Zapier vs Make vs n8n comes down to team skills, volume and data location. Zapier is the easiest and has the most integrations but costs most at volume. Make offers more logic per dollar. n8n counts whole workflow runs, supports self-hosted AI and can run on your own servers in Australia. Zapier pricing in Australia is set in USD, so AUD costs move with the exchange rate.
This guide is for operations managers, IT managers and finance leads at mid-sized and enterprise Australian organisations choosing a workflow automation platform, or deciding whether they have outgrown the one they have.
Key takeaways
- Zapier counts tasks (each action), Make counts operations (each module run) and n8n counts executions (each whole workflow run). That difference changes costs more than list prices do.
- Zapier suits non-technical teams that need many off-the-shelf connectors.
- Make suits teams comfortable with branching logic who want better value at volume.
- n8n suits organisations with technical staff or a partner, especially where data must stay in Australia or AI must run on your own infrastructure.
- Whatever you choose, document workflows and set up error alerts from day one.
Which automation platform should you choose?
What best describes your team?
- Non-technical team, needs it working todayZapier
- Comfortable with logic, wants value for moneyMake
- Has developers or a partner, needs data controln8n (self-hosted)
- High volume, tens of thousands of runs a monthn8n or Make
What does each platform actually do?
All three connect business applications and automate workflows between them. The difference is how.
- TriggerNew invoice email arrives
- ExtractPull data from the attachment
- RouteCheck amount and supplier
- RecordCreate a draft entry in Xero
- NotifyAlert the accounts team in Teams or Slack
Zapier builds a linear trigger-and-action chain. Make shows the workflow as a flowchart on a canvas, with branches and loops. n8n treats it as a node graph, close to what a developer would build in code, with code nodes available when needed.
What does Zapier, Make and n8n cost in Australia in 2026?
All three price in USD. The figures below are the vendors' published list prices as at January 2026, billed annually, converted at roughly 1 USD = 1.58 AUD. Plans and prices change often, so check each vendor's pricing page before deciding.
| Included usage | Approx. AUD/month | Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier Free | 100 tasks/month | $0 | Two-step only |
| Zapier Professional | 750 tasks/month | ~$32 | Multi-step Zaps |
| Zapier Team | 2,000 tasks/month | ~$109 | Shared workspace, SSO |
| Make Free | 1,000 ops/month | $0 | 2 active scenarios |
| Make Core | 10,000 ops/month | ~$14 | Unlimited scenarios |
| Make Pro | 10,000 ops/month | ~$25 | Advanced features |
| n8n Community | Unlimited executions | $0 (self-hosted) | You run the server |
| n8n Starter Cloud | 2,500 executions/month | ~$32 | Managed hosting |
| n8n Pro Cloud | 10,000 executions/month | ~$79 | Team features |
Enterprise plans for all three are quoted individually and add features such as SSO, audit logs and higher limits that larger organisations usually need.
How does each platform count usage?
List prices mislead because each platform measures usage differently:
- Zapier counts tasks. Every action is a task. A five-step Zap running once uses five tasks. Run it for 100 invoices and you use 500.
- Make counts operations. Each module run is an operation, similar to Zapier tasks, but Make's entry paid plan includes far more of them.
- n8n counts executions. Each workflow run is one execution, however many steps it has. The same five-step workflow run 100 times is 100 executions.
- Zapier (2,500 tasks), Team plan or higher~$109+/mo AUD
- Make (2,500 ops), Core plan~$14/mo AUD
- n8n Cloud (500 executions), Starter plan~$32/mo AUD
- n8n self-hostedLicence free, plus server and support
At volume, usage counting matters more than headline price. For a mid-sized organisation running dozens of workflows across sites, the gap widens quickly.
Which platform has the integrations you need?
| Platform | Integrations | Xero | MYOB | Employment Hero |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 8,000+ apps | Native | Native | Native |
| Make | Thousands of apps | Native | Native | Limited |
| n8n | Hundreds of built-in nodes plus HTTP | Native | Via HTTP/API | Via HTTP/API |
If you rely on niche Australian applications, Zapier is the most likely to have a ready connector, Make often will, and n8n may need a custom HTTP connection built by someone technical. For ERPs and line-of-business systems with documented APIs, all three can connect, though n8n and Make give more control over complex data mapping.
How easy is each platform to use?
Zapier: built for business users
Anyone comfortable with a spreadsheet can build a Zap within an hour or two. The trade-off is flexibility: workflows are mostly linear, and complex branching needs workarounds. Best for office, finance and marketing teams that need automation without IT support.
Make: the visual middle ground
Make's canvas supports branching, loops, error handling and data transformation. It is more powerful than Zapier but needs comfort with concepts like iterators and routers, usually half a day to a day to learn. Best for operations managers and analysts who want control without writing code.
n8n: developer-friendly power
n8n's node editor resembles developer tools, with JavaScript and Python code nodes, full API access and self-hosting. The community edition has no execution limits, but setup, upgrades, backups and security are your responsibility. Best for organisations with in-house developers or a technical partner.
How do the AI features compare?
Zapier offers built-in AI steps and an AI assistant for building workflows, plus connectors to the major model providers. It is the most accessible: add an AI step like any other.
Make has modules for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini and others, connected with your own API keys, so you control which model handles each task and see the cost directly.
n8n is the strongest for advanced AI. It has native AI agent and LangChain-based nodes, supports retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and can call self-hosted models through tools such as Ollama. For AI that must run on your own infrastructure, it is the most realistic of the three. Building a RAG pipeline in n8n is still a development project.
| Strongest platform | What it gives you | Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in AI actions | Zapier | Easiest to use | No-code |
| Bring your own API key | Make | Model choice and cost visibility | Cost control |
| Self-hosted models | n8n | AI that runs on your servers | Data location |
| RAG and agent workflows | n8n | Native nodes | Advanced AI |
Our guide to a self-hosted AI quoting agent on n8n shows what this looks like in practice.
Where is your data stored with Zapier, Make and n8n?
Under the Privacy Act 1988 and APP 8, an organisation that discloses personal information to an overseas recipient must take reasonable steps to ensure the recipient handles it consistently with the APPs, and generally remains accountable for it.
| Platform | Data location | Australian hosting? | Compliance path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | United States | No | Data processing agreement; data leaves Australia |
| Make | EU or US region | No | Data processing agreement; data leaves Australia |
| n8n Cloud | EU | No | Data processing agreement; data leaves Australia |
| n8n self-hosted | Wherever you host it | Yes, if hosted in Australia | You control it |
For sensitive personal information (health, legal, financial services, government work), self-hosted n8n on infrastructure in Australia is the only option of the three that keeps workflow data onshore. Our data sovereignty guide covers the obligations.
For general business automation such as syncing CRM contacts or sending notifications, Zapier and Make with signed data processing agreements are workable for many organisations, provided your APP 8 assessment supports it. Check with your privacy officer.
Which platform suits which type of organisation?
What type of organisation are you?
- Accounting or finance team with non-technical staffZapier or Make (Xero and MYOB connectors)
- Field service operator with several branchesMake, or n8n for custom job-system integration
- E-commerce or distributionMake (volume, complex logic, value)
- Professional services (legal, accounting, engineering)Make or n8n, depending on data sensitivity
- Manufacturing or logisticsn8n (custom integrations, volume, data control)
- Healthcare, financial services or government workn8n self-hosted in Australia
A few simple workflows: Zapier or Make's entry plans get automation running with minimal friction.
Many workflows across several systems: Make Pro or n8n. Make's builder handles complexity without developers and scales more gracefully on price. n8n suits teams with at least one technical person or a partner.
Regulated data: n8n self-hosted, with the hosting, patching, backup and access controls that implies. The licence is free, but the operations are not, so budget for someone to run it.
How should you roll out an automation platform?
- Week 1Audit current processesList the manual tasks teams repeat each week and pick the top three
- Week 1-2TrialBuild the same simple workflow on the shortlisted platforms
- Weeks 2-4Build the first three workflowsAutomate the top three processes on the chosen platform
- Weeks 5-8Harden and expandAdd error handling, monitoring, documentation and access controls
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Starting too complex. Prove a two- or three-step workflow before building a 15-step orchestration.
- Ignoring error handling. Every automation eventually fails through timeouts, changed formats or expired tokens. Alert on failures from day one.
- Not documenting workflows. When the builder leaves, undocumented automations become a key-person risk.
- Personal accounts. Connect workflows with service accounts owned by the organisation, never an individual's login.
- Overbuying capacity. Start on the lowest plan that fits and upgrade when you hit limits.
What is the 12-month cost of each platform?
- Zapier Team plan~$1,308/yr AUD
- Make Core plan~$168/yr AUD
- n8n Cloud Starter~$384/yr AUD
- n8n self-hostedServer and support costs only
- Difference, Make vs Zapier~$1,140/yr AUD
Licence cost is usually the smallest line. Build time, maintenance and the cost of a failed workflow nobody notices matter more. Our build vs buy TCO guide covers the full picture.
Our recommendation
Choose Zapier if your team has little technical capacity, you depend on connectors only Zapier offers, and volume stays modest.
Choose Make if you want the best value above the free tier, your workflows need branching and transformation, and someone is comfortable with logic.
Choose n8n if data must stay in Australia, you have developers or a partner, you need AI on your own infrastructure, or volume is high.
For many mid-sized organisations running a moderate volume across a handful of systems, Make offers the best balance. Where data location or AI on your own servers matters, n8n self-hosted is the stronger long-term choice. When workflows start touching core systems such as your ERP, see our guide to legacy system integration and our comparison of Power Automate and AI agents.
How Solve8 can help
Our engineers design and build automation on Make, n8n and Power Automate, including self-hosted n8n on your infrastructure in Australia, connected to your ERP, CRM and job systems. See our process automation and system integration services, or talk to us.
