Make vs n8n 2026: Pricing, Features and Honest Comparison

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Make’s visual editor still embarrasses every other automation platform in 2026. n8n’s self-hosted option gives you something Make never will: zero per-operation anxiety. Both can replace Zapier. But they solve different headaches.

> Quick Verdict: Make is the clear winner for marketers and ops teams who need to build complex multi-step workflows quickly without touching code, because its scenario builder is unmatched and its template library is the largest in the industry. However, n8n is the better choice for developers, agencies, and privacy-conscious teams who need unlimited workflow runs, custom code nodes, and full data control through self-hosting.

Comparison Table

Price Comparison: Real Numbers

Make’s pricing has crept up but remains reasonable for SMBs. The Core plan costs $9/month (billed annually) for 10,000 operations and unlimited active scenarios. That’s enough for a single power user. The Pro plan at $16/month bumps ops to 20,000 and adds features like custom variables and priority execution. Teams costs $29/user/month, giving shared folders and advanced admin controls. Enterprise is custom-quoted. Operations in Make are counted per module execution; a single step in a scenario uses one op. It’s easy to blow through an ops quota if you’re processing row-by-row data.

n8n Cloud pricing is simpler but higher entry. Starter is €20/month (~$24) billed annually, giving 5,000 executions, 5 active workflows, and 3 users. Pro costs €50/month (~$60) for 10,000 executions, 15 active workflows. Enterprise starts at €300/month. Executions count workflow runs, not individual steps. So a 50-step workflow burns 1 execution, not 50. That’s dramatically cheaper for long automations. But the real value is self-hosted n8n, which is free on your own server, Docker, or Raspberry Pi. No ops limits, no user caps—just your hardware. You’ll need to manage uptime and security.

For a small business running 20,000 operations/month (Make’s Pro tier), n8n Cloud Pro at 10,000 executions could be tight or generous depending on workflow complexity. If each workflow runs 20 steps, n8n effectively delivers 200,000 “step-equivalents,” making it far cheaper operationally. However, Make’s 20,000 ops limit is step-by-step, so heavy data processing costs more. Bottom line: Make gets expensive fast with high-frequency automations. n8n’s self-hosted model is unbeatable for heavy users.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Visual Workflow Builder
Make’s scenario editor is a dopamine hit. You drop modules on a canvas, connect them with lines, and see data flow through each step with real-time debugging. It’s intuitive enough that a marketing manager can map out a “webhook → filter → email” chain in minutes. The error handling is visual too—you see exactly where a scenario broke.
n8n’s editor has improved massively in 2025, but it’s still a bit clunkier. It uses a node-based system similar to Make, but the UI feels more developer-oriented. There’s a learning curve for non-technical users trying to build conditional branching or error handlers. However, n8n lets you write custom JavaScript or Python directly in nodes. No modules? Code around it. That’s power Make can’t touch.

Integration Depth
Make boasts 2,100+ native integrations. Shopify, Airtable, Salesforce, OpenAI, deep platform connections that often include webhook triggers and multiple actions per app. n8n has around 400 nodes, but they’re well-maintained and community-contributed nodes can fill gaps. If an integration exists only in Make, that’s a hard stop for n8n. But n8n shines when you need to connect to internal databases (Postgres, MySQL, Redis) or run arbitrary API calls with custom headers—Make’s HTTP module can do this, but it’s less graceful.

Data Control & Privacy
This is the kill shot. n8n is open-source (Apache 2.0). You can deploy it on-prem, in your VPC, air-gapped. Data never leaves your infrastructure. For healthcare, finance, or European GDPR-sensitive operations, this matters. Make is cloud-only, with SOC 2 compliance and encrypted data at rest, but you’re trusting a third party. Self-hosting n8n also means unlimited workflow versions, no rate limits, and custom plugins. The trade-off: you’re the ops team now. Updates, backups, monitoring—all on you.

Collaboration & Enterprise Features
Make’s Teams and Enterprise tiers offer role-based access control, scenario versioning, audit logs, and shared templates. It’s battle-tested for mid-size companies. n8n’s cloud plans include team collaboration and RBAC on higher tiers, but the admin panel is less polished. Self-hosted n8n had no native multi-user support until recently—now it exists but requires config. For agency-style sharing, Make wins cleanly.

Support & Community
Make has 24/7 live chat on Pro+ plans, plus a massive community and deep documentation. n8n’s Discord server is active and the core team often jumps in, but official support is email-based for Cloud plans. The open-source community is passionate, but don’t expect a SLA at 3 AM unless you pay for Enterprise.

User Sentiment: What Reddit, G2, and Forums Actually Say

Make (formerly Integromat)
Loved for: the visual debugger. Reddit’s r/automation and r/nocode consistently rank it above Zapier for complex logic. Users praise the error-handling capabilities and “make sense out of chaos” moment when they see data moving through nodes. G2 reviewers highlight: “Steep initial learning curve, but once you get it, it’s magic.”
Gripes: Operations pricing makes people anxious. One wrong filter can burn hundreds of ops. Users complain about the per-module billing on huge CSV processing. Also, the mobile app is read-only, no scenario building.

n8n
Reddit loves n8n’s self-hosting freedom. Threads in r/selfhosted are evangelical. Developers mention how they replaced Make/Zapier overnight and saved hundreds per month. G2 reviews note: “Not for non-technical users—my head of marketing gave up after 20 minutes.” The community nodes are a double-edged sword: some break on updates. But for heavy API work, n8n is the clear favorite. The ability to switch between cloud and self-hosted without lock-in earns trust.

Consistency: n8n users rarely go back to Make, unless they hit an integration wall. Make users rarely consider self-hosting because they don’t want the server headache.

Who Is Each Product For?

Choose Make if:
– You’re a marketer, ops manager, or founder who wants visual clarity without touching code.
– You rely on 50+ SaaS tools that Make integrates with natively.
– You need pre-built templates for common workflows (sales-nurture, lead enrichment).
– Your team needs shared scenarios with version control and access roles out of the box.
– You value having a support number to call.

Choose n8n if:
– You’re a developer, technical founder, or IT admin who can configure Docker and YAML.
– Data sovereignty is a non-negotiable requirement.
– You burn through 50,000+ operations a month and Make’s pricing gives you heartburn.
– You need to stitch together internal tools (databases, legacy APIs) with no limits.
– You want to embed automation inside your own product (white label possible with n8n).

The crossover: agencies managing client automations often use both—Make for non-technical clients (hand off the scenario), n8n for their own internal pipelines. It’s not always either-or.

FAQ

Can I migrate from Make to n8n easily?
Not really. Workflow logic and node configurations don’t transfer. You’ll rebuild manually. For simple automations, it’s fast. Complex 40-step scenarios will take a weekend.

Is n8n free forever?
Yes, the self-hosted Community Edition is free and open-source, with no restrictions on workflows or executions. Cloud has a free tier (2,500 executions/month). For serious use, Cloud Starter starts at $24/month.

Does Make support on-premise deployment?
No. Make is cloud-only. There is no self-hosted version and no plans to release one.

Which handles errors better?
Make’s visual error routing and dedicated error handlers per module make it superior for building resilient automations without custom code. n8n can do the same but requires more manual configuration of error triggers.

Where to Buy

Make offers a free tier directly on their site. Paid plans start at $9/month.
Check Price on Amazon – note: Make is a SaaS platform, not a physical product; the link is a placeholder for informational purposes. Sign up at make.com.

n8n offers self-hosting for free at n8n.io. Cloud plans start at $24/month.
Check Price on Amazon – similarly, software only. Visit n8n.io for cloud or download.

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[IMAGE PROMPT: photorealistic top-down desk setup featuring a laptop screen displaying Make’s colorful scenario builder on one side and n8n’s node editor on the other, clean modern desk, natural lighting, minimalist aesthetic, no text or logos]

Last updated: March 21, 2026