The thing that separates n8n, Zapier, and Make isn't features or polish — it's the billing unit. So I wrote 60 lines of Python to find out where the unit actually bites. I run the entire content pipeline for a small publication on self-hosted n8n: 10 production workflows, around 209 nodes, on a single cloud box. The most-asked question I get about that setup isn't "why n8n" — it's "wouldn't Zapier have been easier?" Easier, yes.