n8n vs Make is the close head-to-head in mid-tier workflow automation, and the choice is more taste than category. n8n is open-source, developer-leaning, and increasingly AI-native with native LangChain nodes. Make (formerly Integromat) is visual-first, polished, and great at complex branching scenarios. Both are dramatically cheaper than Zapier at volume. Picking between them is mostly about how technical your ops team is.
Where n8n wins
Open source and self-hostable. n8n’s code is on GitHub and you can run it on your own infra. Make is closed and cloud-only. For compliance-heavy teams, this matters.
Code nodes and developer flexibility. Native JavaScript and Python nodes, custom HTTP requests, and a flexible workflow primitive that bends to weird requirements.
AI and LLM integrations. n8n shipped LangChain-style nodes early and has been pushing AI workflows aggressively. Make has AI features but less depth.
Where Make wins
Visual workflow builder. Make’s scenario editor is genuinely more polished than n8n’s canvas. For complex branching with iterators and aggregators, Make is a better visual experience.
Operations module maturity. Routers, iterators, aggregators, and error handlers in Make are battle-tested in ways n8n is still maturing on.
Pricing for low-medium volume. Make’s operations-based pricing can be cheaper than n8n Cloud for medium-volume workflows that don’t warrant self-hosting.
When to use both / Pricing reality
You generally don’t run both — they’re substitutes. Pricing: n8n Cloud Starter is 24 USD per month with 2,500 executions; Pro is 60 USD with 10K. Self-hosted is free. Make Core is 10.59 USD per month with 10K operations. Both are 5x to 50x cheaper than Zapier at scale.
Verdict
Pick n8n if you have a developer in the loop, you want self-hosting, or you’re building AI-native workflows.
Pick Make if your team is visual-first, your workflows are complex but no-code, and you don’t need self-hosting.
Use both rarely — pick one and standardize.
The single mistake to avoid: picking based on a single complex scenario you’ve prototyped. The right tool is the one your ops team will operate for two years, not the one that wins one demo.
n8n vs Make is the close head-to-head in mid-tier workflow automation, and the choice is more taste than category. n8n is open-source, developer-leaning, and increasingly AI-native with native LangChain nodes. Make (formerly Integromat) is visual-first, polished, and great at complex branching scenarios. Both are dramatically cheaper than Zapier at volume. Picking between them is mostly about how technical your ops team is.
Where n8n wins
Where Make wins
When to use both / Pricing reality
You generally don’t run both — they’re substitutes. Pricing: n8n Cloud Starter is 24 USD per month with 2,500 executions; Pro is 60 USD with 10K. Self-hosted is free. Make Core is 10.59 USD per month with 10K operations. Both are 5x to 50x cheaper than Zapier at scale.
Verdict
The single mistake to avoid: picking based on a single complex scenario you’ve prototyped. The right tool is the one your ops team will operate for two years, not the one that wins one demo.