Zapier, Make and n8n: how each describes its building blocks

The three tools build the same shape. Something starts a run, steps do jobs, and data passes along. The names differ, though, and so do the rules for hosting and for counting usage. This page sticks to what each maker's own documentation says, checked on 4 November 2026.¹²³

What you need

• The maker's current docs open beside this page. Names, plans and limits change.
• A rough idea of your volume: how many runs a month, and how much data goes through each run.
• A decision about who will look after the tool if it's on your own server.

The same ideas in three vocabularies

• The whole automation: Zapier says Zap⁴, Make says scenario⁵, and n8n says workflow.¹
• A single step: Zapier: not named in the saved sources. Make says module⁵, and n8n says node.¹
• The unit of data: Make says bundle.⁵ The saved sources don't name it for Zapier or n8n.
• One run: n8n says execution.¹ The saved sources don't name it for Zapier or Make.

Here's where some of those terms come from. Zapier defines a trigger as an event within an app that starts a Zap.⁴ n8n defines an execution as a single run of a workflow.¹ Make calls one module run an operation, and its modules process bundles.⁵

Where a cell says the saved sources don't name a term, check the maker's own documentation.

How usage is counted

This is the biggest difference, and it affects your bill.

The effect on a workflow can be big. Make's own wording is that the operations for a module depend on how many bundles it processes.⁵ In Zapier, only successful actions count toward task usage.²

Zapier also gives a dated change. Starting December 1, 2026, Next Gen Zaps and the Zapier SDK also use tasks.² Check the page again if you read this later.

This page doesn't list prices. They change often, and they differ by plan and country. Check the maker's pricing page for the currency and the date.

Hosting

The saved pages show a split.

• n8n says an instance is a single n8n installation, either hosted by n8n Cloud or self-hosted.¹ Its hosting guide says you can self-host n8n on your own infrastructure, on-premises, or in a private cloud.⁶ It also says the free Community edition runs without a license key.¹
• Make describes a data zone as a setting on your organization, such as US1, US2, EU1 or EU2.⁷ The Make pages saved here don't describe a self-hosted version.
• Zapier: the pages saved for this site don't discuss self-hosting. Check Zapier's own documentation for where it runs.

n8n's hosting guide lists a section on keeping n8n running, which covers how to monitor, log, trace and update your instance.⁶ On your own server, that upkeep is your job.

When you choose

Look at the shape of your own workflow, not the sales page. A few long runs with big lists will count very differently from many short runs with little data each. Then use the basics page, what a workflow is, and the notes on data between steps to sketch your design before you count anything.

In any of the three, secrets and customer data stay out of AI steps unless your business has a written rule that allows it.