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Automations

“Connect my apps and automate tasks”
1 of 2

Automation tools trade ease against cost at volume. Zapier is the easiest start, with a free plan, though the bill grows with each task it runs. Make draws branching workflows on a visual map and costs less than many rivals at high volume, with a steeper learning curve. n8n charges per workflow run and can be self-hosted, so technical teams keep their data on their own server. Airtable fits when the real problem is a tangled spreadsheet.

HubSpot: CRM with marketing, sales and service hubs.
HubSpot90%

CRM with marketing, sales and service hubs.

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Side by side

Price, free plan, ease of use and the team size each one suits.
ZapierFree plan14-day free trialSolo, Small team, Growing team, Large team
n8n50% off Business for startupsSmall team, Growing team, Large team
MakeFree planTeams plan free for 6 monthsSolo, Small team, Growing team
Airtable14-day free trialSmall team, Growing team, Large team

Why these picks

Independent reviews, facts checked at the source, and our own use.
  • Ranked from independent reviews

    We score how often and how high each tool appears in independent best-of reviews.

    Reviews read 2 Oct 2026
  • Facts checked at the source

    Prices, free plans and offers come from each provider's own website, checked every week by our software and reviewed by us.

    Prices last checked 6 Oct 2026
  • Nobody pays for a place

    The order comes from the reviews and the facts. Offers are only the providers' own.

     

Head to head

Pairs people weigh up that include one of these picks.
Activepiecesvsn8nActivepiecesvsZapierLindyvsZapierMakevsn8nZapiervsMakeZapiervsn8n

Connect them to AI

MCP setups that use these tools, step by step.
Let Claude take actions in any app via ZapierTrack competitor pricing in Airtable

Questions

What people ask about automations.

Zapier, Make or n8n: where should a small team start?

Start with Zapier if nobody on the team writes code: it has a free plan and is the easiest of the three. Choose Make if your workflows branch a lot or run thousands of times a month, since it costs less at volume. n8n suits teams with a developer, because setup is harder and it pays off with long workflows. You can move later, though rebuilding automations takes time.

How do automation tools charge, and what stays free?

Zapier and Make each run a few simple automations at no cost. Zapier's bill grows with the number of tasks it runs, so a busy workflow gets expensive. n8n charges per workflow run, however many steps the workflow has, which favours long workflows. Estimate your monthly runs before choosing a paid plan.

I keep everything in Airtable. Do I need Zapier as well?

Airtable has its own automations and AI fields that handle repetitive updates inside your bases. You need Zapier or Make once data has to move between Airtable and other apps, such as a form tool, your CRM or Slack. Zapier also offers its own tables and forms, so small setups may manage with one tool. Pick based on where most of your data lives.

Can I host my automations on my own server for GDPR?

n8n is source-available and you can run it on your own server, which keeps workflow data where you choose. Zapier and Make run as hosted services. Self-hosting means you handle updates, backups and security yourself. For most small teams a hosted tool with a data processing agreement is enough under GDPR.

What breaks in automations, and how do I catch it?

Most failures come from a changed form field, an expired login or an app that renamed something. Make's error handling is precise, so you can decide what happens when a step fails. Turn on failure alerts in whichever tool you use and check the run history weekly. Keep each automation small so a failure is easy to trace.