Сравнение стоимости автоматизации 2026: Zapier vs Make vs n8n vs Activepieces
Реальная разбивка затрат на Zapier, Make, n8n и Activepieces. Облачные тарифы против стоимости самостоятельного хостинга.
Automation Is Getting Expensive
Workflow automation tools promise to save you time. But in 2026, the cloud pricing models of Zapier and Make are saving less money than they used to -- especially at scale.
The problem is task-based pricing. Every time a workflow step executes, it counts as a task. A workflow with 5 steps that runs 100 times a day burns through 15,000 tasks per month -- on a single automation. Multiply that across your team's workflows and your monthly bill climbs fast.
Self-hosted tools like n8n and Activepieces eliminate this problem entirely. You pay for the server, not the tasks. But how do the total costs actually compare? Let's run the numbers.
The Four Tools at a Glance
| Tool | Type | Pricing Model | Open Source | Self-Hostable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Cloud SaaS | Per-task | No | No |
| Make (formerly Integromat) | Cloud SaaS | Per-operation | No | No |
| n8n | Hybrid (cloud + self-hosted) | Cloud: per-execution / Self-hosted: free | Source-available | Yes |
| Activepieces | Hybrid (cloud + self-hosted) | Cloud: per-task / Self-hosted: free | MIT open-source | Yes |
Cloud Pricing Breakdown
Zapier Pricing (2026)
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Tasks/Month | Cost per 1K Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 | - |
| Professional | $19.99 | 750 | $26.65 |
| Team | $69 | 2,000 | $34.50 |
| Company | $299 | 50,000 | $5.98 |
| Enterprise | $599+ | 100,000+ | $5.99+ |
Zapier's pricing looks reasonable at the lower tiers, but the per-task costs stack up quickly. A team running 50,000 tasks per month is looking at $299/mo minimum.
Make (Integromat) Pricing (2026)
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Operations/Month | Cost per 1K Ops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 | - |
| Core | $9 | 10,000 | $0.90 |
| Pro | $16 | 10,000 | $1.60 |
| Teams | $29 | 10,000 | $2.90 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Make is significantly cheaper than Zapier on a per-operation basis. For budget-conscious teams that want to stay on cloud, Make is the better deal. But operations still add up, and overage charges apply.
n8n Cloud Pricing (2026)
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Executions | Active Workflows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | ~$24 | 2,500 | 5 |
| Pro | ~$60 | 10,000 | 15 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Unlimited |
n8n Cloud is more generous than Zapier on execution limits, but still caps you. The real value proposition is self-hosting.
Activepieces Cloud Pricing (2026)
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Tasks/Month | Team Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 | 1 |
| Pro | $25 | 10,000 | 1 |
| Business | $75 | 50,000 | 5 |
| Enterprise | $150+ | Custom | Unlimited |
Activepieces Cloud is competitively priced against both Zapier and Make, especially at the business tier.
Cloud pricing changes frequently. Check each tool's pricing page for the latest numbers. The self-hosted cost, however, stays predictable -- it's just your VPS bill.
Self-Hosted Cost: The Full Picture
When you self-host n8n or Activepieces, the software is free. Here's what you actually pay for:
VPS Hosting (Your Main Cost)
| Provider | Plan | RAM | CPU | Storage | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contabo | Cloud VPS 1 | 8 GB | 4 vCPU | 50 GB NVMe | $4.50/mo |
| Hostinger | KVM 1 | 4 GB | 1 vCPU | 50 GB NVMe | $6.49/mo |
| Vultr | Cloud Compute | 1 GB | 1 vCPU | 25 GB SSD | $5.00/mo |
| DigitalOcean | Basic Plus | 2 GB | 1 vCPU | 50 GB SSD | $12.00/mo |
Additional Costs to Factor In
- Domain name: ~$10-15/year (you probably already have one)
- SSL certificate: Free with Let's Encrypt
- Backups: Most VPS providers include basic snapshots; automated daily backups add $1-2/mo
- Admin time: 2-4 hours/month for updates, monitoring, and occasional troubleshooting
Total Self-Hosted Cost
For a typical production setup running n8n or Activepieces with unlimited executions:
Minimum realistic cost: $5-7/month Comfortable production cost: $7-15/month
That's it. No per-task fees. No execution limits. No overage charges.
Contabo
Contabo gives you 8 GB RAM and 4 vCPU for just $4.50/mo. Run n8n or Activepieces with unlimited executions on the most cost-effective VPS available.
* Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Real-World Cost Scenarios
Let's compare total annual costs across four realistic scenarios.
Scenario 1: Solo Freelancer
5 workflows, 3,000 tasks/month
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier (Professional) | $19.99 | $240 |
| Make (Core) | $9 | $108 |
| n8n Cloud (Starter) | $24 | $288 |
| n8n Self-Hosted | $5 (VPS) | $60 |
| Activepieces Self-Hosted | $5 (VPS) | $60 |
Savings with self-hosting: $48-228/year. At this scale, cloud options are still affordable. Self-hosting makes sense if you value unlimited executions and data ownership.
Scenario 2: Small Agency
20 workflows, 30,000 tasks/month
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier (Company) | $299 | $3,588 |
| Make (Teams + extra ops) | $49+ | $588+ |
| n8n Cloud (Pro) | $60 | $720 |
| n8n Self-Hosted | $10 (VPS) | $120 |
| Activepieces Self-Hosted | $10 (VPS) | $120 |
Savings with self-hosting: $468-3,468/year. This is where self-hosting becomes a clear win. The Zapier savings alone could pay for a year of premium VPS hosting.
Scenario 3: Growing Business
50 workflows, 150,000 tasks/month
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier (Enterprise) | $599+ | $7,188+ |
| Make (Enterprise) | $200+ (est.) | $2,400+ |
| n8n Cloud (Enterprise) | Custom (~$200+) | $2,400+ |
| n8n Self-Hosted | $15 (VPS) | $180 |
| Activepieces Self-Hosted | $15 (VPS) | $180 |
Savings with self-hosting: $2,220-7,008/year. At this scale, self-hosting saves thousands per year. That's budget you can redirect to the tools and team members that grow your business.
Scenario 4: Heavy Automation Team
100+ workflows, 500,000+ tasks/month, AI workflows
| Tool | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier (Enterprise) | $1,000+ | $12,000+ |
| Make (Enterprise) | $500+ (est.) | $6,000+ |
| n8n Self-Hosted | $20-40 (VPS) | $240-480 |
| Activepieces Self-Hosted | $20-40 (VPS) | $240-480 |
Savings with self-hosting: $5,520-11,520/year. The ROI is overwhelming. Even with the admin time factored in (let's say 4 hours/month at $50/hour = $2,400/year), self-hosting still saves thousands.
The break-even point for self-hosting vs Zapier is typically around 5,000-10,000 tasks per month. Below that, cloud services are simpler. Above that, self-hosting wins on cost every time.
Hidden Costs of Cloud Automation
The sticker price doesn't tell the whole story. Watch out for:
Overage charges. Exceed your plan's task limit and you pay per-task overages, often at premium rates. One runaway workflow can blow your budget.
Premium app surcharges. Some Zapier integrations (like Salesforce or NetSuite) require higher-tier plans, even if you don't need the extra tasks.
Multi-step markups. Zapier counts every step in a multi-step zap as a separate task. A 5-step workflow running 100 times/day = 15,000 tasks/month from a single automation.
Team seat costs. Cloud plans often charge per user. A 10-person team on Zapier's Team plan costs significantly more than the base price suggests.
Hidden Costs of Self-Hosting
Fair is fair -- self-hosting isn't completely free of extra costs:
Your time. Initial setup takes 1-4 hours. Ongoing maintenance is 2-4 hours/month. If your time is very expensive and you have few workflows, cloud might make sense.
Learning curve. Docker, Linux basics, SSL certificates, database management. If your team has zero server experience, budget for learning time.
Responsibility. If your server goes down at 3 AM, there's no support team to call. You need monitoring and alerting set up (tools like Uptime Kuma are free and self-hostable).
Backups. You're responsible for backing up your data. Automate this with cron jobs and VPS provider snapshots.
Hostinger
Hostinger includes weekly backups, 24/7 support, and an easy control panel. Great for teams new to self-hosting. VPS from $6.49/mo.
* Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Which Path Is Right for You?
Stay on Zapier or Make if:
- You run fewer than 5,000 tasks/month
- Nobody on your team is comfortable with a command line
- You value zero-maintenance and instant support
- Budget isn't a primary concern
Self-host n8n if:
- You need maximum integrations and customization
- Your team includes developers comfortable with JavaScript
- You want complex workflows with code nodes and sub-workflows
- You're migrating from Zapier (see our migration guide)
Self-host Activepieces if:
- You want the easiest self-hosted automation tool
- Your team is less technical
- You value a true MIT open-source license
- You want AI-native features through MCP integration
Recommended VPS for Each Budget
| Budget | Provider | What You Get | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $5/mo | Contabo VPS 1 | 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM | Maximum resources on a budget |
| $5-10/mo | Hostinger KVM 1 | 1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM | Best balance of ease + performance |
| $10-25/mo | DigitalOcean Pro | 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM | Developer-friendly with great docs |
| $5-10/mo | Vultr Compute Plus | 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM | Global server locations |
Conclusion
Cloud automation pricing in 2026 follows a familiar SaaS pattern: cheap to start, expensive to scale. Zapier and Make work well for small-scale use, but their task-based models punish growth.
Self-hosting n8n or Activepieces on a VPS flips this equation. Your costs stay flat regardless of how many workflows you run or how often they execute. For teams running more than 10,000 tasks per month, the savings are substantial -- often thousands of dollars per year.
The initial setup takes an afternoon. The ongoing savings last forever. Pick a VPS from our recommended providers, deploy your tool of choice, and start automating without watching a task counter tick up.
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