The short verdict
Best overall: Make. It's the closest like-for-like Zapier replacement, with a visual builder, branching (routers and filters) and a free plan of 1,000 credits a month. Best for technical teams: n8n, which bills per workflow run and can be self-hosted. Best for generous task counting: Pabbly Connect. Best for very simple personal or social automations: IFTTT.
Zapier alternatives compared
| Make | n8n | Pabbly Connect | IFTTT | Zapier (for reference) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Most small businesses | Technical teams, AI agents | High task volumes on a budget | Very simple automations | Easiest set-up, most apps |
| Free option | Free plan: 1,000 credits/month | Self-hosted Community Edition; cloud free trial | Free: 100 tasks/month, 2 two-step workflows | Free: 2 Applets | Free: 100 tasks/month, two-step Zaps |
| Billing unit | Credits (most actions = 1) | Workflow executions (whole run = 1) | Tasks (action steps only) | Applets (plan limits) | Tasks (action steps) |
| Entry paid price | See Make pricing | Starter: €20/month billed annually | Shown in local currency; see pricing page | Pro: $2.99/month billed annually | Pro: $19.99/month billed annually (750 tasks) |
| Branching logic | Routers and filters on all plans | Yes | Routers and filters (free internal steps) | Queries and filters on Pro+ | Filters and Paths on paid plans |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Steeper | Moderate | Very low | Low |
All details from each vendor's official pricing page, checked 22 October 2026: Make, n8n, Pabbly Connect, IFTTT, Zapier. Make's paid plan prices weren't readable when we checked, so we haven't quoted them.
Why look for a Zapier alternative?
Zapier is the easiest automation tool to start with and has the largest catalogue (9,000+ apps, per its pricing page). The usual reasons small businesses look elsewhere are cost and limits: Zapier's free plan allows 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only, and Filters, Paths and webhooks need a paid plan. Its Professional plan is listed from $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks, or $29.99 month to month. If your automations have several steps and run often, alternatives that bill differently can work out cheaper. For the full head-to-head, see Make vs Zapier.
1. Make: best Zapier alternative for most small businesses
Make (formerly Integromat) builds automations on a visual canvas: each app step is a module and you connect them like a flowchart. It integrates with more than 1,000 apps and lets you call any public API with custom connections.
- Free plan: 1,000 credits a month. Most module actions use 1 credit; router and error-handler modules use none (Make pricing page, Oct 2026).
- Branching included: routers and filters are available without upgrading, which on Zapier means a paid plan.
- Small-team discount: Make advertises a Start-up Plan for companies under 20 employees, described as 50% off Business for those who qualify.
- Watch out for: a steeper learning curve than Zapier, and credits that expire at the end of each term.
Make is in our top three tools overall (9.0/10). Read our Make free plan guide to see what 1,000 credits covers in practice.
2. n8n: best for technical teams and AI agents
n8n is a workflow automation tool popular with developers. Its pricing page says all plans include unlimited users, unlimited workflows and every integration, and that you're billed per execution: one complete run of a workflow, however many steps it has. That can be very economical for long, multi-step workflows.
- Cloud plans: Starter €20 a month and Pro €50 a month, both billed annually (Oct 2026), with a free cloud trial and no card required.
- Self-hosting: a free Community Edition is available on GitHub if you can run your own server.
- Data location: n8n says hosted plans store data in the EU (Frankfurt), which may suit UK businesses thinking about GDPR.
- Watch out for: it's more technical than Make or Zapier, and support on Starter and Pro is via the community forum.
See our Make vs n8n comparison for the detail.
3. Pabbly Connect: generous task counting
Pabbly Connect pitches itself directly as a cheaper Zapier alternative. Its pricing page says triggers and internal steps (filters, routers, formatters and so on) don't count as tasks; only action steps do.
- Free plan: 100 tasks a month, up to 2 workflows with up to 2 steps each.
- Paid plans: monthly, multi-year and lifetime options. When we checked, prices displayed in local currency for our location, so we haven't quoted a sterling or dollar figure; check the pricing page.
- Refunds: a 30-day money-back guarantee is advertised.
- Watch out for: a smaller app catalogue than Zapier (Pabbly says 2,000+ apps), and lifetime deals include limited support periods.
4. IFTTT: cheapest for simple jobs
IFTTT ("if this then that") connects apps and smart devices with simple Applets. It's not a full business automation platform, but for simple jobs, such as posting new blog articles to social media or saving email attachments to cloud storage, it can be enough.
- Free: 2 Applets.
- Pro: $2.99 a month billed annually ($35.88 a year) for 20 Applets, multi-action Applets and webhooks.
- Pro+: $8.99 a month billed annually ($107.88 a year) for unlimited Applets, AI services, queries and filters, and multiple accounts per service.
- Watch out for: limited logic and far fewer business-app integrations than Make or Zapier.
How to choose
- List the apps you need to connect and check each tool's app directory. This rules options in or out faster than anything else.
- Count the steps in your top three workflows and how often they run each month. Credit-based (Make), execution-based (n8n) and task-based (Zapier, Pabbly) billing give very different totals for the same workflow.
- Build your most important workflow on a free plan or trial, run it for a week, and look at the usage counter before committing.
Bottom line
If Zapier's price or two-step free plan is holding you back, Make is the alternative we'd try first: it has the best balance of power, price and ease for a small business. Technical teams should look at n8n, and very simple use cases may be fine on IFTTT.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Zapier?
For most small businesses, Make. Its free plan includes 1,000 credits a month and branching logic (routers and filters), while Zapier's free plan is 100 tasks a month with two-step Zaps only (both checked Oct 2026).
Is Make cheaper than Zapier?
Often, especially for multi-step or high-volume workflows, because Make bills in credits per module action and doesn't charge credits for routers or error handlers. Compare real usage on both free plans before deciding.
Is n8n free?
n8n's Community Edition can be self-hosted for free. Its hosted cloud plans start at €20 a month billed annually (Starter), with a free trial (checked Oct 2026).
Does Pabbly Connect have a free plan?
Yes: 100 tasks a month with up to 2 workflows of up to 2 steps each, according to its pricing page (Oct 2026).
Can I pay for Zapier in pounds?
Zapier says it can bill in 19 local currencies including GBP, converted from USD at the time of payment.
Related guides
- Make vs Zapier for small business
- Make vs n8n for small businesses
- Make.com free plan explained for small businesses
- Systeme.io vs ClickFunnels for small businesses
- See our full ranking of AI tools for small business
Prices and plan limits change frequently. We note the date we checked each fact; always confirm on the vendor's official pricing page before buying. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.