From Zapier to self-hosted n8n: when the switch pays off.
You run IT at a mid-sized company. Over the past two years your operations teams have grown Zapier or Make to more than 40 workflows. Billing is per task, and the monthly bill is heading toward five figures. We work out whether self-hosted n8n pays off for you. If it does, we migrate the workflows and hand the documented system to your team.
Focus areas
Buy-vs-build audit with a clear recommendation
Two weeks. We list every workflow in Zapier or Make and compare the costs over three years against a self-hosted setup, including the effort to run it. You get a clear recommendation. If switching doesn't pay off, we tell you.
Migration while day-to-day work continues
We map the workflows, run Zapier and n8n side by side for a while and switch over step by step, usually 5–10 workflows a week. Each workflow is tested in n8n before the old one is turned off. That keeps the risk to day-to-day operations low.
Your IT runs it afterwards, not us
n8n runs on your own infrastructure: Docker, Kubernetes or an EU cloud. Monitoring, backups and secrets management are documented and handed to your team at the end of the project. Costs no longer grow with every run, and you don't need us to operate it.
Why Zapier and Make costs climb as you grow.
Zapier and Make are a good start, especially for the first 20 workflows. Both bill by usage: the more workflows you have and the more often they run, the higher the bill. A self-hosted setup mainly costs hosting and upkeep, and those costs barely grow with the number of runs. In a model calculation for a typical mid-sized company, we arrived at Zapier costs of 14,800 €/month. In a situation like that, a migration can pay for itself within a few months. But not every setup is worth moving. How complex the workflows are, what your team can operate and which vendor strategy you follow need to be clear first. In the buy-vs-build audit we inventory your workflows, compare total costs over three years (licenses, hosting, upkeep) and give you a clear recommendation. If the switch pays off, we plan the migration. If it doesn't, we tell you. You can take the results to your internal team, build with us or work with another partner.
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Matching offers
Product Build
Weeks, not quarters
An idea or a prototype needs to become something that runs day to day.
Running system, design, cloud setup, documentation, handover
Audit
Two weeks
Something has to change, but it's not yet clear where the lever is.
Action roadmap, architecture sketch, next step
Fractional CTO
Monthly, ongoing
You're responsible for technology, but your team lacks someone with the experience for it.
Architecture reviews, reporting, mentoring, on call for outages
Frequently asked
What do we get from the audit?
An inventory of all workflows, a three-year cost comparison between Zapier or Make and self-hosting, an assessment of the technical risks of migrating and, if the switch pays off, a migration plan. You can use the results internally, build with us or work with another partner. There's no obligation to continue with us.
When does self-hosting not pay off?
With fewer than 15–20 production workflows, a workflow count that swings a lot, or a team without experience running containers. In those cases Zapier or Make usually cost less than running your own system, hosting and upkeep included. The audit says so plainly. We don't recommend migrations that don't pay off.
What happens to our existing Zapier workflows during the migration?
They keep running. We rebuild them in n8n alongside and switch them over one at a time, usually 5–10 per week. Each workflow is tested in n8n before the old one is turned off. Once the last one has moved, you can cancel the Zapier subscription.
Can our team run the n8n stack on its own afterwards?
Yes, the project is set up for exactly that. We build custom nodes for your internal systems, document the rules for how workflows are built and run a handover workshop with your team. The goal is that your team runs the system on its own after handover. If you'd like support after that, there's a maintenance contract or our Fractional CTO offer for strategic IT decisions.
Let's talk.
A free 30-minute intro call with no strings attached. We listen and tell you straight whether and how we can help.
On working days we usually reply within 24 hours.