Skip to content
Compare tools
Browse by category
Accounting Software3Agency & Funnel Software4B2B Sales Outreach4CRM Platforms4Cloud Storage1Customer Support2E-Signature2E-commerce Platforms1Email Marketing1Knowledge Management1Marketing Automation3Payment Processing1Payroll & HR1Project Management5SEO Software1Sales Intelligence1Scheduling Software1Team Communication1Video Conferencing4Website Builders2Workflow Automation2
All categories →
Recently verified
Recently updated switching guides
All 90 migration guides →
What every guide covers
What transfers, and what doesn’tThe vendor’s own import path, step by step, plus the data you will rebuild by hand. Switching cost estimatorAn adjustable estimate of the hidden labor, cleanup and retraining cost, with its assumptions shown.
Pricing data
Software IndexEvery tool we track in one sortable table: entry price, free plan, AI pricing and source. AI Pricing DatabaseHow each vendor bills its AI features: bundled, add-on, metered or quote.
Original research
The B2B SaaS Sticker Shock IndexCheapest published entry price in 18 categories, ranked.The AI TaxHow 19 AI features are actually billed: bundled, add-on or metered.The Real Cost of a 10-Person Startup StackThree software stacks priced at published entry prices.
Open data
Download the datasetsJSON and CSV under CC BY 4.0. Every value carries its source page and verification date. How we verify pricingThe research method behind every figure on the site.
WORKFLOW AUTOMATION · MIGRATION GUIDE

Switching from Zapier to n8n

There is no official Zapier importer in n8n: Zaps are rebuilt as n8n workflows. The work is mostly an inventory job — and the payoff is billing per workflow run instead of per step.

Jump to migration steps Read the full comparison
By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 18, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Switching from Zapier to n8nVerified Sep 18, 2026

Quick verdict: Export your Zapier data (Settings, then Security and data, then Export my data) and your Zap history so you have a record of every workflow, then rebuild each Zap in n8n, starting with the ones that burn the most tasks. n8n imports only its own workflow JSON, and n8n has no documented Zapier import, so plan on rebuilding by hand, re-connecting every app’s credentials, and running both in parallel until the n8n versions are proven.

Estimate · your inputs

Switching Cost & Friction Estimator

Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.

25,000
10

Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.

Estimated Migration Time —
Data Friction Rating —
Total Hidden Switching Cost $0

    Why teams move from Zapier to n8n

    Per-run, not per-step, billing

    Zapier bills each successful action as a task; n8n bills one execution per workflow run, however many steps it has.

    Unlimited users

    Every n8n plan includes unlimited users and workflows; Zapier Professional has 1 seat and Team 25.

    Self-hosting option

    n8n’s Community Edition can be self-hosted for free under its Sustainable Use License, for internal use.

    How the migration actually works

    Treat this as a rebuild project. Rank Zaps by task usage so the first workflows you move are the ones that save the most money.

    StepWhat you do
    1Export your Zapier account dataIn Zapier, go to Settings, then Security and data, then Export my data. The download includes a Zapfile.json describing your Zaps.
    2Export Zap historyExport Zap history as CSV or JSON (up to 5,000 runs at a time) to see which Zaps use the most tasks and to keep an audit trail.
    3Choose cloud or self-hosted n8nStarter ($20/mo annual, 2,500 executions, 5 concurrent) and Pro ($50/mo, 10,000 executions, 20 concurrent) are hosted by n8n; the Community Edition is free to self-host.
    4Rebuild each Zap as an n8n workflowRecreate the trigger and each action as n8n nodes. Paths and filters become IF or Switch nodes; Formatter steps become n8n’s data-transformation nodes or a Code node.
    5Re-connect credentialsAuthenticate every app again in n8n — app connections do not carry over from Zapier.
    6Test, then run in parallelManual test runs do not count as executions. Activate each workflow, compare its output against the Zap for a few days, then turn the Zap off.

    What this path doesn’t do for you:

    Nothing converts automatically: n8n has no documented Zapier importer, and Zapier’s exports are in Zapier’s own format. App credentials must be re-authorised, and Zapier-only features such as Tables, Forms, Interfaces and Chatbots need an equivalent or a replacement. If you self-host, you also take on servers, updates, backups and security.

    Pricing side by side

    PlanZapiern8n
    Free100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps, 1 seatCommunity Edition, self-hosted (Sustainable Use License)
    Entry paidProfessional — $19.99/mo annual (750 tasks), $29.99 monthlyStarter — $20/mo annual (2,500 executions), $24 monthly
    TeamTeam — $69/mo annual (2,000 tasks, 25 users), $103.50 monthlyPro — $50/mo annual (10,000 executions), $60 monthly
    TopEnterprise — contact salesBusiness (self-hosted) — $800/mo annual; Enterprise by quote
    Billing unitTasks: each successful action stepExecutions: one run of a whole workflow
    Users1 (Professional), 25 (Team), unlimited (Enterprise)Unlimited on every plan

    Prices checked on zapier.com/pricing and n8n.io/pricing (USD, US view) on September 18, 2026. Confirm current rates before you buy.

    Feature parity check

    CapabilityZapiern8n
    Import from the other toolZapier imports only Zapier JSON (Team and Enterprise)No documented Zapier import; n8n workflow JSON only
    Billing unitTasks — each action stepExecutions — each workflow run
    Users1 / 25 / unlimitedUnlimited on every plan
    Self-hostingNot availableCommunity Edition (free) or Business
    App connections (vendor claim)9,000+ apps2,192 integrations in its directory
    OveragePay-per-task up to 3x plan tasks, then Zaps pauseCloud executions beyond concurrency limits queue

    Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?

    Read the Zapier vs n8n comparison Switching from n8n to Zapier instead?

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can n8n import my Zaps?

    No. n8n’s documentation covers importing n8n workflow JSON only and has no Zapier importer, so Zaps are rebuilt as workflows.

    How do I export my Zaps from Zapier?

    Use Settings, then Security and data, then Export my data, which includes a Zapfile.json. Team and Enterprise accounts can also export individual Zaps as JSON, and any account can export Zap history (up to 5,000 runs at a time) as CSV or JSON.

    Will my app connections transfer?

    No. Re-authenticate every app inside n8n.

    Will n8n cost less?

    For multi-step workflows, usually: n8n charges once per workflow run while Zapier charges for every action step. Compare your Zap history’s task counts with n8n’s execution tiers before you commit.

    Do I have to self-host n8n?

    No. n8n’s Starter and Pro plans are hosted by n8n; the free Community Edition and the Business plan are self-hosted.

    Canonical data for the tools on this page

    Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page — with the date each figure was last verified.

    n8nPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›ZapierPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
    Zapier vs n8nHead-to-head comparisonZapier vs MakeHead-to-head comparison

    Sources

    Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

    Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

    Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
    About the author

    Bill Belcamino

    Founder and author, HelpCompare

    Bill has worked in software and digital marketing for more than 20 years. He spent nine years as an engineer at HP, served as COO scaling a platform past 200,000 users, and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

    “I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

    Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 18, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

    Read Bill’s story How we verify pricingSpot an error? Tell Bill