Automation Cost Calculator (2026)
Zapier vs Make vs n8n vs Pabbly Connect — set your workflow volume and see which platform is cheapest for your usage. The key trick: three of them bill per step, one bills per run.
Start from a workload
≈ 3,000 runs/mo → 15,000 step-executions/mo (30-day month)
| Platform | You’d need | Plan that covers it | Monthly cost | vs cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
n8nCheapest bills per workflow run (executions) | 3,000 executions/mo | Community (self-hosted)unlimited executions — you host it | Free | |
| bills per step (tasks) | 15,000 tasks/mo | Pro | $33.00 | |
| bills per step (tasks) | 15,000 tasks/mo | Above listed tiers — custom/enterprise | — | |
| bills per step (operations) | 15,000 operations/mo | Above listed tiers — custom/enterprise | — |
Why the models differ: Zapier, Make and Pabbly meter every step your workflow executes (a 5-step workflow run 100× = 500 tasks/operations). n8n Cloud meters per workflow run— steps are free — and self-hosted n8n is unlimited. That’s why n8n pulls ahead as workflows get longer. Base published tiers only; volume add-ons, overages and data-transfer limits can change real costs. Prices verified 2026-07-19 — see our per-tool pricing pages for the full picture.
Full pricing breakdowns
Comparing AI model APIs instead? Try the LLM API cost calculator — or browse the dev-tool pricing tracker (35 tools, weekly-verified).