Activepieces and n8n are the two serious open-source answers to Zapier, but they charge for opposite things. Activepieces cloud is free for 1,000 credits a month, Plus is $20/mo monthly ($16/mo billed annually) for 10,000 credits, and Team is $200/mo monthly ($166/mo annually) for 50,000 credits — and one credit buys one full flow run no matter how many steps it has. n8n cloud starts at €24/mo monthly (€20/mo billed annually) for 2,500 executions on Starter and €60/mo monthly (€50/mo annually) for 10,000 on Pro, with a free self-hosted Community Edition. Bottom line: Activepieces wins on price and simplicity for teams that want managed hosting without per-step bills; n8n wins on depth, node count, and code-level control for technical teams that self-host.
The metering difference is the whole decision. Activepieces meters runs, so a 30-step workflow costs one credit; n8n meters executions, and each workflow run is one execution too — but n8n's paid cloud tiers cap executions at 2,500–10,000 a month while its free self-hosted edition removes the cap entirely. The real fork is licensing and depth: Activepieces' core is MIT-licensed and its builder is deliberately simpler, while n8n's Sustainable Use License is fair-code rather than open source, and its 400+ nodes, code nodes, and AI agent framework go much deeper for engineers.
| Activepieces | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free ($0 cloud, 1,000 credits/mo; Community Edition free to self-host) | Free (self-hosted Community Edition, unlimited executions; cloud from €24/mo) |
| Entry paid cloud price | Plus $20/mo monthly ($16/mo annual, 10,000 credits) | Starter €24/mo monthly (€20/mo annual, 2,500 executions) |
| How you pay | Per flow run: 1 credit per run regardless of step count; AI steps cost extra credits | Per execution: 1 execution per workflow run; unlimited steps, workflows, and users on cloud plans |
| License & self-hosting | MIT-licensed core, genuinely open source; Docker/Kubernetes, including air-gapped | Sustainable Use License (fair-code, not OSI open source); free Community Edition, self-hosted |
| AI agents | Built-in AI agents, tables, and MCP support on all plans including free | AI agent framework with code nodes and 400+ integrations; AI credits bundled on cloud plans |
| Depth & control | Visual builder, 760+ pieces; simpler by design, less code-level control | Code nodes (JavaScript/Python), expressions, and deeper node library for engineers |
| Team & governance | SSO, audit logs, and roles in Team/Ultimate; white-label Embed from $36,000/yr | SSO, Git version control, and environments from Business (€667/mo annual, self-hosted) |
| Best for | Teams wanting cheap managed automation without per-step bills, or true MIT self-hosting | Technical teams that self-host for free, or need deep, code-friendly workflow logic |
The open-source automation platform for teams that want Zapier-style flows without per-task bills: a visual builder, AI agents, and a free MIT-licensed Community Edition you can self-host.
Free cloud ($0, 1,000 credits/mo, unlimited flows); Plus $20/mo monthl
Try Activepieces →Pick Activepieces when you want managed hosting at the lowest price and hate watching a step counter: $20/mo Plus buys 10,000 full runs, and the MIT Community Edition means your self-hosted setup is yours in the fullest sense. Pick n8n when you self-host — its Community Edition is free with unlimited executions and no credit math at all — or when workflows need code nodes, complex expressions, and the deepest integration library in open-source automation. If you will never self-host and never touch code, Activepieces is the cheaper, simpler default; if you might do either, n8n's ceiling is higher.
For managed hosting, yes at the entry tier: Activepieces Plus at $20/mo monthly buys 10,000 flow runs, while n8n Cloud Starter at €24/mo monthly buys 2,500 executions. The comparison flips if you self-host — n8n's Community Edition is free with unlimited executions, while Activepieces' free self-hosted edition lacks paid governance features.
Activepieces' core is MIT-licensed, which is a full open-source license. n8n uses a Sustainable Use License — source-available and free to self-host, but with fair-code restrictions, so it is not OSI open source. Both let you self-host without paying a license fee.
Flows do not export cleanly between them — triggers, nodes, and expressions differ — so treat the choice as sticky. Both are cheap to trial (Activepieces free cloud, n8n free self-host), so run one real workflow on each before committing a team to either.