# Open source Zapier alternatives, and how to choose one

> Zapier runs the fixed workflows you draw. If you want automation your team can own, compare the open source alternatives to Zapier, starting with Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System, on hosting, price and the kind of work each one runs.

URL: https://zapieralternative.org/zapier-alternatives

## Open source Zapier alternatives, side by side

How Kortix, n8n, Make, Activepieces and Gumloop differ on owning your automation.

| | Kortix (recommended) | n8n | Make | Activepieces | Gumloop |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Open-source AI Operating System with agents, skills, memory, connectors in one repo | Visual workflow automation platform for technical teams | Hosted visual workflow builder | Open-source flow builder and automation platform | Hosted builder for AI agents |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Self-hosting | Self-host free, VPC, on-prem, or managed cloud | Self-hosted Community Edition, or n8n Cloud | Hosted only, on Make's cloud | Cloud or on-prem on every tier | Hosted only |
| Pricing and plan shape | Free includes 200 credits/month; team $40/seat/month, 2,500 pooled credits | Starter $20/mo, Pro $50/mo billed annually; Business $800/mo self-hosted | Free $0 with 1,000 credits/month; Core $9, Pro $16, Teams $29 | Free $0 with 1,000 credits/month; Plus $20, Team $200 flat/month | Pro starts at $37/month; Enterprise custom |
| Automation model | An agent session that plans its own steps on its own machine | A workflow of fixed steps on a visual canvas | Drag-and-drop workflows you draw step by step | A trigger linked to a set of fixed steps | Agents that browse and act, run on triggers or schedules |

## How to choose a Zapier alternative
Zapier is a hosted workflow automation tool. You connect apps, draw a trigger and a list of steps, and it runs that same sequence on a schedule or an event. A Zapier alternative is anything else that runs those automations. The useful question is not which one is cheapest, but three things: do you want it hosted or on your own machines, is your work a fixed workflow or open-ended agent work, and who ends up owning the configuration and the data.

Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System. Your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector live in one git repo you own, and each session runs on its own cloud computer.

```
acme-co/            # one git repo is the company
  agents/           # who does the work
  skills/           # how the company does a job
  memory/           # what it has learned so far
  kortix.yaml       # connectors, triggers, machine image
```

### Hosted or self-hosted

Hosted is the fastest way to start. Make runs only on its own cloud, and Gumloop is hosted too. You sign up, pick a monthly plan, and the vendor runs everything for you. Self-hosting puts the software on machines your team controls.

n8n, Activepieces, and Kortix all self-host. On n8n the self-hosted Community Edition is the free path, with paid plans for teams. Activepieces runs on your servers on every tier. Kortix self-hosts for free and also runs on its managed cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network. Self-hosting matters most when the automation touches customer data, production systems, or anything a security review will ask about.

### Fixed workflow or open-ended agent work

This is the bigger decision. n8n, Make, and Activepieces are workflow builders. You draw the path: a trigger, then steps, in an order you set, and it runs the same way every time. Activepieces links a trigger to a set of steps, Make calls each one a scenario, and n8n calls it a workflow and bills per execution. A visual builder fits when the steps are known and repeat, and a canvas is easy for a team to read at a glance.

Some work will not fit a flowchart. Research a competitor, write the report, fix the failing checkout, triage the queue. There are no fixed steps to draw, because the steps depend on what the agent finds. That work runs as a session. You hand a Kortix agent a job in plain language, and it plans and runs its own steps on its own cloud computer. Gumloop covers a version of this too, as hosted agents that browse and act and fire on a schedule or an event.

### Who owns it

The last question is ownership. On a hosted tool the configuration lives in the vendor's product, on the vendor's terms. On a self-hosted tool it lives on your servers. Kortix goes further: the company itself is a git repo. Agents, skills, memory files, connectors, and triggers are text you own, so you can grep the whole configuration, diff a change, and roll it back. Work reaches main through a change request a person reads as a diff first, and approval gates stay off until you set them.

If your automation is a fixed flow, a workflow builder will run it well. If the work is open-ended and you want to own the system that runs it, start with Kortix: free to begin and free to self-host. When the choice is a flow builder against an owned system, [Read the comparison](https://kortix.com/blog/kortix-vs-activepieces) between Kortix and Activepieces. You can also start from the [home page](/) or the [Kortix vs Zapier page](/kortix-vs-zapier).

## Questions about choosing

Short answers on openness, cost, and reaching the apps you already run.

### Is Zapier open source?

No. Zapier is a closed, hosted product. If open source matters to you, Kortix, n8n, and Activepieces publish their code and let you self-host.

### Can a Zapier alternative reach the apps my team already uses?

Yes. Kortix reaches 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP, OpenAPI, Postman, GraphQL and raw HTTP. Make lists 3,500+ apps and Activepieces ships 760+ apps.

### Which Zapier alternative is free?

Make and Activepieces both have a Free plan, n8n is free to self-host through its Community Edition, and Kortix is free to start with 200 credits each month and free to self-host.

## Run your automation on a system you own

Kortix is free to start and free to self-host.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Compare Kortix vs Zapier](https://zapieralternative.org/kortix-vs-zapier)