Replaced Zapier with n8n and regained control over our automation stack

As my automation needs scaled, I started noticing how often I was hitting Zapier’s limits in pricing, flexibility, and transparency. Every time I wanted to build something a little more complex, I’d hit a wall. Worse, I couldn’t debug reliably or iterate fast. And the bills kept growing.

At first, I tried downgrading plans and simplifying workflows, but that only led to fragile setups that didn’t hold up in real-world usage. I even looked into alternatives like Make.com, but the core issue remained: I didn’t want a black box. I needed something I could host, control, and customize.

That’s when I moved to n8n.

I rebuilt my most critical ops workflows using n8n’s open-source platform, hosted it internally, and plugged it into our ecosystem. Unlike Zapier, I had full visibility into every step. If something failed, I could trace it, patch it, and deploy improvements immediately.

Over time, this shift gave me something no SaaS tool ever offered ownership.

The impact?

I slashed automation costs by over 90% Gained complete transparency across workflows And reduced iteration time dramatically

It wasn’t just a tech swap it was an architectural decision that unlocked operational agility.

If you’re hitting the same walls with Zapier or any closed SaaS automation tool, it might be time to rethink your stack.

Learn more at https://n8n.io/