Side by side
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of start | Easiest | Easy, more visual | Moderate; developer-friendly |
| Pricing model | Per task, tiered | Per operation, generally cheaper at volume | Cloud plans or self-host (infrastructure cost) |
| Self-hosting | No | No | Yes (fair-code licence) |
| Complex logic | Possible, can get costly | Strong visual routing | Strong: code nodes, branching, loops |
| AI and LLM steps | Built-in AI actions | AI modules and HTTP | AI nodes, agents, any API |
| Best for | Non-technical teams, quick wins | Ops teams with multi-step scenarios | Developers, agencies, data-sensitive or high-volume work |
Features and prices change often; verify on each vendor’s site.
How to choose
- Estimate monthly runs: thousands of tasks favour Make or self-hosted n8n.
- Decide whether data may leave your servers; if not, self-host n8n.
- Check that your key apps have ready-made connectors; otherwise use HTTP/webhooks.
- Decide who will maintain flows; no developer means start with Zapier or Make.
- Pilot one workflow on two tools and compare time and cost.
Our approach
We build most client automations in n8n for flexibility and cost, and use Zapier or Make when a client’s team needs to manage flows themselves. See our n8n service.
Automate your first process Free process review
Describe one repetitive process. We reply with a plan and a fixed price.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n really free?
The self-hosted community edition has no licence fee for many uses under its fair-code licence, but you pay for servers, maintenance and sometimes paid features. Read the licence for your use case.
Which is best for AI workflows?
All three can call AI models. n8n’s code nodes and self-hosting give the most control.
Can you migrate my Zaps?
Yes, we rebuild and test them on the platform that fits.
Get a free quote in 24 hours
Tell us what you need. We reply with scope, timeline and a fixed price.