n8n vs Make
The two visual automation canvases people graduate to after Zapier. One is a polished hosted service priced by operations; the other is source-available and self-hostable. We run n8n in production — here is the honest comparison.
Source-available, self-hostable workflow automation
Visual automation, hosted and polished
Our honest call, even the part we don't sell.
Make and n8n solve the same problem with the same visual-canvas idea, so the decision usually comes down to two axes: hosting and AI. If you want a polished, hosted tool with granular pricing and you are automating standard SaaS operations, Make is excellent and often cheaper than Zapier for the same work. If you want to self-host, write real code inside workflows, or build LLM and agent pipelines, n8n is the stronger platform and the one we run. Teams doing serious AI automation almost always end up on n8n.
Bias disclosure: We self-host n8n for our own automations and client AI workflows, so we lean n8n. Make is a genuinely good product — the cases where we would point you at it are listed honestly below.
The tradeoffs, laid bare.
| Dimension | n8n | Make |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Technical teams, AI/LLM workflows | Ops teams automating SaaS visually |
| Hosting | Self-host (Docker) or n8n cloud | Hosted only |
| Pricing model | Free self-hosted; cloud by executions | Per operation (every module run counts) |
| AI & agent support | First-class: agents, chains, memory, vector stores | AI modules exist; agent tooling is thinner |
| Custom code | Full JavaScript code nodes | Functions and snippets, more constrained |
| Visual builder | Node canvas, developer-flavored | Arguably the prettiest canvas in the category |
| Integrations | Hundreds of nodes + HTTP node | Very large app catalog |
| Data control | Your infra, your region, your logs | Data transits Make’s cloud (EU-based company) |
| Error handling | Retries, error workflows, full execution logs | Error handlers per module, execution history |
Source-available, self-hostable workflow automation
- 01Self-hosting or data residency is a requirement, not a preference
- 02AI agents, LLM chains, and vector stores are the point of the build
- 03You want to drop into JavaScript when the visual nodes run out
- 04You would rather run a container than pay per operation forever
You own the ops of your instance, and the node catalog is smaller than Make’s app list — the HTTP node fills the gaps but takes more work.
Visual automation, hosted and polished
- 01You want a hosted tool with no infrastructure to run
- 02The visual builder will be used by ops folks, not developers
- 03Your automations are SaaS-to-SaaS operations at moderate volume
- 04Per-operation pricing at your scale beats maintaining a server
Operations-based pricing punishes chatty workflows (every module run counts), there is no self-hosting, and complex custom logic means fighting the platform instead of writing code.
The parts that actually decide it.
Same idea, different owners
Make (formerly Integromat) and n8n both replaced Zapier’s wizard with a canvas: modules wired into flows, with branching and iteration as first-class citizens. For classic SaaS automation the two are closer than either community admits.
The structural difference is ownership. Make is a hosted commercial product — you rent it. n8n is source-available — you can rent the cloud tier, or run the whole platform yourself and owe nobody a per-operation fee.
Pricing: operations add up
Make counts every module execution as an operation, and plans are priced by operations per month. A workflow with ten modules that runs on a thousand records burns ten thousand operations — chatty, data-heavy workflows get expensive in a way that surprises teams.
Self-hosted n8n makes that entire class of anxiety disappear: the same workflow costs the same server whether it runs ten times or ten thousand. That is the single most common reason we see teams migrate.
AI workflows: n8n’s home turf
If the automation you are planning involves LLMs deciding things — agents with tools, retrieval over your documents, multi-step reasoning — n8n is the platform that treats those as native citizens. Agent nodes, model flexibility, memory, and vector stores compose on the same canvas as your Slack and CRM nodes.
Make has AI modules and keeps adding them, but the ecosystem, templates, and community knowledge for agent-style workflows have consolidated around n8n. Every AI-automation build we have shipped in the last year has been n8n or custom code.
When neither is the answer
Both platforms are glue. When the workflow becomes the product — customer-facing, revenue-bearing, needing auth, observability, and graceful failure — glue is the wrong material. That is when we rebuild the critical path as a proper service and keep the workflow tool for the low-stakes edges.
If you are sketching an AI workflow and wondering which side of that line you are on, that is exactly the conversation our AI services page is for.
Proof, not promises.
Common questions.
Is n8n better than Make?
For AI/LLM workflows, custom code, and self-hosted data — yes. For hosted, visual SaaS automation run by non-developers, Make is at least as good and requires no infrastructure. Decide on the hosting-and-AI axes, not on feature checklists.
Is n8n cheaper than Make?
Self-hosted, almost always — you pay for a small server regardless of volume, where Make bills every module run. Comparing n8n cloud to Make is closer and depends on your workflow shapes; high-volume, many-step flows favor n8n’s execution-based pricing.
Can Make build AI agents?
It has AI modules and simple agent features, and for "enrich this record with an LLM call" it is fine. For agents with tools, memory, and loops, n8n’s dedicated agent tooling is meaningfully ahead — and production customer-facing agents usually deserve custom code.
Should I migrate from Make to n8n?
Migrate when one of three things happens: operations pricing starts to hurt, a client or regulator asks where the data lives, or your workflows grow AI-shaped. If none of those apply, staying on Make is a perfectly good decision.
Not sure which is right for your build?
Tell us what you're building and we'll give you a straight answer, even the one we don't sell.