You run three automation workflows: one syncs affiliate payouts to your spreadsheet (500 tasks/month), another reconciles invoices (300 tasks), a third onboards new team members (200 tasks). That's 1,000 tasks total. On Zapier, this costs you ₹2,400 per month. On Make or n8n, it costs ₹500 flat—and stays that way even if task volume doubles. This is not a edge case. The per-task model works fine at small scale (Zapier costs only ₹150/month at 50 tasks), but turns predatory past 300 tasks/month. We'll map the exact break-even point, show which automation platform fits which workload, and cover the real friction of switching. How Zapier's per-task billing scales (and why it hurts) Zapier charges by task execution. A task is one completed workflow step—if you send 500 Slack messages via automation in a month, that's 500 tasks. Here's the pricing ladder: 50 tasks/month: ₹150 (Free plan) 100 tasks/month: ₹800 (Starter) 300 tasks/month: ₹1,400 (Professional) 500 tasks/month: ₹1,600 (Professional) 1,000 tasks/month: ₹2,400 (Team) 2,000 tasks/month: ₹4,000+ (Team or custom) The model works because most SMBs run light automation: a few webhook integrations, the occasional data sync. But as you scale operations—more integrations, more client accounts, more API calls—task counts explode invisibly. A single workflow that processes 100 customer records, each triggering 5 steps, generates 500 tasks in one run. The per-task model punishes exactly the businesses that benefit most from automation: those with repeatable, scalable operations. Make and n8n: Flat pricing that does not penalize scale Make (formerly Integromat) and n8n both charge a fixed monthly fee, regardless of task volume: Make Starter: ₹500/month (10,000 operations/month) Make Professional: ₹1,300/month (50,000 operations/month) n8n Cloud Free: ₹0 (limited to 5 workflows, 10K executions/month) n8n Cloud Pro: ₹500/month (unlimited workflows, 100K executions/month) An "operation" in Make or an "execution" in n8n is not identical to Zapier's task definition—Make counts each step a workflow takes, n8n counts entire workflow runs—but the pattern is clear: you pay once, then run as much as you need within your tier's limits. Doubling your task volume does not double your bill. Self-hosted n8n removes the per-month fee entirely and costs only your infrastructure (typically ₹100–300/month on a small VPS), making it the cheapest option for teams comfortable with technical setup. Three real use cases: Where the break-even hits Affiliate payout automation (500 tasks/month) You have 200 affiliates. Every 15 days, your system fetches their sales records from your Stripe account, calculates commissions, checks them against your database, and sends payment instructions to your accounting software. Each payout run processes 200 records with 2–3 steps per affiliate: 400–600 tasks. Zapier cost: ₹1,600/month (Professional plan). Make cost: ₹500/month (Starter plan). Savings: ₹1,100/month, or ₹13,200/year. At this volume, Make or n8n justify themselves in less than three weeks of operation. The only reason to stay on Zapier is if you are already embedded in Zapier's workflow editor and cannot afford the switching cost (see "Migration friction," below). Invoice reconciliation (300 tasks/month) Your accounting team receives 150 invoices per month. Each invoice triggers a workflow: parse the PDF, extract line items, match it against your purchase orders, flag mismatches, update the GL, and log it in Slack. With 2 steps per invoice, you hit 300 tasks/month. Zapier cost: ₹1,400/month (Professional plan). Make cost: ₹500/month (Starter plan). Savings: ₹900/month, or ₹10,800/year. This is the point where Zapier starts to feel obviously expensive. Make breaks even after two months. Team onboarding (200 tasks/month) Every new hire triggers a 10-step workflow: create email account, add to Slack, provision GitHub access, create accounting profile, send password manager invite, enroll in HRIS, add to CRM, generate welcome video link, log completion, send follow-up email. That's 10 tasks per hire. With 20 new hires per month, you hit 200 tasks. Zapier cost: ₹800/month (Starter plan, assuming you don't exceed 100 tasks). If you cross 100, you move to Professional at ₹1,400. Make cost: ₹500/month. Savings: ₹300–900/month depending on exact volume. At 200 tasks, Make saves you money but the margin is smaller. This is the true break-even: below 150 tasks/month, Zapier's free tier may be sufficient; at 150–250 tasks, the platforms are competitive; above 250, Make and n8n become obviously cheaper. Make vs n8n: Which platform to switch to If Zapier's pricing has pushed you toward the exit, do not assume Make and n8n are identical. They are not. Make: Closest to Zapier's philosophy. Drag-and-drop builder, large app library (500+ integrations), excellent templates, good documentation. Runs on Make's servers (you do not manage infrastructure). Best for teams that want Zapier's simplicity without Zap