Side-by-side comparison · Automation & Workflows
Make vs n8n
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.
At a glance
Pick it if: Marketers and operators who've outgrown simple automations and want to see what their workflows are doing.
Pick it if: Teams that want full control of their data and automations, or anyone building AI agents on a budget who doesn't mind getting a bit technical.
Overview
| Attribute | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Draw automations as a flowchart, with branches and loops, for less than Zapier charges. | Build automations and AI agents on a visual canvas, then host them yourself for free. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Open source |
| Starting price | From $9/mo | €20/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.5Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | No |
| Desktop app | No | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | ||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | ||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No |
| Writes code | No | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | – |
| Capabilities score | 9/ 17 | 10/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Learning the canvas and running a couple of light scenarios. | Community Edition Free (self-hosted) Anyone comfortable running software on a server. |
CoreOur pick From $9/mo billed yearly One person automating a small business. | StarterOur pick €20/mo billed yearly A small business that wants n8n hosted for them. | |
Pro From $16/mo billed yearly Anyone whose automations have become business-critical. | Pro €50/mo billed yearly Teams running several business-critical workflows. | |
Teams From $29/mo billed yearly A team sharing scenarios and connections. | Business €667/mo billed yearly Larger teams that need SSO and version control, self-hosted. | |
Enterprise Custom Companies that need SSO, audit logs and an uptime guarantee. | Enterprise Custom Companies that need an SLA and dedicated support. | |
| Which plan to pick | Core is enough for most small businesses, and 10,000 credits goes a long way when routers and error handlers are free. Move to Pro if a failed run costs you money and you want priority execution and better logs. | If you have anyone technical on hand, self-host the Community Edition on a small server and pay nothing. Otherwise Starter on the cloud is the right place to begin, and 2,500 executions covers a lot when each run of a long workflow counts as one. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Best for |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Make or n8n?
n8n scores highest overall in our ratings (Make 4.3/5 and n8n 4.5/5). Make is best for multi-step marketing workflows and branching logic and filters. n8n is best for AI agents that act on email or chat and self-hosted automation.
Which is cheaper, Make or n8n?
Make: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $9/mo. n8n: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at €20/mo.
Which is easier to use, Make or n8n?
Make rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Marketers and operators who've outgrown simple automations and want to see what their workflows are doing.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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