# No-code AI agent builders for small businesses, November 2026

> As of 4 November 2026, Make is the cheapest way to start: free for 1,000 credits a month, with paid plans from $9 billed annually. Zapier connects the most apps (9,000+), n8n is the only one you can self-host for free, and Lindy and Gumloop have no permanent free plan.

- This page: https://finderatlas.com/blog/no-code-ai-agent-builders
- Published: 2026-11-04
- Facts last checked: 2026-11-04

## All five at a glance

**No-code AI agent builders, checked 4 Nov 2026**

| Builder | Free plan | Entry paid plan | Billed by | Integrations |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Zapier](https://finderatlas.com/tools/zapier.md) | Yes, 100 tasks a month | Professional, $29.99 ($19.99 annually), 750 tasks | Tasks | 9,000+ apps |
| [Make](https://www.make.com/en/pricing) | Yes, 1,000 credits a month | Core, $10.59 ($9 annually), 10,000 credits | Credits | 3,500+ apps |
| [n8n](https://finderatlas.com/tools/n8n.md) | Self-hosted Community Edition | Starter, €24 (€20 annually), 2,500 executions | Workflow runs | 2,000+ |
| [Lindy](https://finderatlas.com/tools/lindy.md) | No; $50 of credits for 7 days | Team, $49.99 per user, 5,000 credits | Credits | 1,500+ plus MCP |
| [Gumloop](https://finderatlas.com/tools/gumloop.md) | No; 14-day trial | Pro, from $37, 20,000 credits | Credits plus an 8% fee | 100+ MCP integrations |

_n8n showed euro prices for its cloud plans; your page may show local currency. Lindy's homepage says plans start at $29.99 per user for 3,000 credits; its pricing page lists $49.99 for 5,000._

## What changed recently

- **Relay.app shut down in September 2026.** Its homepage says all accounts, workflows and run history were permanently deleted. If a builder runs your business processes, check how you would export them.
- **Zapier folded Agents into AI by Zapier** (6 Oct). AI steps can now call tools you attach, and they are billed in tasks. The pricing page still lists Agents "activities", so billing is mid-migration.
- **n8n launched n8n Agents** (25 Sep), which work out the steps themselves. Each agent turn counts as one execution.

## Workflow or agent: what's the difference?

A **workflow** runs the same steps every time: when a form is submitted, add a row and send an email. An **agent** gets a goal and a set of tools, and decides which tools to use and in what order. Agents handle messy inputs such as customer emails better, but they cost more per run and are harder to predict.

- **Workflow-first, with agents added:** [Zapier](https://finderatlas.com/tools/zapier.md) (AI by Zapier steps with tools), Make (AI Agents, in open beta on all plans) and [n8n](https://finderatlas.com/tools/n8n.md) (the AI Agent node, which decides which tools to call).
- **Agent-first:** [Lindy](https://finderatlas.com/tools/lindy.md) works like an assistant in Slack and email and picks its own skills. [Gumloop](https://finderatlas.com/tools/gumloop.md) builds agents from a description of the task, alongside classic workflows.

## Which is cheapest?

Prices are hard to compare because each tool counts work differently. Zapier charges a task for each action step that runs. Make charges credits per module action, with AI and code steps costing more. **n8n counts a whole workflow run as one execution, however many steps it has**, which makes it far cheaper for long workflows.

- **Free to start:** Make's free plan (1,000 credits, 2 active scenarios) does more than Zapier's (100 tasks, two-step Zaps only).
- **Free forever, if you can run a server:** n8n's self-hosted Community Edition. Its Sustainable Use License allows internal business use but is not an open-source licence.
- **Cheapest paid:** Make Core at $9 a month billed annually, then n8n Starter at €20 and Zapier Professional at $19.99.
- **Agent-first tools cost more:** Lindy is billed per user, and Gumloop charges the list cost of tokens and tools plus an 8% fee.

## How is AI usage billed?

**AI models and keys**

| Builder | AI usage | Your own API key |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zapier | Each AI step costs 1x, 3x or 5x tasks by model tier, plus each tool call | Yes, billed at 1x |
| Make | Credits by tokens on Make's AI provider | OpenAI or Anthropic, paid plans only |
| n8n | Prepaid Gateway credits on Cloud Starter and Pro | Yes, on every plan |
| Lindy | Credits; Lindy picks a model per task or you choose | Not stated |
| Gumloop | List cost of tokens plus an 8% fee | Yes, with a 16% fee |

Watch the defaults: Zapier's new AI steps start on the Premium tier (5x tasks), and Zapier caps a single run at 75 tasks unless you raise it.

## Security and where your data lives

**Security claims on each vendor's site**

| Builder | Audits | Where data is stored |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zapier | SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3 | AWS in the United States |
| Make | SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3; ISO 27001 on Enterprise | AWS, EU or North America |
| n8n | Program aligned to SOC 2, annual audits; SOC 3 | EU (Frankfurt) for Cloud, or your own server |
| Lindy | SOC 2 Type II; HIPAA BAA on Enterprise | Regions not named |
| Gumloop | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA | Optional private cloud in your region (Enterprise) |

Zapier and Lindy both state that they do not train AI models on your data.

## Which one should you pick?

- **You want it to just work with the apps you already use:** Zapier. Start on the free plan and expect to pay for Professional.
- **You want the lowest bill for many simple automations:** Make.
- **You have someone technical, long workflows or strict data rules:** n8n, self-hosted or on its EU cloud.
- **You want an assistant that handles email and Slack tasks for the team:** Lindy or Gumloop; use the trial on one real task before paying per user.

Compare them in detail: [n8n vs Zapier](https://finderatlas.com/compare/n8n-vs-zapier.md), [Lindy vs Zapier](https://finderatlas.com/compare/lindy-vs-zapier.md) and [Gumloop vs n8n](https://finderatlas.com/compare/gumloop-vs-n8n.md). See also [AI agents](https://finderatlas.com/categories/ai-agents.md) and the [best AI tools for small businesses](https://finderatlas.com/best/small-businesses.md).

## How we checked

Every plan, price and security claim comes from the vendor's own pricing, documentation and security pages, opened on 4 November 2026. Prices are monthly unless marked as annual.

## Frequently asked questions

**What is the cheapest no-code AI agent builder?**

Make. Its free plan includes 1,000 credits a month and its Core plan costs $9 a month billed annually ($10.59 monthly). n8n is free if you host it yourself.

**Is n8n free?**

The self-hosted Community Edition is free under n8n's Sustainable Use License, which allows internal business and personal use. n8n Cloud has no free plan, only a trial; Starter costs €24 a month or €20 billed annually.

**What is the difference between Zapier and n8n pricing?**

Zapier charges a task for each action step that runs. n8n charges one execution per workflow run, however many steps it has, so long workflows cost much less on n8n.

**Does Lindy have a free plan?**

No. New accounts get $50 of credits for 7 days without a card. After that the Team plan is listed at $49.99 per user per month for 5,000 credits.

**What happened to Relay.app?**

Relay.app shut down in September 2026. Its site says all accounts, workflows and run history were permanently deleted.

## Sources

- [Zapier pricing](https://zapier.com/pricing)
- [Zapier: Agents is now AI by Zapier](https://zapier.com/blog/zapier-agents-is-now-ai-by-zapier/)
- [Zapier: AI model tier pricing](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/46425475442829-AI-by-Zapier-model-tier-pricing)
- [Zapier security](https://zapier.com/security-compliance)
- [Make pricing](https://www.make.com/en/pricing)
- [Make AI Agents](https://www.make.com/en/ai-agents)
- [Make security](https://www.make.com/en/security)
- [n8n pricing](https://n8n.io/pricing/)
- [n8n AI Agent node docs](https://docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/cluster-nodes/root-nodes/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent/)
- [n8n: Introducing n8n Agents](https://blog.n8n.io/introducing-n8n-agents/)
- [n8n licence](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/n8n-io/n8n/master/LICENSE.md)
- [n8n security](https://n8n.io/legal/security/)
- [Lindy pricing](https://www.lindy.ai/pricing)
- [Lindy security](https://www.lindy.ai/security)
- [Gumloop pricing](https://www.gumloop.com/pricing)
- [Gumloop security](https://www.gumloop.com/solutions/security)
- [Relay.app](https://relay.app/)