Workflow automation · Comparison
n8n Cloud vs Power Automate vs Zapier
3 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | n8n Cloud | Power Automate | Zapier |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Saves engineering timeWorkflows that mix visual steps with your own code, billed per run rather than per step, with a self-hosted edition as an exit. | Compliance includedAutomation inside Microsoft 365, with HIPAA, ISO 27001, EU regions and Entra ID sign-in covered by Microsoft, from $15 per user a month. | Built-in reachConnect more than 9,000 apps in multi-step workflows without code, and pay only for actions that succeed. |
| Overall score | 6.6 | 8.5Best | 5.4 |
| Free option | 14-day free trial | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | No card needed | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $20/mo | $15/user/mo | $19.99/mo |
| Pricing model | Tiered | Per seat | Tiered |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Executions: one per run of a whole workflow, whatever its length | Per-user licence with a daily request limit; per-flow or per-bot Process licences | Tasks: one per successful action; triggers, polling and built-in tools use none |
| Free option | No free cloud plan; 14-day trial (1,000 executions), no card; Community Edition self-hosted | Free licence: standard connectors, no sharing, 6,000 actions a day; 30-day Premium trial | Free plan: 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps, 1 user; 14-day Professional trial, no card |
| Reference scenario (2,000 runs, annual) | $20/mo on Starter, 2,500 executions (2,000 needed), computed | $15/mo for 1 Premium user (10,000 requests a month needed), computed | $129/mo on Professional, 10K tasks (8,000 tasks needed), computed |
| Month-to-month price | $24 for Starter; $60 for Pro 10,000 executions | Not published (paid yearly) | $193.50 for Professional 10K tasks; from $29.99 for 750 tasks |
| Usage past the plan | Not stated for Cloud plans | Power Platform Requests add-on, $50 a month (licensing FAQ) | Pay-per-task at 1.25× the base rate (annual) or 2.5× (monthly), up to 3× the tier |
| Code steps | JavaScript and Python code steps on every plan | C# in custom connectors; PowerShell, Python, JavaScript and .NET scripts in desktop flows | Code by Zapier on every plan; 30 seconds of included runtime per step on Professional |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3; ISO 27001 not stated | In scope of Microsoft’s SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3; ISO 27001 not stated |
| HIPAA BAA | Not stated | Included by default through the Microsoft Online Services DPA | Not offered: Zapier says it cannot sign BAAs |
| EU data hosting | Every Cloud plan: Frankfurt, Germany (the only stated region) | Environments in the Europe region | Not offered: data stored on AWS in the United States |
| SSO | SAML and LDAP on Enterprise (Business is self-hosted only) | Sign-in through Microsoft Entra ID | SAML on Team in the plan table; Enterprise in the FAQs |
| Workflow export | Workflows download as JSON on every plan | Flows as .zip packages or Dataverse solutions | Zaps as JSON on Team and Enterprise |
| Self-hosting | Yes: Community Edition free on GitHub; Business and Enterprise licences | No | No |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, n8n Cloud has the most predictable per-run price here, with code, AI and webhooks on the $20 Starter plan and a self-hosted edition as an exit. It has no free cloud plan, hosts in Frankfurt only, and keeps SSO and audit logs for Enterprise. | From its public pages, Power Automate brings Microsoft’s compliance file, EU regions and high limits to one $15 per-user licence, plus desktop automation. It is licensed per user and paid yearly, and webhooks and premium connectors need that paid licence. | From its public pages, Zapier offers the broadest app directory here and a complete builder on Professional, priced per successful action. Costs grow with action volume, data stays in the US, and the audit log and Zap export start on Team. |
Evidence: n8n Cloud: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Power Automate: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Zapier: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our n8n Cloud review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick n8n Cloud when
- You want per-run pricing, code steps and unlimited users from $20 a month.
- Pick Zapier when
- You want a permanent free plan and 9,000+ apps without writing code.
From our Power Automate review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Power Automate when
- You need a HIPAA BAA, ISO 27001 or EU environments, at $15 per user a month.
- Pick Zapier when
- You connect many non-Microsoft apps and want 9,000+ apps without per-user licences.
From our Power Automate review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Power Automate when
- You need Microsoft’s compliance file and desktop automation of Windows apps.
- Pick n8n Cloud when
- You want code steps in JavaScript or Python, unlimited users and a self-hosted edition.
From our Zapier review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Zapier when
- You want a permanent free plan and 9,000+ apps without writing code.
- Pick n8n Cloud when
- You want to pay per workflow run rather than per action ($20 a month for 2,500 executions on Starter, annual) or self-host later.
From our Zapier review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Zapier when
- Your apps are mostly outside Microsoft 365 and you want to start without per-user licences.
- Pick Power Automate when
- Your team works in Microsoft 365 and needs a HIPAA BAA, ISO 27001 and EU environments, at $15 per user a month.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- n8n CloudStarter$20/mo2,500 executions a month, billed annually ($240 a year); $24 month to month; shown as 20€ on the page
- Unlimited users and workflows, every integration
- 5 concurrent executions, 1 shared project
- Code steps, webhook triggers, AI Agent node, n8n API
- 7 days of execution logs, 1 day of workflow history
- Power AutomateLowest pricePower Automate Premium$15/user/moPaid yearly; 40,000 Power Platform requests per user a day; 30-day trial
- Standard, premium and custom connectors
- Attended desktop flows (RPA) and process mining
- AI Builder credits, 250 MB Dataverse database and 2 GB file
- Sharing, co-owners and managed environments
- ZapierProfessional$19.99/moFrom 750 tasks a month, billed annually; $29.99 month to month. 10K tasks: $129 annual, $193.50 monthly
- Multi-step Zaps, Paths, webhooks and premium apps
- Versions, autoreplay and custom error settings
- AI by Zapier and code steps with 30 seconds of runtime
- One user
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: n8n Cloud 2026-10-16, Power Automate 2026-10-16, Zapier 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- Power AutomateSelf-serve sign-up; the highest score of the 3 self-serve products here (8.5/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- n8n Cloud14-day free trial, no card needed; scored 6.6/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Power Automate$15/user/mo for the Power Automate Premium (paid yearly) plan.
- Highest overall score
- Power Automate8.5/10 (Excellent). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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