Automation · 2026
Activepieces·vs·n8n
Two solid choices in automation. Here's how they stack up on pricing, fit, and trade-offs — so you can decide in a minute.
Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·
Take on n8n
Self-hosted n8n is genuinely the largest unlock per dollar in this category — $0 platform cost, unlimited workflows, and full data sovereignty. Cloud pricing is fair but loses the main argument. Don't pick n8n if your automation owner is a marketing ops person — pick Make.
Contender A
Activepieces
Open-source Zapier alternative.
- Teams who want full ownership of their automations.
- Free, open source. Cloud from $0.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Open source
- Self-hostable
Trade-offs
- Smaller app catalog
Contender B
n8n
Fair-code automation you can self-host.
- Devs and ops teams who want unlimited runs at flat cost.
- Self-host free. Cloud from $20/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Self-hostable
- Code nodes when you need them
Trade-offs
- More technical setup
The matrix
Side-by-side
Best for
Activepieces
Teams who want full ownership of their automations.
n8n
Devs and ops teams who want unlimited runs at flat cost.
Pricing
Activepieces
Free, open source. Cloud from $0.
n8n
Self-host free. Cloud from $20/mo.
Top strength
Activepieces
Open source
n8n
Self-hostable
Biggest trade-off
Activepieces
Smaller app catalog
n8n
More technical setup
The verdict
Which should you pick?
Teams who want full ownership of their automations.
Devs and ops teams who want unlimited runs at flat cost.
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