I have been in the automation game for over 6 years, working with all kinds of workflows price monitoring, stock adjustments, inventory management, invoice generation you name it.
Recently, I took a deep dive into 
Zapier and 
n8n and while they are impressive tools, I can’t help but feel like people are getting oversold. Zapier’s pricing, for example, is insane for what it offers. Basic automations that can be handled with a simple Python script hosted on a $10 VPS are costing people hundreds of dollars a year in platform fees.
Like some automations such as regular price monitoring from a supplier’s site, stock adjustments based on inventory changes, automated invoice generation and emailing
All of these can be done with a lightweight Python script and a cheap VPS. Lifetime cost? Less than a single yearly plan on Zapier for 10k–20k runs.
Of course, Zapier and n8n shine when you need massive cross platform integration with complex workflows no argument there. But for small to medium automation? It’s overkill and expensive.
Next time someone suggests Zapier or n8n, ask a Python or JavaScript developer if it really needs that or if you’re just paying for convenience. You might be surprised at the savings.