After building 50+ automation projects across all three platforms, I have strong opinions about when to use each one.
Here’s the honest breakdown—not a feature checklist, but practical guidance based on real implementations.
The Quick Answer
| Choose | If You Are… |
|---|---|
| Zapier | Non-technical, need quick wins, budget isn’t a concern |
| Make | Visual thinker, moderate complexity, want value for money |
| n8n | Technical, need full control, cost-conscious at scale |
But let’s go deeper.
Pricing: Where the Real Differences Show
This is where most comparisons fail. They show the pricing pages but not what it actually costs to run real workflows.
Zapier Pricing (2025)
- Free: 100 tasks/month
- Starter: $29.99/month for 750 tasks
- Professional: $73.50/month for 2,000 tasks
- Team: $103.50/month for 2,000 tasks + team features
The catch: Every action in a workflow counts as a task. A 5-step workflow triggered 100 times = 500 tasks.
Make Pricing
- Free: 1,000 operations/month
- Core: $10.59/month for 10,000 operations
- Pro: $18.82/month for 10,000 operations + features
Better value for complex workflows since operations are more granular.
n8n Pricing
- Self-hosted: Free (unlimited)
- Cloud Starter: $24/month for 2,500 executions
- Cloud Pro: $60/month for 10,000 executions
The winner: Self-hosted n8n. I run complex automations for clients at $5-15/month in server costs with unlimited executions.
Real Cost Comparison
For a workflow that processes 1,000 leads/month with 5 steps each:
| Platform | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Zapier | ~$200/month (Professional) |
| Make | ~$20/month (Core) |
| n8n Cloud | ~$24/month |
| n8n Self-hosted | ~$10/month |
At scale, this adds up fast.
Integration Count vs. Integration Quality
Zapier loves to brag about 6,500+ integrations. Here’s why that number is misleading:
What Actually Matters
- Zapier: 6,500+ apps, but many are shallow (basic triggers/actions only)
- Make: 2,000+ apps with deeper functionality per integration
- n8n: 400+ native + HTTP node for anything with an API
The HTTP node in n8n is the great equalizer. If a service has an API, you can connect it—no waiting for an official integration.
My Experience
In 80% of client projects, the apps needed are available on all three platforms. For the other 20%, n8n’s flexibility wins because I can build custom integrations.
Technical Flexibility
This is where the platforms truly diverge.
Zapier: The Guardrails Are Features
Zapier intentionally limits complexity. This is good if you want simplicity, bad if you need power:
- Limited conditional logic (Paths are basic)
- No loops or iterations (without workarounds)
- Cannot write custom code (only formatter functions)
- Single trigger per Zap
Make: The Middle Ground
Make offers visual power with reasonable flexibility:
- Complex routing and filters
- Array handling and iterations
- Basic scripting capability
- Multiple triggers possible
n8n: Developer-First
n8n assumes you might want to write code:
// Example: Custom lead scoring in n8n
const score = items.map(item => {
let points = 0;
if (item.json.company_size > 50) points += 20;
if (item.json.industry === 'SaaS') points += 15;
if (item.json.source === 'demo_request') points += 30;
return {
json: {
...item.json,
lead_score: points,
priority: points > 50 ? 'high' : 'normal'
}
};
});
return score;- Full JavaScript/Python support
- NPM packages available
- Self-hostable with custom nodes
- Complex data transformations native
Error Handling: The Unsexy Difference
Here’s something most comparisons skip: what happens when things break?
Zapier
- Basic retry logic
- Email notifications
- Limited debugging (can’t see intermediate data easily)
- No way to manually reprocess failed runs
Make
- Automatic retries with backoff
- Error routes (can build recovery logic)
- Better debugging with data inspection
- Can rerun failed scenarios
n8n
- Full error workflows (separate error handling paths)
- Manual execution for testing
- Complete data visibility at every node
- Can pause and resume workflows
- Self-healing patterns possible
For production workflows, error handling matters more than features.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Zapier If:
- You’re not technical and don’t want to be
- Speed matters more than cost (quick setup wins)
- Simple workflows only (under 5 steps)
- Enterprise compliance is required (SOC 2, etc.)
- You value support over flexibility
Best Zapier use case: Marketing team connecting HubSpot → Slack notifications.
Choose Make If:
- Visual thinking is your strength
- Moderate complexity workflows (10-20 steps)
- Budget-conscious but need more than Zapier
- Data transformation is important
- Team collaboration on workflows
Best Make use case: E-commerce order processing with conditional routing.
Choose n8n If:
- You’re technical or have developer resources
- Complex workflows with custom logic
- Cost at scale is a factor
- Self-hosting is preferred (data privacy)
- AI/LLM integrations are needed
- Custom integrations are likely
Best n8n use case: AI-powered lead processing with custom scoring and routing.
My Honest Recommendation
For most businesses starting out: Begin with Make. It’s the best balance of power, price, and usability.
For technical founders and agencies: Use n8n. The initial learning curve pays dividends in flexibility and cost savings.
For enterprise teams with compliance requirements: Zapier’s enterprise features and support justify the premium.
What I use: n8n for 90% of projects. The ability to write code when needed and self-host for cost savings makes it my go-to.
Migration Considerations
Already on one platform? Here’s the migration reality:
| From | To | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Zapier → Make | Easy (similar concepts) | |
| Zapier → n8n | Medium (need to learn nodes) | |
| Make → n8n | Easy (visual concepts transfer) | |
| n8n → Zapier | Hard (lose functionality) |
The Bottom Line
There’s no universally “best” platform. The right choice depends on:
- Your technical comfort level
- Workflow complexity
- Budget constraints
- Scale requirements
- Team capabilities
For automation consulting clients, I typically recommend:
- Zapier for quick wins under $50/month
- Make for growing teams with moderate needs
- n8n for anything AI-powered or high-volume
Need help choosing or migrating? Book a free consultation and I’ll recommend the right platform for your specific needs.