Tools like Zapier: 5 automation platforms ranked by what they actually cost
Zapier bills per action and the bill grows with your workflows. Five alternatives that price differently, from a $9 a month operation-based plan to a self-hosted option that costs a server.
Verdict
Make is the best value replacement for most people, starting at $9 a month with far more operations included. n8n is cheaper still if you can self-host. Power Automate wins only inside Microsoft 365.
The shortlist
Number 1: Make
Best valueCore starts at $9 a month against Zapier $19.99 for the equivalent tier, with a much larger operations allowance. You pay for that in a steeper visual builder and a smaller app library.
From Free, then $9/moBest for High-volume automation on a small budgetRead the full reviewVisit Make(opens in a new tab)Number 2: n8n
Cheapest at scaleOpen source and free if you self-host, which makes volume effectively unlimited for the cost of a small server. Managed cloud starts around 20 euros. Setup complexity is real either way.
From Free self-hosted, from about $22/mo cloudBest for A technical owner willing to run their own instanceRead the full reviewVisit n8n(opens in a new tab)Number 3: Microsoft Power Automate
Best for Microsoft 365Flat per-seat pricing with no task meter, plus desktop RPA that can drive software with no API at all. Outside the Microsoft world it is a harder tool with fewer integrations.
From From $15/user/moBest for Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365Visit Microsoft Power Automate(opens in a new tab)Number 4: Pabbly Connect
One-time payment optionOne of the few automation tools sold as a lifetime licence rather than only a subscription, and it does not charge for internal steps the way Zapier does. Smaller app library and a less polished builder.
From Subscription or one-off lifetime licenceBest for Avoiding a recurring bill entirelyVisit Pabbly Connect(opens in a new tab)Number 5: IFTTT
Cheapest, and simplestA few dollars a month for single-step consumer automation, and the only option here that is genuinely good with physical devices. It cannot do branching business workflows.
From Free, Pro from about $3/moBest for Smart home and simple personal shortcutsVisit IFTTT(opens in a new tab)
First, check whether you should switch at all#
Zapier is the most expensive option on this page and also the easiest, with the largest app library by a distance. Those things are related.
Before comparing anything, work out what you are actually paying. Zapier charges per action consumed, so:
(times each Zap runs per month) x (actions in that Zap), added across every Zap
If that lands you comfortably inside the $19.99 Professional tier, switching is not worth the hours. Our Zapier pricing guide walks through the calculation properly.
If it puts you several tiers up, keep reading. That is where the alternatives start paying for the migration.
1. Make, the default answer#
$9 vs $19.99
Entry paid tier
Make Core against the equivalent Zapier Professional plan, both billed annually.
Make is what most people should look at first. Half the entry price, a much larger operations allowance for the money, and a free tier of around 1,000 operations a month that is genuinely usable for testing.
The cost is the builder. Make uses a visual canvas where you wire modules together, which is more powerful than Zapier's linear step list and takes longer to get comfortable with. Budget a weekend rather than an afternoon.
The other cost is app coverage. It is good, but it is not Zapier's. Check every tool in your current workflows before committing. Our Make review covers where it holds up.
2. n8n, if someone technical is involved#
Open source. Self-host it and the software costs nothing, so your automation volume is limited only by the server it runs on. Managed cloud starts around 20 euros a month if you would rather not.
This is the cheapest option here at high volume, and it is not close. It is also the one that most reliably becomes somebody's problem. Self-hosting means updates, backups, and being the person who fixes it at eleven at night when a workflow stops.
Right answer for a business with technical capability and real volume. Wrong answer for a solo owner who wants automation to be invisible. The n8n review goes into what the setup actually involves.
3. Power Automate, if you are already on Microsoft 365#
About $15 a user a month, billed per seat with no task meter. Volume does not raise the bill at all, which is a structural advantage over Zapier that grows as you automate more.
Two things it does that nothing else here does: it reaches deep into Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and Excel natively, and its Premium seat includes desktop RPA, which can drive a Windows application that has no API whatsoever.
Two things against it: around a thousand integrations against Zapier's thousands, and licensing that genuinely takes an afternoon to understand. We put it head to head in Zapier vs Power Automate.
4. Pabbly Connect, if you want to stop paying monthly#
Sold as a one-time lifetime licence alongside conventional subscriptions, which is rare in this category. It also does not charge for internal steps such as filters and formatters the way Zapier does, so a complex workflow costs less to run.
The trade is maturity. Smaller app library, a less polished builder, thinner documentation when something breaks. For a business running a handful of stable, well-understood automations, that matters less than the recurring bill disappearing.
5. IFTTT, if this is not really business automation#
Around three dollars a month. Very good with smart home devices, connected hardware, and simple social cross-posting. Genuinely pleasant to use.
Not a Zapier replacement for business process work. Its logic is thin, its directory is consumer-weighted, and its free plan gives you two applets. If your automations contain the word "if" in any meaningful sense, look at the four above instead. We compare them directly in Zapier vs IFTTT.
Picking in one pass#
| If this is you | Use |
|---|---|
| Paying too much on Zapier, no technical help | Make |
| High volume, technical, own a server | n8n |
| Already on Microsoft 365 | Power Automate |
| Want to stop paying monthly | Pabbly Connect |
| Smart home or simple personal shortcuts | IFTTT |
| Paying $19.99 and it works fine | Stay on Zapier |
The three-way comparison of the strongest contenders is in Zapier vs Make vs n8n.
Every pick in detail
1. Make
Best valueCore starts at $9 a month against Zapier $19.99 for the equivalent tier, with a much larger operations allowance. You pay for that in a steeper visual builder and a smaller app library.
- Starting price
- Free, then $9/mo
- Best for
- High-volume automation on a small budget
2. n8n
Cheapest at scaleOpen source and free if you self-host, which makes volume effectively unlimited for the cost of a small server. Managed cloud starts around 20 euros. Setup complexity is real either way.
- Starting price
- Free self-hosted, from about $22/mo cloud
- Best for
- A technical owner willing to run their own instance
3. Microsoft Power Automate
Best for Microsoft 365Flat per-seat pricing with no task meter, plus desktop RPA that can drive software with no API at all. Outside the Microsoft world it is a harder tool with fewer integrations.
- Starting price
- From $15/user/mo
- Best for
- Businesses already paying for Microsoft 365
4. Pabbly Connect
One-time payment optionOne of the few automation tools sold as a lifetime licence rather than only a subscription, and it does not charge for internal steps the way Zapier does. Smaller app library and a less polished builder.
- Starting price
- Subscription or one-off lifetime licence
- Best for
- Avoiding a recurring bill entirely
5. IFTTT
Cheapest, and simplestA few dollars a month for single-step consumer automation, and the only option here that is genuinely good with physical devices. It cannot do branching business workflows.
- Starting price
- Free, Pro from about $3/mo
- Best for
- Smart home and simple personal shortcuts
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best Zapier alternative?
- Make, for most small businesses. It starts at $9 a month against $19.99 for the comparable Zapier tier, and includes far more operations for the money. The trade is a visual builder that takes longer to learn and a smaller library of app integrations.
- Is there a free alternative to Zapier?
- Several. Make has a free tier of around 1,000 operations a month, n8n is free entirely if you self-host it, and IFTTT free covers two applets. Zapier own free plan of 100 tasks with a two-step cap is more restrictive than Make free tier on volume.
- Why is Zapier so expensive?
- Because it bills per action consumed, not per workflow. A five-step Zap running 200 times a month uses 800 tasks, not 200. Tools that bill per operation with larger allowances, or per seat, or not at all if self-hosted, avoid that specific problem.
- Should I switch away from Zapier?
- Only if the bill is genuinely a problem or your volume is growing fast. Zapier is easier and has more integrations, and the hours spent rebuilding working automations elsewhere are a real cost. If you are paying $19.99 a month and it works, the saving is not worth the migration.
Written by
Nizam Uddin
Founder and pricing researcher
Nizam started Tested AI after noticing how often published software prices are simply wrong. Most articles copy a vendor's pricing page once and never look again. He checks every figure against the vendor's own page, cross-references independent trackers, and states plainly when they disagree rather than picking whichever number reads best. He does not claim to have run these tools in production, and the reviews say so at the top of every page.
- Checks every price against the vendor page
- Reports source conflicts instead of hiding them
- No vendor has paid for placement