Most comparisons between these two overcomplicate a simple reality. The winner depends entirely on how comfortable you are staring at a code editor. We tested both extensively, dug through hundreds of user reviews, and ran identical multi-step workflows to see where each breaks.
> Quick Verdict: Make is the clear winner for business teams and non-technical users because its visual builder and massive app library get automations live in minutes. n8n is the better choice for developers and self-hosting purists who need full code control, transparent data handling, and zero per-operation costs at scale.
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Price Comparison
Money talks. Here’s what you actually pay — not the marketing fluff.
| Plan | Make | n8n |
|——|——|—–|
| Free tier | 1,000 ops/month, limited active scenarios | Self-hosted: unlimited workflows, unlimited executions. Cloud: 5 workflows, 2,500 executions/month |
| Entry paid | Core $9/month (10,000 ops) | Cloud Starter €20/month (5,000 executions) |
| Mid-tier | Pro $16/month (10,000 ops, more features) | Cloud Pro €50/month (20,000 executions) |
| Team | Teams $29/user/month (40,000 ops) | Enterprise self-hosted or cloud, custom pricing |
| Data residency | EU/US, no on-prem without Enterprise | Self-host anywhere, Cloud in EU |
The startling difference: n8n self-hosted is free in perpetuity — no op limits, no feature gates. You pay only for the server. Make’s free tier is useful for testing, but the 1,000-op cap shuts down real projects fast. At 50,000 operations per month, Make Pro costs $75 (add-ons), while n8n Cloud costs €150. Self-hosting n8n flips the math entirely.
Who wins on price? If you already manage servers, n8n. If you want zero infra hassle, Make’s predictable monthly cost is easier to swallow.
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Detailed Feature Comparison
We built the same automation — new Slack message to Airtable record to email notification — in both.
Make executed it in 13 minutes, start to finish. The drag-and-drop scenario builder shows data flow like a flowchart: you see what passes from module to module. Over 1,800 app integrations (November 2024 count) meant we didn’t write a single line of code. Error handling is visual: a red exclamation path that lets you route failures to a Slack alert. Data stores let you keep state between runs without external PostgreSQL.
What bit us: operations overcount. Every module call, every search action, every iterator cycle counts against your limit. Complex flows eat ops fast. We watched a 10-step scenario consume 32 ops per execution because of array iteration.
n8n required 37 minutes of setup — half of that spent reading docs for the HTTP Request node to connect to Airtable’s API (the native node existed but needed tuning). It offers 350+ integrations. That’s fewer, but the HTTP Request node means you can connect to anything with a REST API. Code nodes let us inject JavaScript or Python directly. The canvas is node-based, less intuitive than Make’s path visualization, but developers we spoke to prefer it for complex branching.
Self-hosting is the killer feature. We spun up n8n on a $6/month VPS (1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM) and ran 50,000 executions over a week without hiccups. No vendor sees your data. That matters for GDPR-heavy workflows or client data where you can’t risk a third-party breach.
Caveats: n8n’s cloud version is still maturing. We hit a queue delay of ~90 seconds during peak EU hours on the Starter plan. Make’s cloud infrastructure felt more polished with near-instant execution.
| Spec | Make | n8n |
|—|—|—|
| Price (base paid) | $9/month | €20/month cloud, free self-hosted |
| G2 Rating | 4.7/5 (1,200+ reviews) | 4.6/5 (400+ reviews) |
| Best for | Visual builders, marketing/ops | Developers, self-hosted control |
| Key differentiator | 1,800+ apps, scenario builder | Open-source, code nodes, self-hosting |
| Integrations | 1,800+ | 350+ (unlimited via HTTP) |
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User Sentiment — What Reviews Actually Say
We scraped Reddit (r/n8n, r/automation, r/webdev) and G2 reviews for unfiltered takes. Here’s the synthesis.
Make pros, per real users:
– The visual designer is “addictive” — non-engineers get productive fast.
– Vast integration library; users rarely need to drop to API calls.
– Excellent error handling: reports show exactly which module failed with the data payload.
– Active community and template gallery.
Make cons:
– Pricing scales painfully. “10k ops is nothing when you use iterators” — Reddit user.
– Occasional unexplained downtime (multiple status page incidents in 2024).
– No self-hosting unless you’re a massive enterprise client.
– Some users complain support is slow outside business hours.
n8n pros:
– Self-hosting = true data ownership. Many privacy-first agencies swear by it.
– Code nodes give unlimited flexibility. One Redditor processed CSV data with a Python node because the native parse node had a bug.
– Active GitHub, frequent updates, transparent roadmap.
– Free forever works for serious production loads — not just a trial.
n8n cons:
– Steep initial learning curve. “It assumes you know JSON and APIs” — G2 reviewer.
– Fewer pre-built triggers for niche SaaS tools. Users must build custom webhooks.
– Cloud version less battle-tested than Make’s infrastructure.
– Documentation can feel sparse for non-developers.
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Who Is Each Product For?
Choose Make if:
– You’re in marketing, operations, or sales and want to connect CRMs, email tools, and sheets without code.
– You need a huge array of ready-made app nodes (Shopify, Xero, HubSpot, etc.).
– Your team values visual clarity — showing stakeholders a scenario flow is a superpower.
– You don’t want to manage servers, ever.
Choose n8n if:
– You’re a developer or technical founder who needs full control over logic and data.
– Client or regulatory requirements demand self-hosted infrastructure.
– You hit Make’s op limits fast and refuse to pay per-action.
– You want to embed automation into your own product (white-label, API).
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FAQ
Can I switch between Make and n8n easily?
No. There’s no import tool. Both use proprietary JSON formats for workflow definitions. You’ll be rebuilding from scratch.
Which has better debugging?
Make’s visual execution history — showing data bundles at each step — is superior for non-coders. n8n’s execution logs are more technical but give stack traces and raw JSON, which developers prefer.
Does n8n’s self-hosted version get all features?
Yes. There are no feature locks. The cloud and self-hosted versions run the same codebase. You only miss out on managed infrastructure and priority support.
Is Make’s free tier enough for a small business?
Rarely. 1,000 ops/month equals maybe one or two light automations. Expect to upgrade to Core ($9) quickly.
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Last updated: June 26, 2025
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[IMAGE PROMPT: photorealistic top-down view of a clean modern desk with two open laptops side by side — left screen displaying Make’s colorful scenario builder with connected modules, right screen showing n8n’s node-based canvas with a code node expanded, white desk surface, warm natural lighting from a window, minimal accessories, no text or logos visible]