Direct answer: for 10,000 runs a month, 10 billable steps per run and two AI steps (one tool call each), Zapier’s default Premium AI consumes 280,000 tasks, so Pro 300k is USD 1,069/month annual (USD 1,599 monthly); n8n Pro counts 10,000 executions and costs USD 50/month annual (USD 60 monthly); Activepieces on the smart model consumes 210,000 credits, about USD 1,420/month, or 30,000 credits and about USD 160/month with BYOK (excluding the model API bill). At 10k runs n8n has the lowest AI-inclusive licence; Activepieces BYOK has a lower platform fee but no model cost; Zapier is the most expensive but the least operational work. At 40k runs n8n Business is USD 960 and self-hosted only, while Activepieces Team+BYOK is USD 690 plus the model bill — compare after adding that bill.
This guide compares Zapier, n8n and Activepieces at public USD prices for operations, IT and automation teams running lead routing, order sync, support tickets, report generation and AI content/data processing. Data cut-off: 3 November 2026; prices are list prices, excluding tax, with no FX conversion; all models are editorial calculations, not quotes. Make’s pricing page triggered a security check during this review, so it is excluded rather than filled in from memory.
Count the billing unit first: Zapier bills successful steps, n8n bills whole-workflow executions, and Activepieces bills runs plus AI credits; the same 10-step workflow is 10 tasks at Zapier, one execution at n8n and one run plus AI at Activepieces; AI steps are 1x/3x/5x tasks at Zapier (default 5x) but 2/10/20 credits at Activepieces, so the model choice can multiply the bill.
Three billing units: task, execution, run + credits
Zapier bills tasks: each successful action is one task; triggers, polling and built-in tools such as Formatter/Filter/Paths are free; AI by Zapier multiplies by model tier at 1x/3x/5x, defaults to Premium 5x, and tool calls multiply again. n8n bills executions: one whole workflow run is one execution, regardless of step count. Activepieces bills runs: one run is one credit regardless of steps; AI steps are the exception at 2 credits (fast), 10 (smart) or 20 (frontier), and 1 credit per AI step with BYOK.
| Platform | Billing unit | What counts | What does not / exception | Overage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Task (successful step) | Each successful action; AI by Zapier at 1x/3x/5x, tool calls multiply | Triggers, polling, Formatter/Filter/Paths and other built-ins = 0 tasks | Pay-per-task: 2.5x monthly / 1.25x annual base rate; pause at 3x subscription |
| n8n | Execution (whole workflow) | One workflow run from trigger to end, regardless of steps | Step count does not affect executions; AI nodes are inside the execution | Page says overage is capped; contract governs |
| Activepieces | Run + AI credits | One run is one credit, regardless of steps | AI steps extra: fast 2, smart 10, frontier 20; BYOK 1 per AI step | Plus/Team overage USD 0.007/credit |
Sources: Zapier Pricing, Zapier “AI by Zapier model tier pricing”, n8n Pricing and Activepieces Pricing (all accessed 3 November 2026). USD, excluding tax. A Zapier MCP tool call uses 2 tasks; the per-AI-step task limit defaults to 75 and can be raised to 500. Activepieces’ one-credit run applies to ordinary steps; AI steps add credits by model.
The units are not interchangeable: a 10-step workflow is 10 tasks at Zapier, one execution at n8n and one run plus AI at Activepieces. “Which plan is cheaper” therefore starts with how many billable steps, how many AI steps and which model, not the monthly fee.
The official 2026 price lists
Zapier Pro 100k tasks is USD 733.50 monthly / 489 annual, 300k is 1,599 / 1,069, and 1.25M is 3,899 / 2,599. n8n Starter with 2.5k executions is USD 24 / 20, Pro with 10k is 60 / 50, and Business with 40k is 960 / 800 (self-hosted only). Activepieces Plus is USD 20/month with 10k credits and five users; Team is USD 200/month with 50k credits and 25 users; annual saves two months; overage is USD 0.007/credit.
| Platform | Plan | Monthly (USD) | Annual (USD/month) | Included volume | Users/limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Pro 100k | 733.50 | 489 | 100,000 tasks/month | 1 seat |
| Zapier | Pro 300k | 1,599 | 1,069 | 300,000 tasks/month | 1 seat |
| Zapier | Team 100k | 898.50 | 599 | 100,000 tasks/month | 25 seats; SSO |
| n8n | Starter | 24 | 20 | 2,500 executions/month | Unlimited users; 1,600 Assistant credits |
| n8n | Pro | 60 | 50 | 10,000 executions/month | Unlimited users; up to 9,600 Assistant credits |
| n8n | Business | 960 | 800 | 40,000 executions/month | Self-hosted only; SSO/LDAP, Git, queue mode |
| Activepieces | Plus | 20 | About 16.67* | 10,000 credits/month | 5 users; BYOK available |
| Activepieces | Team | 200 | About 166.67* | 50,000 credits/month | 25 users; SSO |
Sources: Zapier Pricing (monthly/annual task tiers), n8n Pricing (monthly/annual) and Activepieces Pricing (monthly; annual saves two months). *Activepieces annual is calculated as 10× monthly / 12 under the “two months free” rule; checkout governs. n8n localises currency to USD or EUR; this review saw USD in the browser and EUR in an earlier fetch, so the article uses USD. Zapier annual is 33% off; n8n annual is 17% off.
10,000 runs a month: how far apart are the three models?
Assume 10 billable steps per run (excluding the trigger), two AI steps with one tool call each and eight ordinary actions, 10,000 runs a month. Zapier’s default Premium 5x uses 28 tasks/run = 280,000 tasks, Pro 300k at USD 1,599 monthly. n8n uses 10,000 executions, Pro at USD 60 monthly. Activepieces on smart uses 21 credits/run = 210,000, about USD 1,420/month; with BYOK it uses 3 credits/run = 30,000, about USD 160/month plus the model API.
Write the assumptions down first, or the comparison cannot be reproduced:
- 10,000 runs a month; 10 billable steps per run (excluding the trigger), eight ordinary actions and two AI steps.
- Zapier: AI steps on the default Premium 5x, one tool call each; formula (1×5 + 1×5) = 10 tasks per AI step.
- Activepieces: ordinary steps one credit per run; AI on smart at 10 credits per step; BYOK at one credit per step.
- n8n: one execution per workflow run; steps and AI nodes do not add executions; model gateway allowances follow the plan/contract.
- Monthly prices; excluding tax, retries, Agent/Chatbot add-ons, model API under BYOK and operations labour.
| Runs/month | Zapier (Premium AI) | n8n | Activepieces (smart) | Activepieces (BYOK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500 | Pro 100k: 733.50 | Starter: 24 | 317.50 | 20 (within 10k credits) |
| 10,000 | Pro 300k: 1,599 | Pro: 60 | 1,420 | 160 |
| 40,000 | Pro 1.25M: 3,899 | Business: 960 (self-hosted) | 5,730 (Team) | 690 (Team) |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Zapier 28 tasks/run × runs: 2,500→70k (100k tier), 10,000→280k (300k tier), 40,000→1.12M (1.25M tier). Activepieces: 21 credits/run (smart) or 3 credits/run (BYOK); 2,500 runs = 52.5k/7.5k, 10,000 = 210k/30k, 40,000 = 840k/120k; overage at USD 0.007/credit; the 40k case uses Team (50k included, 25 users). n8n Business at 40k is self-hosted only. BYOK amounts exclude the model API bill.
The table has two layers. On an AI-inclusive basis n8n is lowest at 10k (USD 60 versus Zapier 1,599 and Activepieces smart 1,420). On a platform-fee basis Activepieces BYOK is lower than n8n at 2.5k/10k/40k (20/160/690 versus 24/60/960), but it excludes the model API, so add that bill back before comparing. Zapier is highest in all three cases. n8n’s low price buys “per execution + more technical configuration”; Zapier’s high price buys “works out of the box + 9,000+ apps + no operations”. This is not a pure price comparison; it is licence fee versus engineering labour.
Zapier: AI tiers multiply tasks by 1–5x
Zapier’s AI by Zapier multiplies tasks by model tier: Standard 1x (no tools), Advanced 3x, Premium 5x (the default for new steps) and BYOK 1x; the formula is “(1 × model multiplier) + (tool calls × model multiplier)”. For two AI steps with one tool call each: Standard/no tools is 10 tasks/run, Advanced 20, Premium 28 and BYOK 12; at 10,000 runs that is 100k/200k/280k/120k tasks. Choosing Standard or BYOK takes the 300k tier down to 100k/200k.
| Zapier AI tier | Tasks/run (10 steps, 2 AI) | Tasks at 10,000 runs | Required Pro tier | Monthly (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 1x (no tools) | 10 | 100,000 | 100k | 733.50 |
| Advanced 3x (1 tool) | 20 | 200,000 | 200k | 1,149 |
| Premium 5x (1 tool, default) | 28 | 280,000 | 300k | 1,599 |
| BYOK 1x (1 tool) | 12 | 120,000 | 200k | 1,149 |
Editorial calculation. The formula comes from Zapier Help: Tasks = (1 × model multiplier) + (tool calls × model multiplier); Premium 5x is the default for new AI steps and Standard does not support tools. Eight ordinary actions use one task each; triggers/built-ins use zero. Excludes tax, retries and overage; annual is 33% off.
The common trap is the default Premium tier: leaving it unchanged at 10,000 runs adds 180,000 tasks versus Standard and pushes the plan from 100k to 300k. The second trap is tool calls: each app action or knowledge source the AI calls adds the same multiplier again; Premium with two tool calls is 15 tasks per step, not 5. Put “model tier + tool-call count” into acceptance, or the budget will drift.
Activepieces: a run is one credit, AI steps are the bill
Activepieces charges one credit per ordinary run, even with 10 steps; AI steps are extra: fast 2, smart 10, frontier 20 credits, and one credit per AI step with BYOK. At 10,000 runs and two AI steps: fast 5 credits/run = 50k, about USD 300/month; smart 21 = 210k, about 1,420; frontier 41 = 410k, about 2,820; BYOK 3 = 30k, about 160 plus the model API. Plus includes 10k credits and overage is USD 0.007/credit.
| AI model tier | Credits/run (10 steps, 2 AI) | Credits at 10,000 runs | Overage (USD) | Monthly total (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast 2 credits | 5 | 50,000 | 40k×0.007 = 280 | 300 |
| Smart 10 credits | 21 | 210,000 | 200k×0.007 = 1,400 | 1,420 |
| Frontier 20 credits | 41 | 410,000 | 400k×0.007 = 2,800 | 2,820 |
| BYOK 1 credit | 3 | 30,000 | 20k×0.007 = 140 | 160 + model API |
Editorial calculation. Plus is USD 20/month with 10,000 credits; overage USD 0.007/credit; an ordinary run is one credit; AI steps are fast 2/smart 10/frontier 20, and BYOK one credit per AI step. BYOK totals exclude the model provider bill; smart/frontier totals include the model cost Activepieces pays on your behalf. Excludes tax, annual discount (two months free) and retries.
Activepieces can range from USD 160 to 2,820 a month — a 17x spread — because of model tier and BYOK, not the platform fee. If the team already has an OpenAI/Anthropic API contract, BYOK is often cheapest; if not, smart/frontier credits push the platform bill up. Do not ask only “how much is Plus”; ask “which model, how many tool calls, and who pays the model bill under BYOK”.
Beyond the licence: hosting, operations and compliance
Zapier is SaaS with Pro one seat and Team 25 seats with SSO, so it needs the least operations. n8n Cloud Pro is managed, but the 40k Business tier is self-hosted only, requiring servers, backups, upgrades and security. Activepieces is cloud or self-hosted; Team includes SSO, and Ultimate adds SCIM/audit. None of the licence prices includes engineering labour: at 40k, n8n is about USD 2,939/month below Zapier, but if it needs 0.2 FTE of operations, the gap can be consumed at your own loaded rate.
| Item | Zapier | n8n | Activepieces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | SaaS | Cloud; Business self-hosted only; Community self-hosted free | Cloud or self-hosted (open source) |
| Users/seats | Pro 1; Team 25; Enterprise unlimited | Unlimited on all plans | Plus 5; Team 25; Ultimate unlimited |
| SSO/audit | Team SSO; Enterprise adds SCIM/audit | Business SSO/LDAP; Enterprise adds audit/log streaming | Team SSO; Ultimate adds SCIM/audit |
| AI billing | Model tiers 1x/3x/5x, tool calls multiply | Inside executions; gateway/Assistant credits separate | 2/10/20 credits by model; BYOK 1 |
| Overage | Pay-per-task, 2.5x monthly/1.25x annual, pause at 3x | Capped; contract governs | USD 0.007/credit |
| Support | Email/chat; Team priority | Forum; Enterprise SLA | Community; Team email; Ultimate dedicated |
| Data residency | SaaS (contract) | Cloud EU; self-hosted your choice | Cloud EU; self-hosted/on-prem |
Sources: the three pricing/docs pages (accessed 3 November 2026). Zapier’s Team 25 seats, SSO and Enterprise SCIM/audit come from its pricing page; n8n’s Business self-hosted-only, SSO/LDAP/Git/queue mode come from its pricing page; Activepieces’ plan users and SSO/SCIM/audit come from its pricing page. Operations labour has no official price and is not invented here; use your own loaded rate.
So “n8n is 20x cheaper” is true only at the licence layer. At 10k, n8n Cloud Pro is managed and genuinely USD 60/month; at 40k, Business is self-hosted, so add servers, backups, upgrades, monitoring and security to USD 960/month. Zapier’s USD 3,899/month buys “no servers, the most apps and mature error handling”. If the team has no automation engineer, Zapier’s premium may be cheaper than self-building; if it does, n8n’s gap is real savings.
Which option fits which scenario?
One or two people, low volume, non-technical: Zapier Pro is the least effort, or n8n Cloud Starter to save. 10k runs, AI-heavy and willing to tune models: n8n Pro USD 50–60/month; Activepieces BYOK USD 160 plus the model bill; Zapier USD 1,599. 40k runs: n8n Business USD 960 self-hosted, or Activepieces Team+BYOK USD 690 plus the model bill; compare after adding that bill. Need on-prem/data residency: n8n Community/Business or Activepieces self-hosted. Need SSO/audit: Zapier Team/Enterprise, n8n Business/Enterprise, Activepieces Team/Ultimate.
| Scenario | First choice | Why | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 people, under 2.5k runs, non-technical | Zapier Pro; n8n Starter if budget-first | Out of the box; n8n USD 24/month | Zapier per-task gets expensive with steps |
| 10k runs, 10 steps, AI-heavy | n8n Pro | USD 60/month; steps/executions do not add | Needs low-code configuration skill |
| 10k runs, already have model API | Activepieces Plus + BYOK | USD 160/month + model bill | Model API billed separately |
| 40k runs | n8n Business (self-hosted) or Activepieces Team+BYOK | n8n USD 960 AI included; AP USD 690 plus model bill | Servers/backups/upgrades; compare model bill |
| 40k runs, no operations | Zapier Pro 1.25M | SaaS, USD 3,899/month | About USD 2,939 above n8n |
| On-prem/data residency | n8n Community/Business or Activepieces self-hosted | Deploy on your own servers | Compliance and operations are yours |
| SSO/audit/SCIM | Zapier Team/Enterprise, n8n Business/Enterprise, Activepieces Team/Ultimate | Enterprise controls | Priced by seat/contract |
| Simple 2–3 steps, low volume | Zapier Free/Pro | Per-task is not expensive yet | Switch model as steps grow |
“First choice” is an editorial judgement, not a vendor recommendation; the final decision depends on workflow steps, AI model, run volume, technical capability, compliance and operations budget. Prices are public list prices, excluding tax and discounts.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least eight things: billable steps per workflow, AI model tier and tool-call count, monthly run volume, overage rules and pause point, seats/SSO/audit, hosting and data residency, backup/upgrade/monitoring ownership, and a two-week real-workflow POC. Do not compare monthly fees directly; convert all three to the same workload with the formulas above.
- Billable steps: count each action; check whether triggers, Filter/Paths/Formatter are free; whether retries are charged.
- AI steps: record model tier, tool calls per run and the per-step task limit; Zapier defaults to Premium 5x, Activepieces smart is 10 credits — choose explicitly.
- Run volume: use the last three months of real executions, not “employees × assumption”; model peak and seasonal months separately.
- Overage: Zapier’s pay-per-task multiplier and 3x pause; n8n’s capped overage; Activepieces’ USD 0.007/credit; put a budget cap in writing.
- Seats/compliance: SSO, SCIM, audit logs, roles; Zapier Team 25 seats, n8n unlimited users, Activepieces Team 25 seats.
- Hosting/data: cloud or self-hosted, data residency, backup, upgrades, monitoring, key management; n8n Business is self-hosted only, Activepieces can be on-prem.
- Operations labour: include engineering/operations time at your loaded rate; self-hosting is not “free”, it exchanges licence fee for labour.
- POC: two weeks, three real workflows (one with AI), record runs, failure rate, task/credit consumption, manual repair time and the bill, then re-run the annual model.
FAQ
Which is cheapest for 10,000 runs, 10 steps and two AI steps?
Under the assumptions: Zapier default Premium is 28 tasks/run = 280k tasks, Pro 300k at USD 1,599 monthly; n8n Pro is 10k executions at USD 60; Activepieces smart is 21 credits/run = 210k, about USD 1,420; BYOK is 3 credits/run = 30k, about USD 160 plus the model API. n8n has the lowest AI-inclusive licence; Zapier is highest; Activepieces depends on model and BYOK.
Why is n8n so much cheaper?
Because it bills a whole workflow execution, not each step: 10 steps and 100 steps are one execution; Zapier bills each successful action as a task, so more steps cost more. The trade-off is that n8n needs more low-code/engineering configuration, and the 40k Business tier is self-hosted only — servers, backups, upgrades and monitoring are yours.
How does Zapier calculate AI tasks?
By model tier: Standard 1x, Advanced 3x, Premium 5x (the default for new steps), BYOK 1x; the formula is (1 × multiplier) + (tool calls × multiplier). For example, Premium + one tool call = 10 tasks per step; two such AI steps = 20 tasks, plus eight ordinary actions = 28 tasks/run.
How do Activepieces AI credits work?
An ordinary run is one credit regardless of steps; AI steps add fast 2, smart 10 or frontier 20 credits, and BYOK makes each AI step one credit. Plus includes 10k credits and overage is USD 0.007/credit. BYOK totals exclude the model provider bill, so add OpenAI/Anthropic API costs separately.
How much does annual billing save?
Zapier annual is 33% off (Pro 300k from USD 1,599 to 1,069); n8n annual is 17% off (Pro from 60 to 50); Activepieces annual saves two months (Plus about USD 16.67/month, Team about 166.67, calculated as 10× monthly/12). The ranking does not change after annual discounts.
Can n8n be used for free?
The Community Edition can be self-hosted for free, but it lacks SSO/LDAP, Git version control and queue mode; the Business licence is USD 800/month annual (960 monthly) and self-hosted only. Servers, backups, upgrades, monitoring and security are extra; the Cloud Business plan is still on a waitlist.
Which is best for a non-technical team?
Zapier is the least effort: 9,000+ apps, visual editor and mature error handling, at the cost of task fees at volume. n8n Cloud is also managed but requires understanding nodes/expressions; Activepieces Plus is cheaper but you must understand AI credits and BYOK. Without an automation engineer, Zapier’s premium may be cheaper than self-building.
Why is Make not included?
Make’s pricing page triggered a security check during this review, so its official prices could not be verified; this article does not fill in unverified numbers from memory. If you need Make, count operations/steps, AI modules and run volume the same way, then map them to its tiers.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: plan prices, task/execution/credit allowances, AI multipliers and overage rules come from the three vendors’ official pricing pages or help centres; the 2.5k/10k/40k scenarios are arithmetic on one set of assumptions, not a vendor quote.
Eight limitations: (1) only public list prices are compared, without enterprise discounts, tax, implementation or training; (2) Zapier AI defaults to Premium, and this article uses Premium + one tool call; actual tool calls change tasks; (3) Activepieces BYOK totals exclude the model API bill and are not directly equivalent to the all-in smart/frontier totals; (4) n8n executions include AI nodes, but gateway/Assistant credit allowances follow the page/contract; (5) n8n Business is self-hosted only and this article does not price servers, backups, upgrades, monitoring or engineering; (6) operations labour has no official price and is left to your loaded rate; (7) Make is excluded because its official pricing page triggered verification; (8) only three vendors are compared, not the whole iPaaS/automation market. Treat this as a unit-alignment template and replace the assumptions with a two-week real-workflow POC.
Sources and basis
- Zapier, Pricing: zapier.com/pricing. Pro 100k 733.50/489, 300k 1,599/1,069, 1.25M 3,899/2,599; Team 100k 898.50/599; task billing, overage 2.5x/1.25x, pause at 3x; annual 33% off. Accessed 3 November 2026.
- Zapier, AI by Zapier model tier pricing: help.zapier.com. Standard 1x, Advanced 3x, Premium 5x (default), BYOK 1x; formula (1× multiplier) + (tool calls × multiplier); per-step task limit 75/500. Accessed 3 November 2026.
- n8n, Pricing: n8n.io/pricing. Starter 24/20 (2.5k executions), Pro 60/50 (10k), Business 960/800 (40k, self-hosted only); unlimited users/workflows; steps do not affect executions; annual 17% off; overage capped; 1,600/9,600 Assistant credits. Accessed 3 November 2026.
- Activepieces, Pricing: activepieces.com/pricing. Free 1,000 credits, Plus USD 20/10k credits/5 users, Team USD 200/50k credits/25 users, Ultimate custom; overage USD 0.007/credit; run one credit, AI fast 2/smart 10/frontier 20, BYOK one; annual saves two months. Accessed 3 November 2026.
Data cut-off 3 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement, legal or financial advice.