Zapier Alternatives 2026: 5 Options, 4 Free
Zapier alternatives: n8n, Make, Pipedream, Activepieces and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 25, 2026.
•3 min read•Automation & No-Code
Verdict:Leave Zapier when task volume or per-task cost is the problem. Its free plan gives 100 tasks a month, and the Professional tier starts at $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks. Teams that run more automations than that often find the bill grows faster than the value. n8n is the strongest cost option: its Community Edition is self-hosted, so there is no per-task fee, and the cloud plan starts at EUR 20. Make is the middle ground, with 1,000 free credits a month and a visual scenario builder. Activepieces offers a free forever plan and a $20 Plus plan, and its open-source code can be hosted yourself. Pipedream is for developers who want code steps; its free plan is development-only and its Startup plan is $99 a month billed annually. Power Automate fits a Microsoft 365 shop, at $15 per user per month on yearly billing, with only a 30-day trial. Pick n8n if you can run a server, Make if you want visual flows on a free start, and Activepieces if open source matters most. Stay on Zapier if its app catalogue covers everything you use and your task count fits, because switching means rebuilding every zap by hand. Test each replacement with one real workflow before you move the rest.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Free (Self-hosted Community Edition from GitHub under the Sustainable Use License; Cloud has a free trial); paid from EUR 20 per month, Cloud Starter billed annually, 2.5K executions | Web, Self-hosted | Self-hosted automation with no per-task fee | Docs only |
| Make | Free (Free plan: 1,000 credits per month) | Web browser | Branching flows on a bigger free allowance | Docs only |
| Pipedream | Free (Free plan for development use only; production and external users not included; community support only); paid from $99 per month, billed annually (Startup; $150 billed monthly) | Web browser | Developers who want code steps | Docs only |
| Activepieces | Free (Free forever, no card: 1,000 credits a month, unlimited flows, up to 5 users); paid from $20 per month (Plus, flat) | Web browser | Open-source automation with a free start | Docs only |
| Microsoft Power Automate | Paid from $15 per user/month, billed yearly (Premium) | Web | Microsoft 365 shops | Docs only |
| IFTTT | Free (Free plan allows 2 Applets with standard run speed); paid from $2.99 per month (Pro, 20 Applets; $35.88 billed annually) | Web, Mobile app | Automation | Docs only |
| Workato | See pricing page | Web | Automation | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You can run a server and want no per-task fee (n8n is the pick)
- You want branching flows on a free start (Make is the pick)
- You want open source with a free plan (Activepieces is the pick)
- You build code-heavy workflows (Pipedream is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Zapier features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Zapier today: Free (Free plan: 100 tasks per month); paid from $19.99 per month, billed annually (Professional, 750 tasks; $29.99 billed monthly) (Zapier pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Why people look for Zapier alternatives
Zapier's Free plan allows 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only, with no premium apps. Multi-step Zaps and unlimited premium apps start on Professional, 750 tasks at $19.99 a month billed annually ($29.99 monthly). Team starts at 2,000 tasks for $69 a month annually. Past your limit, pay-per-task overage costs 1.25 times the base rate on annual plans and 2.5 times on monthly ones, and usage stops at three times your subscription.
n8n
Compared with Zapier: Self-hostable Community Edition, unlike Zapier's cloud-only plans. You lose Zapier's large app catalogue and simple setup, but per-task pricing disappears when you run it on your own server.
Price: Free (Self-hosted Community Edition from GitHub under the Sustainable Use License; Cloud has a free trial); paid from EUR 20 per month, Cloud Starter billed annually, 2.5K executions (n8n pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. Sustainable Use License (source-available).
Best for: Self-hosted automation with no per-task fee.
Worth knowing: Not open source in the OSI sense; .ee. files need a paid license. Annual billing saves 17% versus monthly.
Make
Compared with Zapier: Free plan gives 1,000 credits a month, against Zapier's 100 tasks. Make scenarios take more time to learn, and you should check the pricing page for paid plans.
Price: Free (Free plan: 1,000 credits per month) (Make pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Branching flows on a bigger free allowance.
Pipedream
Compared with Zapier: Free plan is development-only, so it suits builds rather than live workflows. Against Zapier's simple triggers you write code steps, and the $99 Startup plan costs far more than Zapier's $19.99 entry tier.
Price: Free (Free plan for development use only; production and external users not included; community support only); paid from $99 per month, billed annually (Startup; $150 billed monthly) (Pipedream pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Developers who want code steps.
Activepieces
Compared with Zapier: Free forever plan and a $20 Plus plan, against Zapier's $19.99 Professional tier. Activepieces is open source and self-hostable, but you lose Zapier's established connector library.
Price: Free (Free forever, no card: 1,000 credits a month, unlimited flows, up to 5 users); paid from $20 per month (Plus, flat) (Activepieces pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web browser. MIT (Community Edition); enterprise features under a commercial license (open source).
Project activity: 25.3k GitHub stars · latest release 0.92.3-hotfix.1 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Open-source automation with a free start.
Worth knowing: Currency shown only as a dollar sign; read as USD.
Microsoft Power Automate
Compared with Zapier: No free plan, only a 30-day trial; Premium is $15 per user a month on yearly billing. Against Zapier you gain native Microsoft 365 connectors and lose the free start.
Price: Paid from $15 per user/month, billed yearly (Premium) (Microsoft Power Automate pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Microsoft 365 shops.
Other popular options (paid)
IFTTT
Compared with Zapier: Free allows 2 Applets; Pro is $2.99 a month for 20 and Pro+ $8.99 for unlimited. A far cheaper entry than Zapier, but multi-action Applets need Pro and the workflows stay simpler.
Price: Free (Free plan allows 2 Applets with standard run speed); paid from $2.99 per month (Pro, 20 Applets; $35.88 billed annually) (IFTTT pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Workato
Compared with Zapier: An enterprise integration platform priced by edition, add-ons and usage, with no published numbers and a quote required. A different class from Zapier's self-serve tiers.
Price: See pricing page (Workato pricing, checked 2026-10-25).
Which one to pick
- You can run a server and want no per-task fee: n8n
- You want branching flows on a free start: Make
- You want open source with a free plan: Activepieces
- You build code-heavy workflows: Pipedream
Limits of this review
Docs-only for n8n, Make, Pipedream, Activepieces, Microsoft Power Automate: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Zapier. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
More in Automation & No-Code
- Microsoft Power Automate alternatives
- UiPath alternatives
- n8n Alternatives 2026: 9 Free Options (Tested)
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-25: Zapier, n8n, Make, Pipedream, Activepieces, Microsoft Power Automate, IFTTT, Workato. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.