Self-Hosted Alternatives to Zapier
Why Replace Zapier?
Cost. Zapier’s free tier gives you 100 tasks/month — enough to test, not enough to use. The Starter plan is $29.99/month for 750 tasks. Professional is $73.50/month for 2,000 tasks. If you run dozens of automations with frequent triggers, costs escalate quickly to $200-500+/month.
Privacy. Every Zapier workflow routes your data through Zapier’s servers. Your API keys, email content, customer data, and internal documents all pass through a third party.
Limits. Zapier’s free and starter tiers have polling intervals of 15 minutes. Multi-step Zaps require paid plans. Premium apps (e.g., Salesforce) cost extra. The nickel-and-diming adds up.
Vendor lock-in. Your workflows exist only on Zapier’s platform. If they raise prices, change features, or go down, your automations stop. Self-hosted alternatives give you full ownership.
Best Alternatives
n8n — Best Overall Replacement
n8n is the closest thing to a self-hosted Zapier that actually works. It has 400+ built-in integrations, a visual canvas editor, JavaScript/Python code nodes, and error handling workflows. It handles complex multi-step automations that would require Zapier’s most expensive plan.
What makes it better than Zapier:
- Unlimited tasks (no per-execution pricing)
- 400+ integrations included
- Code nodes for custom logic
- Self-hosted — your data stays on your server
- Error handling with dedicated error workflows
Trade-offs vs Zapier:
- Requires a server and Docker setup
- Learning curve for the canvas editor
- Uses Sustainable Use License (not OSI open source)
Read our full guide: How to Self-Host n8n
Activepieces — Best Open-Source Alternative
Activepieces is the best choice if open-source licensing (MIT) matters to you. It has a clean step-by-step builder that’s the most Zapier-like of any self-hosted tool, 200+ integrations, and active weekly development.
What makes it compelling:
- MIT license — truly open source, no restrictions
- Most Zapier-like UI of any alternative
- 200+ integrations and growing fast
- Branches, loops, and code steps supported
Trade-offs vs n8n:
- Fewer integrations (200+ vs 400+)
- Younger project (since 2023)
- Less advanced error handling
Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Activepieces
Node-RED — Best for IoT & Custom Flows
Node-RED isn’t a Zapier clone — it’s a flow-based programming tool. But if your automations involve IoT devices, MQTT, hardware, or custom data processing, Node-RED is unmatched. It has 4,000+ community nodes and runs on a Raspberry Pi.
Best for:
- IoT and smart home automation
- Real-time data processing
- Developers who want maximum flexibility
- Running on minimal hardware
Not ideal for:
- Non-technical users (steeper learning curve)
- SaaS-to-SaaS business automations (fewer pre-built connectors)
Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Node-RED
Windmill — Best for Developer Teams
Windmill is a code-first platform for scripts, workflows, and internal tools. If your “automations” are actually Python scripts, data pipelines, or internal tools, Windmill is purpose-built for this. It auto-generates UIs from script parameters.
Best for:
- Developer teams writing scripts and data pipelines
- Internal tool building with auto-generated UIs
- Multi-language support (Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash, SQL)
- Approval workflows with human-in-the-loop
Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Windmill
Huginn — Best for Web Monitoring
Huginn is the original self-hosted automation tool (since 2013). Its strength is web monitoring — agents that watch websites, extract data, and trigger actions based on changes. Think “IFTTT for web scraping.”
Best for:
- Price monitoring
- Website change detection
- RSS/news aggregation with filtering
- Custom web scraping workflows
Caveat: Development has slowed (last tagged release: Aug 2022). For new projects, consider n8n or Activepieces instead.
Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Huginn
Automatisch — Simplest Zapier Clone
Automatisch is the most faithful Zapier clone — simple trigger-action workflows with a familiar UI. However, with only ~40 integrations and slower development, it’s best suited for simple automations with major platforms.
Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Automatisch
Migration Guide
From Zapier to n8n
- Export your Zap list — document each Zap’s trigger, actions, and filters
- Recreate in n8n — most Zapier triggers have n8n equivalents:
- Zapier Webhook → n8n Webhook node
- Zapier Schedule → n8n Cron/Interval node
- Zapier Filter → n8n IF node
- Zapier Formatter → n8n Function/Code node
- Migrate credentials — create connections in n8n’s credential store
- Test thoroughly — run parallel for a week before disabling Zapier
- Cancel Zapier — once all workflows are running reliably on n8n
Key Differences to Expect
| Zapier Concept | Self-Hosted Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Zap | Workflow (n8n) / Flow (Activepieces) |
| Task | Execution |
| Multi-step Zap | Multi-node workflow |
| Filter | IF/Switch node |
| Formatter | Code node or built-in transformations |
| Paths | Branch node |
| Premium app | Same — all integrations are free |
Cost Comparison
| Zapier Starter | Zapier Professional | n8n (Self-Hosted) | Activepieces (Self-Hosted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $29.99 | $73.50 | $5-10 (VPS) | $5-10 (VPS) |
| Annual cost | $360 | $882 | $60-120 | $60-120 |
| Tasks/month | 750 | 2,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Multi-step | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | 7,000+ | 7,000+ | 400+ | 200+ |
| Custom code | Limited | Yes | Full JS + Python | TypeScript |
| Data privacy | Third-party servers | Third-party servers | Your server | Your server |
Break-even: A $7/month VPS running n8n with unlimited executions replaces a $74+/month Zapier Professional plan. The self-hosted option pays for itself in month one.
What You Give Up
- Convenience. Zapier works out of the box — no server, no Docker, no maintenance. Self-hosting requires setup and occasional updates.
- Integration breadth. Zapier has 7,000+ integrations. n8n has 400+, Activepieces 200+. Niche apps may not have connectors yet.
- Uptime guarantees. Zapier provides 99.9% SLA. Self-hosted uptime depends on your infrastructure.
- Mobile app. Zapier has iOS/Android apps for monitoring. Self-hosted tools are web-only.
- Support. Zapier has paid support tiers. Self-hosted tools rely on community forums and documentation.
For most self-hosters, the cost savings and data ownership far outweigh these trade-offs.
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