Zapier vs n8n vs Make.com: Comparison Guide

Automation tools have become essential for businesses looking to streamline workflows, reduce manual tasks, and connect disparate systems. Among the leading platforms, Zapier, n8n, and Make.com (formerly Integromat) stand out as powerful options, each with distinct approaches to workflow automation.

This Zapier vs n8n vs Make.com comparison examines these three platforms across critical dimensions including pricing models, workflow capabilities, developer experience, and enterprise readiness. Whether you’re a small business owner, a developer, or an enterprise decision-maker, this comparison will help you select the right workflow automation tool for your specific needs.

Key Differences

Before diving into detailed comparisons, here’s a quick overview of how these platforms differ in fundamental ways:

	Zapier	n8n	Make.com
Pricing Model	Per task	Per workflow execution	Per operation
Pre-built Integrations	6,000+	1,000+	1,500+
Self-hosting	No	Yes (open-source and free)	No
Workflow Complexity	Basic linear flows	Advanced branching & merging	Complex scenarios
Coding Capabilities	Limited JS/Python	Full JS/Python + npm packages	Limited built-in functions
Error Handling	Basic	Advanced with dedicated workflows	Robust with multiple options
Free Plan	100 limited tasks/month	Self-hosted (unlimited tasks and executions)	1,000 limited ops/month
Price	$29.99/month for the Starter plan	Starter plan starting at €20/month	$9.99/month for the Core plan
Website	www.zapier.com	www.n8n.io	www.make.com

1. Workflow Building Experience

The interface and workflow building capabilities determine how quickly you can create automations and how complex they can become.

Zapier

• Strengths: Extremely user-friendly, perfect for beginners
• Limitations: Linear workflows with basic branching via “Paths”
• Best for: Simple automations with 2-3 steps
• Visualization: Basic linear view

n8n

• Strengths: Node-based visual builder with advanced data flow control
• Unique features: Multiple triggers, complex branching, merging data streams
• Best for: Technical teams building complex workflows
• Visualization: Complete workflow overview with data inspection

Make.com

• Strengths: Visual scenario builder with robust routing options
• Unique features: Iterators, aggregators, and router modules
• Best for: Advanced users who need visual data flow
• Visualization: Shows actual data flowing through scenarios

Your choice here should align with your team’s technical expertise and the complexity of the workflows you need to build. Zapier excels at simplicity, Make.com offers powerful visual tools, and n8n provides the most flexibility for complex scenarios.

2. Pricing Breakdown: What You’re Actually Paying For

Understanding the pricing models is crucial as they directly impact what you can build and how much it will cost as your automation needs grow.

Zapier

• Paid plans: Start from $29.99 per month and includes 750 tasks
• Charges per task: Each action in your workflow processing a data item counts as one task
• Example: Processing 10 emails with 2 actions = 20 tasks
• Hidden costs: Complex workflows burn through task limits quickly
• Free tier: 100 tasks/month with limited features

n8n

• Paid plans: Start from €20 per month for 2.5k workflow executions with unlimited steps
• Charges per workflow execution: Unlimited operations within each workflow run
• Example: Processing 10 emails with 10 actions each = just 10 executions
• Cost efficiency: Can be 1000× cheaper for data-heavy workflows
• Free option: Self-host with no execution limits. Learn how to self-host n8n on Hostinger.

Make.com

• Paid plans: Start from $9.99 per month and includes 10k ops
• Charges per operation: Each module action counts as one operation
• Example: Processing 10 emails with 2 actions = 20 operations
• Middle ground: More affordable than Zapier for complex workflows
• Free tier: 1,000 operations/month

The pricing model you choose can dramatically affect your total cost, especially as automation usage grows.

For data-intensive workflows, n8n’s execution-based pricing offers the best value for money, while simpler automations might be adequately served by any of the three platforms.

3. Developer Experience

For teams with technical capabilities, the coding features and extensibility options can be decisive factors.

Zapier

• Code Steps: JavaScript and Python with strict limitations
  • 250 item output limit
  • 30-second execution cap
  • 6MB data processing limit
  • No external libraries
• API Access: Limited to Enterprise plan

n8n

• Code Nodes: Full JavaScript and Python support
  • Install npm packages (self-hosted)
  • Access filesystem and make HTTP requests
  • No arbitrary limits on execution
• Expressions: JavaScript snippets throughout workflow
• Custom Nodes: Build your own integrations
• API: Full access on all plans

Make.com

• Functions: Built-in functions with non-standard syntax
• Custom JS: Only on Enterprise plan with strict limitations
  • 300ms execution time cap
  • 5000 character limit
  • No HTTP requests
• Workarounds: Requires external services for custom code

The developer experience varies dramatically between platforms. If your team includes developers who need to extend automation capabilities, n8n offers significantly more flexibility, while Zapier and Make.com impose more constraints on custom code.

4. Enterprise Readiness

For larger organizations, security, user management, and deployment options are critical considerations.

Zapier

• Team features: Available on Team plan ($599/month)
• User management: Basic roles and permissions
• Security: SOC 2 compliance, limited audit logs
• Deployment: Cloud-only

n8n

• Enterprise plan: Advanced security and unlimited workflows
• Unique features:
  • External secrets vault integration
  • Role-based access control
  • Git-based version control
  • Multiple environment support (dev/staging/prod)
  • Queue mode for distributed execution
• Deployment: Self-hosted, cloud, or Kubernetes

Make.com

• Organization accounts: Unlimited users from the start
• Team features: Available from Team plan
• Security: Two-level role system
• API: Programmatic control over organization
• Deployment: Cloud-only

Enterprise requirements often include self-hosting options, advanced security, and robust user management. n8n stands out with its flexible deployment options and enterprise-grade features, while Make.com and Zapier are limited to cloud deployments with varying levels of team management capabilities.

5. AI Capabilities

As AI becomes increasingly important for automation, each platform offers different levels of AI integration and capabilities.

Zapier

• AI building tools: AI-powered Zap builder, Formatter with AI
• AI features: Chatbots (beta), AI fields in Tables
• Limitations: Not designed for building LLM applications

n8n

• AI agents integration: 70+ dedicated nodes for AI workflows
• AI application types:
  • LLM chatbots with memory
  • RAG workflows with vector databases
  • AI agents with custom tools
  • Document processing pipelines
• Model support: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Ollama, Mistral, HuggingFace, self-hosted

Make.com

• AI integrations: OpenAI, Google Cloud Vision, Eleven Labs
• AI Assistant: Helps build scenarios from natural language
• Limitations: Not designed for building LLM applications

If building AI-powered applications is part of your automation strategy, n8n offers the most comprehensive AI capabilities. While all three platforms can connect to AI models like OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter etc, only n8n is designed for building complete AI applications within the platform.

6. Which Automation Tool Should You Choose?

Based on the detailed comparisons above, here are recommendations for different use cases and requirements:

Choose Zapier if:

• You’re new to automation and want the easiest start
• You need simple workflows with popular apps
• Your automation needs are basic with low data volume
• Budget isn’t your primary concern

Choose n8n if:

• You need advanced workflows with complex logic
• You want cost-effective processing of large data volumes
• Your team has technical skills or developers
• You require self-hosting or enterprise features
• You’re building AI-powered applications

Choose Make.com if:

• You want a balance of power and usability
• You need visual data flow for complex scenarios
• You’re looking for more affordable Zapier alternative
• You don’t need self-hosting options

7. Migration Considerations

If you’re considering switching between platforms, here are some important considerations:

Moving from Zapier to n8n:

• No one-click migration tool available
• Most Zaps can be recreated with similar nodes
• AI agents and LangChain can replace Zapier Chatbots
• No direct equivalent for Zapier Tables or Interfaces

Moving from Make.com to n8n:

• Similar node-based interface makes transition easier
• Most Make functions have JavaScript expression equivalents
• HTTP node can replace custom integrations
• Community forum provides migration assistance

8. Personal Recommendations

After thoroughly analyzing these three platforms, I believe n8n stands out as the superior automation workflow tool for most organizations with anything beyond basic automation needs. Here’s why:

1. Unmatched cost efficiency: n8n’s per-workflow execution pricing model delivers exponential savings as your automation complexity grows. For data-intensive workflows, the cost difference can be 10-100x compared to Zapier.
2. Technical flexibility without compromise: While Zapier and Make.com impose severe limitations on custom code, n8n provides full JavaScript/Python support with access to npm packages and no arbitrary execution limits.
3. Future-proof architecture: The ability to self-host, deploy on Kubernetes, or use n8n’s cloud offering provides unparalleled flexibility as your organization’s needs evolve.
4. Enterprise-grade without enterprise pricing: Features like role-based access control, Git integration, and multiple environments are typically reserved for expensive enterprise plans on other platforms.
5. AI-ready infrastructure: If your automation strategy includes AI components, n8n’s AI Agents integration provides a comprehensive toolkit for building sophisticated AI applications.

For non-technical users with simple automation needs, Zapier remains a valid choice due to its ease of use. Make.com offers a middle ground but ultimately lacks the technical depth of n8n and the simplicity of Zapier.

Organizations often start with Zapier for its simplicity but eventually hit limitations with complex workflows or growing costs. n8n provides a more sustainable long-term solution that scales with your automation maturity.

Final Verdict

Automation platforms like Zapier, n8n, and Make.com are transforming how businesses operate by connecting systems and automating repetitive tasks. While they share the same fundamental purpose, they differ significantly in their approach, capabilities, and pricing models.

While all three platforms serve the automation market, they target different user segments:

• Zapier: The mainstream option with the lowest barrier to entry but highest long-term costs
• n8n: The power-user choice with maximum flexibility, developer-friendliness, and cost efficiency
• Make.com: The middle-ground offering better value than Zapier with more visual tools than n8n

As your automation needs evolve, the right platform may change. Many organizations start with simpler tools like Zapier and graduate to more powerful platforms like n8n as their requirements grow more complex. Whatever your choice, investing in automation will continue to deliver significant returns in efficiency and operational excellence.