A comprehensive comparison of workflow automation platforms for single users and teams, covering pricing models, features, and recommendations.
Billing Model Overview
Understanding billing models is critical—they dramatically affect costs at scale.
| Platform | Billing Model | What You Pay For |
|---|
| Zapier | Per task | Each action in a workflow |
| Make | Per operation | Each module/step executed |
| n8n | Per execution | Full workflow run (regardless of steps) |
| Latenode | Per time | Processing time (30s = 1 credit) |
| Pipedream | Per execution | Each workflow run |
Single User Pricing Comparison
Free Tiers
| Platform | Free Allowance | Limitations |
|---|
| Zapier | 100 tasks/month | Very limited, 5 Zaps max |
| Make | 1,000 ops/month | 2 active scenarios, most features included |
| n8n | Self-hosted free | Requires DevOps, infrastructure costs |
| Latenode | 300 credits/month | 3 scenarios, 5 nodes max |
| Pipedream | 10,000 invocations/day | Generous for testing |
Winner: Make (most generous free tier for casual use)
Entry-Level Paid Plans
| Platform | Plan | Price | Allowance | Best For |
|---|
| Latenode | Mini | $5/mo | 1,000 credits | Budget-conscious users |
| Make | Core | $11/mo | 10,000 ops | Simple automations |
| Latenode | Start | $19/mo | 5,000 credits | Up to 25k short workflows |
| n8n Cloud | Starter | $20/mo | 2,500 executions | Developers |
| Zapier | Professional | $30/mo | 750 tasks | Non-technical users |
Winner: Latenode ($5/mo) for cost; Zapier for ease of use
Mid-Tier Plans (Power Users)
| Platform | Plan | Price | Allowance |
|---|
| Make | Pro | $19/mo | 10,000 ops |
| Latenode | Start | $19/mo | Up to 25,000 workflows |
| n8n Cloud | Starter | $20/mo | 2,500 executions |
| Zapier | Professional | $30/mo | 750 tasks |
| Zapier | Advanced | $74/mo | 2,000 tasks |
Team Pricing Comparison
5-User Teams
| Platform | Plan | Price | Users | Notes |
|---|
| Latenode | Team | $59/mo | 5 | 250k workflow capacity |
| Make | Teams | $99/mo | Unlimited | 10,000 ops included |
| Zapier | Team | $103+/mo | Starts at 2 | Per-task escalates fast |
| n8n Cloud | Pro | $50/mo | 5 | Self-hosted free (+ infra) |
Winner: Latenode for high-volume teams; n8n for dev teams willing to self-host
Enterprise
| Platform | Starting Price | Key Features |
|---|
| Latenode | $299/mo | Unlimited users, dedicated support, static IP |
| Make | Custom | SSO, advanced permissions |
| Zapier | Custom | SOC 2, SSO, audit logs |
| n8n | Custom | Self-hosted control, compliance |
Cost Scenarios
Scenario 1: Simple Automation (3 steps, 500 runs/month)
| Platform | Calculation | Monthly Cost |
|---|
| Make | 1,500 operations | $0 (free tier) |
| Latenode | ~500 credits | $5 (Mini) |
| n8n | 500 executions | 20(Cloud)or0 (self-hosted) |
| Zapier | 1,500 tasks | $30 (Professional) |
Winner: Make (free tier covers it)
Scenario 2: Complex Automation (10 steps, 1,000 runs/month)
| Platform | Calculation | Monthly Cost |
|---|
| Latenode | ~1,000 credits | $5-19 |
| n8n | 1,000 executions | $20 |
| Make | 10,000 operations | $19 |
| Zapier | 10,000 tasks | $250+ |
Winner: Latenode (time-based doesn’t scale with complexity)
Scenario 3: High-Volume (25,000 runs/month, 4 steps each)
| Platform | Calculation | Monthly Cost |
|---|
| Latenode | 5,000 credits | $19 |
| Make | 100,000 operations | $64+ |
| n8n Cloud | 25,000 executions | $100+ |
| Zapier | 100,000 tasks | $733+ |
Winner: Latenode (dramatic savings at scale)
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Zapier | Make | n8n | Latenode |
|---|
| Integrations | 6,000+ | 2,500+ | 1,000+ | 500+ (growing) |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Code Support | Limited | Limited | Full | Full + NPM |
| AI Features | Good | Basic | Strong | Strong |
| Self-Hosting | No | No | Yes | No |
| Loops Free | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Filters Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Paid plans | All plans | All plans | Paid plans |
| SOC 2 | Yes | Yes | Paid only | Enterprise |
Recommendations
For Single Users
| Profile | Recommended Platform |
|---|
| Complete beginner | Zapier (easiest, most integrations) |
| Budget-conscious | Make free tier → Latenode Mini ($5) |
| Developer | n8n self-hosted (free) or Latenode |
| High-volume power user | Latenode Start ($19) |
| AI-heavy workflows | Latenode or n8n |
For Teams
| Profile | Recommended Platform |
|---|
| Non-technical team | Zapier Team (easy adoption) |
| Cost-conscious team | Latenode Team ($59 for 5 users) |
| Dev/engineering team | n8n self-hosted or Cloud |
| Enterprise compliance | Zapier or Make Enterprise |
| High-volume operations | Latenode (time-based pricing) |
Key Takeaways
- Zapier: Most integrations, easiest to use, but most expensive at scale
- Make: Best free tier, good balance of features and cost
- n8n: Best for developers, self-hosted option, execution-based billing
- Latenode: Cheapest for complex/high-volume workflows, time-based model
The Critical Insight
Billing model determines long-term costs more than base price.
- Simple workflows: Make or Zapier free tiers
- Complex workflows: Latenode or n8n (don’t penalize complexity)
- High volume: Latenode (time-based) or n8n (execution-based)
Tags: automation pricing comparison zapier make n8n latenode pipedream
Created: 2025-12-27
Updated: 2025-12-27