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