaps, using about 3 tasks per order (triggers are free) [Z1]. 100 tasks ÷ 3 ≈ 33 orders a month.
- n8n: 1 execution per order, however many steps it has [N1]. Cloud plans start at $20/mo billed yearly, so check each plan's execution allowance on n8n's pricing page [N1]. Self-hosting is free in license terms, but you pay for and maintain the server.
One caution for Make: a scheduled scenario uses credits each time it checks for new data. On a 15-minute schedule, that adds up. Event-based (webhook) triggers can avoid that waste where your store app supports them; Make's pricing page confirms webhooks queue and run once credits are available [M1].
Paid plans we could confirm
- Zapier Professional: from $19.99/mo billed yearly ($29.99 monthly) for 750 tasks [Z1]. It unlocks multi-step Zaps, webhooks, filters and paths [Z1].
- n8n Cloud: Starter $20/mo and Pro $50/mo, both billed yearly ($24 and $60 billed monthly) [N1]. Starter includes 2.5K workflow executions a month and Pro 10K [N1]. Business is $800/mo billed yearly ($960 billed monthly) and is self-hosted [N1].
- Make: at 10,000 credits/mo, Core is $10.59/mo billed monthly or $9/mo billed annually; Pro $18.82 or $16; Teams $34.12 or $29; Enterprise is custom [M2]. All paid plans include unlimited active scenarios and a 1-minute interval, annual billing saves 15%, and prices change with the credits slider [M2].
Costs that aren't on the price tag
- Your time to build. Make and Zapier are visual, no-code builders [M1][Z1]. n8n's pricing page lists code steps, custom API requests and CLI control [N1], and it's aimed at technical teams. Expect a steeper start.
- Hosting for self-hosted n8n. The license is free, but a server, updates, backups and security are on you.
- Polling waste. Scheduled checks cost Make credits even when nothing changed. Zapier doesn't count triggers or polling as tasks [Z1].
- Overage rules. On paid Zapier plans, pay-per-task overage runs at 1.25× the base rate on annual plans and 2.5× on monthly plans [Z1].
- Annual vs monthly. Zapier says annual billing is 33% off monthly [Z1]; n8n says annual saves 17% [N1]. Only commit yearly once a workflow has proven itself.
Which one fits your business
A creator with a newsletter and one digital product: Make Free covers "new sale to email list" and "new subscriber to sheet."
A small Shopify store under a few hundred orders a month: Make Free to start. Move to a paid plan when you need more than two always-on workflows [M1].
A store that uses an app Make doesn't connect to: check Zapier, which lists 9,000+ apps [Z1]. Use its 14-day Professional trial to test the full flow [Z1].
A technical owner with long, frequent workflows: n8n. Paying per full run instead of per step can be much cheaper at volume [N1]. Hosted data is stored in Frankfurt, Germany [N1].
FAQ
Is n8n free? The self-hosted Community Edition is free on GitHub. n8n Cloud plans are paid, with a trial [N1].
What happens when I run out? On Make, scenarios stop until credits are added, and incoming webhooks queue up [M1]. On Zapier Free, usage stops until the next cycle; pay-per-task overage is for paid plans [Z1].
Bottom line
As of Oct 12, 2026, Make has the most usable free plan for multi-step store and creator workflows. Zapier wins on app count and trial. n8n wins on cost per run if you'll self-host or pay. Count the steps in your real workflow and check each pricing page on the day you decide. For more detail on two of the three, see our Make vs Zapier pricing guide.
Sources
- Make pricing (make.com/pricing), last checked 2026-10-12
- Make pricing page (credit rules), last checked 2026-10-10
- Zapier pricing page, last checked 2026-10-12 (headline figures); tiers 2026-10-10
- n8n pricing page, last checked 2026-10-12