Apify vs n8n
Complete 2026 battlecard: Which platform offers better ROI for your team size and workflow?
Apify
Workflow Automation & Scraping
$49/mo
★ 4.8 (2300)
The leading cloud platform for web scraping, data extraction, and serverless web automation actors.
Try Apify ↗VS
n8n
Workflow Automation & Scraping
$26/mo
★ 4.8 (1600)
Fair-code workflow automation with self-hosting freedom and advanced AI LangChain nodes.
Try n8n ↗💰 Team Size Total Monthly Cost Breakdown
Estimated monthly cost across team sizes based on baseline entry commercial plans.
| Team Size | Apify Total Cost | n8n Total Cost | Price Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Active Users | $49/mo | $26/mo | n8n saves $23 |
| 10 Active Users | $49/mo | $26/mo | n8n saves $23 |
| 25 Active Users | $49/mo | $26/mo | n8n saves $23 |
⚠️ Hidden Costs Comparison
Apify Hidden Fees
- Residential Proxy usage billed per gigabyte ($7 to $12/GB depending on plan tier)
- Actor compute usage billed at $0.05 per GB-hour of RAM
- Enterprise SLA and dedicated IP allocations require Custom Enterprise contracts
n8n Hidden Fees
- Self-hosted production setups require cloud VPS hosting ($10–$40/mo on Hetzner/DigitalOcean)
- Hosted cloud tier plans charge for additional executions beyond 2,500/month
- Enterprise features (SSO, LDAP, external secrets managers) require commercial licenses
🏆 The Verdict: Which Tool Should You Pick?
Choose Apify if:
Developers, data engineers, and growth hackers needing scalable web scrapers and pre-built store actors.
Choose n8n if:
Developers, technical founders, and privacy-conscious enterprises who want to self-host automation for free.