Automation · 6 alternatives to Zapier
6 Zapier alternatives (2026): automation tools compared on price and usage
Make, n8n, Pabbly Connect, Activepieces, Integrately and IFTTT compared with Zapier on price, how much each plan includes, what counts as a task, free plans and self-hosting.
Zapier is the best-known automation tool: it links thousands of apps with multi-step “Zaps”, AI steps and agents.
It’s also priced by the task. Professional is $19.99 a month billed yearly ($29.99 monthly) for 750 tasks, every successful action step uses one, and AI steps can use more. With pay-per-task on, extra tasks cost 1.25 times the base rate on yearly plans and 2.5 times on monthly ones.
So we compared six alternatives on what one automation really costs: the price, how much each plan includes, what counts toward the limit, the free plan and whether you can self-host. Every price comes from each tool’s own pricing page, checked on October 18, 2026.
At a glance
| # | Tool | Paid from | Free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MakeOur pick | $12/month billed yearly (Core, 10,000 credits a month); $16 monthly | Free: 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios | Complex visual workflows on a budget |
| 2 | n8n | Free to self-host (Community Edition); n8n Cloud from €20/month billed yearly (priced in euros only) | Community Edition is free on your own server; n8n Cloud has a 14-day free trial | Technical teams building AI workflows |
| 3 | Pabbly Connect | $16/month billed yearly (Standard, 10,000 tasks a month); $19 monthly | Free: 100 tasks, 2-step workflows only | High task volumes on a small budget |
| 4 | Activepieces | $20/month flat (Plus, 10,000 credits a month) | Free: 1,000 credits, unlimited flows, up to 5 users | Open-source automation you can self-host |
| 5 | Integrately | $19.99/month billed yearly (Starter, 2,000 tasks); $29.99 monthly | Free: 100 tasks, 5 automations, single-step only | Non-technical users who want ready-made automations |
| 6 | IFTTT | $2.99/month billed yearly (Pro, 20 applets); $4.99 monthly | Free: 2 applets, unlimited runs | Personal and smart-home automations |
Prices are the cheapest paid plan in US dollars as each tool shows it, checked Oct 18, 2026.
1 MakeOur pick
- Paid from
- $12/month billed yearly (Core, 10,000 credits a month); $16 monthly
- Free
- Free: 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios
- Best for
- Complex visual workflows on a budget
Make (formerly Integromat) builds automations as a visual map: modules joined by routers and filters, so a scenario can branch, loop and handle errors. Core is $12 a month on yearly billing with 10,000 credits, unlimited active scenarios and scheduling down to the minute.
Each module action uses a credit (more for some AI features), so a long scenario uses several per run. Make shows different prices by country; these are its US prices.
What's good
- 3,500+ app integrations, with routers and filters on every plan
- Router and error-handler modules use no credits
- Core adds unlimited active scenarios and scheduling down to the minute
Watch out for
- Each module action uses credits, so one run can use many
- Unused credits expire at the end of the term, and scenarios stop when credits run out
Checked Oct 18, 2026 on make.com
2 n8n
- Paid from
- Free to self-host (Community Edition); n8n Cloud from €20/month billed yearly (priced in euros only)
- Free
- Community Edition is free on your own server; n8n Cloud has a 14-day free trial
- Best for
- Technical teams building AI workflows
n8n is a workflow tool with AI agent and MCP nodes that you can run yourself for free. The Community Edition has almost the full feature set, and its docs mention no execution limits; you pay only for your server. n8n Cloud, the hosted version, is priced in euros, from €20 a month on yearly billing for 2,500 executions.
Its pricing unit is generous: an execution is one full workflow run, however many steps it has. Self-hosting means you install, update and back it up yourself.
What's good
- An execution is one full workflow run, however many steps it has
- The self-hosted Community Edition is free, with almost the full feature set
- n8n Cloud Starter includes agents, MCP and AI nodes
Watch out for
- n8n Cloud is priced in euros only, with no USD option
- Self-hosting needs technical skills, and SSO, Git version control and sharing are left out of Community Edition
Checked Oct 18, 2026 on n8n.io, docs.n8n.io
3 Pabbly Connect
- Paid from
- $16/month billed yearly (Standard, 10,000 tasks a month); $19 monthly
- Free
- Free: 100 tasks, 2-step workflows only
- Best for
- High task volumes on a small budget
Pabbly Connect is built for volume: Standard is $16 a month on yearly billing for 10,000 tasks, with unlimited workflows and team members. Triggers and internal steps (filters, routers, formatters) don't count as tasks.
It also sells one-time lifetime plans, such as $349 for 3,000 tasks a month, but those include only a year of support. Its page defaults to 3-year billing, so check which term a headline price assumes.
What's good
- Triggers and internal steps (filters, routers, formatters) use no tasks
- Unlimited workflows and team members on every plan
- One-time lifetime plans, e.g. $349 for 3,000 tasks a month
Watch out for
- Lifetime plans include only 1 year of customer support
- The page defaults to 3-year billing, so its headline $14/month assumes a 3-year prepayment
Checked Oct 18, 2026 on pabbly.com
4 Activepieces
- Paid from
- $20/month flat (Plus, 10,000 credits a month)
- Free
- Free: 1,000 credits, unlimited flows, up to 5 users
- Best for
- Open-source automation you can self-host
Activepieces is an open-source automation tool with flows, AI agents, tables and MCP, as a cloud service or on your own server. A flow run costs one credit however many steps it has, and every plan has unlimited flows.
AI steps cost more, 2 to 20 credits each depending on the model (1 if you bring your own AI keys on Plus), and Plus charges $0.007 per credit above 10,000.
What's good
- A flow run costs 1 credit however many steps it has
- Unlimited flows on every plan
- Open source: the Community Edition is MIT-licensed and can be self-hosted
Watch out for
- AI steps cost 2, 10 or 20 credits each by model (1 with your own AI keys on Plus)
- Above 10,000 credits, Plus charges $0.007 per extra credit
Checked Oct 18, 2026 on activepieces.com, github.com
5 Integrately
- Paid from
- $19.99/month billed yearly (Starter, 2,000 tasks); $29.99 monthly
- Free
- Free: 100 tasks, 5 automations, single-step only
- Best for
- Non-technical users who want ready-made automations
Integrately is built around ready-made automations: pick one of its 20 million+ templates for 1,500+ apps and switch it on. Starter is $19.99 a month on yearly billing, the same as Zapier, but for 2,000 tasks instead of 750.
Triggers are free and failed actions aren't counted, but conditions, searches and data changes each use a task, and Starter allows 20 automations.
What's good
- Triggers are free and failed actions are not counted
- 20 million+ ready-made automations for 1,500+ apps
- If tasks run out, records wait and can be resumed after you upgrade
Watch out for
- Conditions, searches and Modify Data steps each count as a task
- Starter is limited to 20 automations, 3 premium apps and 5-minute updates
Checked Oct 18, 2026 on integrately.com
6 IFTTT
- Paid from
- $2.99/month billed yearly (Pro, 20 applets); $4.99 monthly
- Free
- Free: 2 applets, unlimited runs
- Best for
- Personal and smart-home automations
IFTTT is the simple end of automation: "applets" that link apps and smart-home devices, for personal use rather than business workflows. Pro is $2.99 a month on yearly billing for 20 applets with multiple actions and webhooks.
AI services and filter code need Pro+ ($8.99 a month billed yearly), and IFTTT doesn't give refunds.
What's good
- Pro adds multi-action applets, webhooks and the fastest applet speeds
- 7-day free trial of Pro or Pro+ for first-time subscribers
- Connects 1,000+ brands and services, including smart-home devices
Watch out for
- AI services, queries and filter code need Pro+ ($8.99/month billed yearly)
- All payments are final and non-refundable
Checked Oct 18, 2026 on ifttt.com, help.ifttt.com
Our pick
Make
For most Zapier users, Make is the best swap: Core is $12 a month billed yearly for 10,000 credits, against Zapier's $19.99 for 750 tasks, with 3,500+ apps and a visual builder that handles branches and error paths.
If you're technical, n8n is free to self-host with almost every feature, and counts a whole workflow run as one execution. If you run a lot of simple automations, Pabbly Connect gives 10,000 tasks for $16 a month billed yearly and doesn't count triggers or internal steps.
Questions
What is the cheapest Zapier alternative?
For business automation, Make Core ($12 a month billed yearly, 10,000 credits) and Pabbly Connect Standard ($16, 10,000 tasks) both cost less than Zapier Professional ($19.99 for 750 tasks). n8n's Community Edition is free if you run it on your own server. IFTTT Pro is $2.99 a month, but it is built for personal and smart-home automations.
Is there a free, self-hosted Zapier alternative?
Yes. n8n Community Edition and Activepieces Community Edition are both free to run on your own server. You pay only for the server; our guide to self-hosting n8n covers sizing and setup.
What happened to Pipedream and Relay.app?
Pipedream's docs say its Workflows product is closed to new sign-ups and shuts down on March 31, 2027; it now sells Connect, a developer API. Relay.app's site says it shut down in September 2026. We left both out.
How we compare: we read each tool's own pricing and documentation and note the date. We haven't run these tools hands-on for this article, so we don't score them. See our editorial policy.
Free for automation
5 free plans, credits and trials, each checked on the provider's site.
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