Head to head

Apify vs n8n

Same facts, side by side: starting price, free tier, MCP, API and what each one is actually built for.

Apify

$19/mo Free tier

Actor marketplace and scraping platform with MCP. Free includes $5 usage; paid Starter is $19/mo plus pay-as-you-go.

Where Apify fits

Builders running scrapers and agents in the cloud
GTM teams buying ready-made Store Actors
Desks that want MCP to search and run Actors
Startups that will start on Free with $5 usage

n8n

€20/mo Free tier Free trial

Workflow automation you can self-host free or run on n8n Cloud. Cloud Starter is €20/mo billed annually; n8n publishes prices in euros.

Where n8n fits

Technical teams that want to self-host for free
Builders who prefer per-execution billing
Teams that want to drive workflows from Claude via MCP
Companies under 100 staff looking at Business

At a glance

Detail	Apify	n8n
Starting price	$19/mo	€20/mo
Free tier	✓Yes	✓Yes
Free trial	Not on record	Yes
MCP server	✓Yes	✓Yes
Public API	✓Yes	✓Yes
Listed under	Lead generation, Sourcing	Lead generation, Sourcing
Capterra	4.8 from 538 reviews	Not enough reviews

Where they pull apart

Apify

Stands out: Hosted MCP at mcp.apify.com plus a Store of ready-made Actors, on a prepaid usage meter with overage billed on paid plans.

Watch out: Unused prepaid usage expires each cycle. Usage beyond Starter's $19 is billed on the next invoice, and residential proxy costs extra per GB.

Not the right fit for

Buyers who need unused credits to roll over
Non-technical teams that will not operate Actors

n8n

Stands out: Billing counts full workflow executions, not individual steps, and the Community edition is free to self-host.

Watch out: Cloud prices are published in euros only. The Cloud trial is capped at 1,000 executions, and unused AI Assistant credits do not roll over.

Not the right fit for

Buyers who need a USD Cloud price
Non-technical users who will not work with nodes

Pros and cons

Apify

Free plan with $5 usage, no card
Starter $19/mo plus overage
Hosted MCP at mcp.apify.com

Prepaid usage expires each month
Overage on paid plans can surprise finance
Residential proxy is billed per GB extra

n8n

Free self-hosted Community edition
Billed per execution, not per step
MCP server and public API

Cloud prices published in euros only
Cloud trial capped at 1,000 executions
Unused AI credits do not roll over

What each one costs

Apify

$19/mo

Free is $0 with $5 a month of platform usage. Starter is $19/mo plus pay-as-you-go, Scale $199/mo and Business $999/mo, each including that amount of prepaid usage, with lower compute-unit rates on higher plans. Unused prepaid usage expires at the end of each cycle, extra usage is billed on the next invoice, and proxies and extra resources are add-ons. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

n8n

€20/mo

Cloud Starter is €20/mo and Pro €50/mo, both billed annually (about 17% more month to month). Business is €667/mo billed annually and runs self-hosted. The Community edition is free to self-host, and Enterprise is quoted. n8n publishes these prices in euros. Confirm current terms on the vendor site.

Checked 19 Sep 2026

Common questions

Can you try Apify or n8n for free?

Apify and n8n carry a free tier on our listing. n8n offers a free trial.

Does Apify or n8n have an MCP server?

Apify and n8n ship a first party MCP server, so an AI assistant can work the product directly.

Not the pair you wanted?

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Editorial listings, never paid rankings. Prices checked 19 Sep 2026. Confirm current terms on the vendor site. Spot an error?