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Free alternatives to Zapier

Zapier costs $29.99/mo on the Professional/Starter plan, or $359.88 a year. Here are 3 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.

Prices checked Aug 11, 2026Can AI replace it? Half-bot

01At a glance

AlternativeTypeWhere it runsWorks on
Activepieces Community EditionOpen sourceHosted or self-hostedWeb, Your server
AutomatischOpen sourceYou host itWeb, Your server
n8n Community EditionFreeHosted or self-hostedWeb, Your server

02Each alternative, in detail

Activepieces Community EditionOpen source

Zapier with a Docker bill and no task meter.

Versus paying: Its connector catalog, edge-case handling, documentation and vendor support are smaller than Zapier's, and self-hosted OAuth connections can be fiddly.

Setup: Hosted signup, single-container Docker for testing, or Docker Compose for production

Watch for: Self-hosting needs Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, a public URL and OAuth credentials for many connectors

23,604 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

activepieces.com →
AutomatischOpen source

A smaller AGPL Zapier clone for ordinary trigger-action flows.

Versus paying: It has a far smaller integration catalog and less mature debugging, administration and support than Zapier.

Setup: Docker Compose

Watch for: Docker plus PostgreSQL, Redis and a public OAuth callback URL for many app connections

13,923 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

automatisch.io →
n8n Community EditionFree

The standard self-hosted answer: broad, durable, and fair-code rather than open source.

Versus paying: It is more technical to build and debug, and self-hosting moves reliability and upgrades onto you while Zapier offers a larger turnkey app ecosystem.

Setup: Hosted signup, npx or Docker

Watch for: Self-hosting needs persistent storage, a public webhook URL, credentials and operations; the Sustainable Use License is source-available rather than OSI open source

n8n.io →

03What you give up by leaving Zapier

  • integration catalog
  • OAuth maintenance
  • retries/history
  • nontechnical builder
  • app triggers/actions
  • uptime

They pay because every new app connection is already packaged and maintained.

04Questions

Is there a free alternative to Zapier?

Yes. This page compares 3: Activepieces Community Edition, Automatisch and n8n Community Edition. 2 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.

How much does Zapier cost?

$29.99/mo on the Professional/Starter plan (monthly), which is $359.88 a year. Prices checked Aug 11, 2026.

What do you give up with a free alternative to Zapier?

Most often: integration catalog, OAuth maintenance, retries/history and nontechnical builder. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”

Can AI build me my own version of Zapier?

Half-bot. A few personal automations are easy; Zapier's moat is the 9,000+ app integration catalog, auth handling, retries, task history, UI, and reliability.

Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.