n8n vs Zapier
One of fourteen models named n8n first on the direct prompt; two named Zapier. n8n was named by eleven of the fourteen models and Zapier by eleven and n8n carries 28 labels and Zapier 32, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in five categories this edition.
Named in nine categories this edition.
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the workflow orchestration page.
By framing
n8nFirst choices, of fourteen modelsZapier
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, n8n and Zapier were named in the same answer eighty-one times, of the 121 answers naming n8n and the 165 naming Zapier. In those answers Zapier took the first choice sixteen times and n8n eleven.
Every model, every framing
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | ||||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | ||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | |||
| Llama 4 Maverick | ||||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | |||
| Kimi K2 | | | | |||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
n8n Zapier first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, n8n on the left and Zapier on the right.The direct prompt
n8n first, Zapier an alternative
1 of 14 modelsZapier was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Zapier first, n8n an alternative
2 of 14 modelsn8n was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Neither was the first choice, one was named
7 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Neither was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
n8n15%#3 of 12Zapier15%#4 of 12n8n0%#15 of 16Zapier0%#16 of 16What the models said about n8n
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Free self-hosted, good for custom workflows, requires DevOps to manage.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · scale prompt · soft negative
“n8n for a client-facing product unless the license fits your exact use.” GPT-6 Luna · negative prompt · soft negative
“Limited for complex/ high-volume enterprise. | If not data-heavy.” Grok 4.1 Fast · scale prompt · soft negative
“If you have one developer willing to install software on a cheap Linux server ($5/month VPS), go with n8n. It provides the most flexibility and power for the lowest cost” Qwen 3.7 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“the cheapest to run today is usually n8n Community on a small VPS” Muse Glimmer 30B · budget prompt · first choice
“Winner: n8n (Self-Hosted) ... can be self-hosted for free” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
What the models said about Zapier
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of five in this category shown.
“If your budget is bleeding from expensive tools like Zapier or Make... self-hosting is your best friend.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative
“Avoid No-Code (Zapier/Make) for data infrastructure, ETL, and backend logic.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“For most mid-market B2B companies without deep technical resources, Zapier or Make are practical starting points.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“Popular Mid-Market Pick: Make or Zapier—balance of power, ease, and price for B2B ops” Grok 4.1 Fast · direct prompt · first choice
“For no-code, app integrations, Zapier (with a free tier) or n8n (self-hosted free option) are excellent.” Mistral Small · budget prompt · alternative
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.