Make vs n8n
An honest side-by-side — what each is best for, and what it isn't.
The short verdict
Choose Make if you want Business users building multi-app automations with AI in the mix. — it's freemium and moderate to set up. Choose n8n if you need Developers and technical teams who want automation with data control and self-hosting. instead. Skip Make if you want zero setup / pure chat..
| Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Business users building multi-app automations with AI in the mix. | Developers and technical teams who want automation with data control and self-hosting. |
| Not best for | Those wanting a fully autonomous single agent vs. workflows. | Beginners who want a polished one-click cloud assistant with zero setup. |
| Pricing | Freemium | Open source |
| Setup | Moderate | Technical |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | cloud | cloud, your computer, a VPS / self-host |
Make vs n8n: common questions
Is Make better than n8n?
Neither is universally better — it depends on your use case. Make is best for Business users building multi-app automations with AI in the mix., while n8n is best for Developers and technical teams who want automation with data control and self-hosting.. The breakdown above compares them on pricing, setup, models, connectors, and where they run.
Make vs n8n: which is cheaper?
Make is Freemium and offers a free tier. n8n is Open source and offers a free tier. Your real cost depends on usage — check each agent's profile for current pricing.
What is the easiest to set up, Make or n8n?
Make is rated "Moderate" to set up and runs on cloud. n8n is rated "Technical" and runs on cloud, your computer, a VPS / self-host.
Compare with other agents
| Make Make | n8n n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Business users building multi-app automations with AI in the mix. | Developers and technical teams who want automation with data control and self-hosting. |
| Not best for | Those wanting a fully autonomous single agent vs. workflows. | Beginners who want a polished one-click cloud assistant with zero setup. |
| Category | Workflow Automation | Workflow Automation |
| Pricing | Freemium | Open source |
| Setup | Moderate | Technical |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Semi-autonomous |
| Best user | Business, Developer | Developer, Business |
| Runs where | Cloud | Cloud, Local, VPS/self-host |
| Models | OpenAI / ChatGPT, Claude | Multi-model, Ollama, Claude, OpenAI / ChatGPT |
| Connectors | Gmail, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Salesforce, Airtable | Notion, GitHub, Slack, Gmail |
| Open source | ||
| Self-hosted | ||
| API available | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Don't use if | You want zero setup / pure chat. | You are non-technical and do not want to manage any hosting. |