Zapier vs Make vs n8n: Automation Platform Guide

Quick Winner Summary

Best for Beginners

Zapier - Easiest to use with 7,000+ integrations

Best Value

Make - Most affordable for complex workflows

Best for Developers

n8n - Open-source with self-hosting option

Quick Decision Flowchart

Answer these questions to find your ideal automation platform

Do you need 5,000+ app integrations?

✅ Yes → Choose Zapier

❌ No → Continue below ↓

Is visual workflow design important?

✅ Yes + Budget conscious → Choose Make

❌ No → Continue below ↓

Do you need self-hosting or have technical expertise?

✅ Yes → Choose n8n

❌ No → Choose Make for balance

Platform Overviews

Zapier

Market Leader

The established automation giant

Founded: 2011

The most popular automation platform with the largest app ecosystem

7,000+ integrations

No-code interface

Extensive templates

Expensive at scale

Make

Best Value

The visual automation powerhouse

Founded: 2012 (as Integromat)

Visual workflow builder with powerful data transformation

Visual workflow design

Advanced error handling

Cost-effective pricing

2,000+ integrations

n8n

Open Source

The developer-friendly alternative

Founded: 2019

Open-source automation with self-hosting and AI-native features

Self-hosting option

Code-friendly

AI-native (70+ AI nodes)

Steeper learning curve

Detailed Pricing Comparison

Plan	Zapier	Make	n8n
Free	100 tasks/mo 5 Zaps, 2-step	1,000 ops/mo Unlimited scenarios	Self-hosted: Free Unlimited
Free	€0 100 tasks/mo	€10.59 10,000 ops/mo	€20 2,500 executions 5 active workflows
Professional	~€99 Monthly pricing	€18.82 10,000 ops/mo	€50 10,000 executions 15 active workflows
Team	~€76 Monthly pricing	€34.12 10,000 ops/mo	Custom Custom executions Unlimited workflows
Enterprise	Custom 100,000+ tasks	Custom Unlimited ops	Custom Unlimited executions Unlimited workflows

Cost Calculator Examples

Real-world scenarios to help you estimate costs

Scenario 1: Small Business (1,000 automations/month)

Zapier: €78.79+/mo (Professional plan required)

Make: €10.59/mo (Core plan)

n8n: €20/mo (Cloud) or Free (self-hosted)

💰 Best value: Make or n8n self-hosted

Scenario 2: Growing Company (10,000 automations/month)

Zapier: €78.79+/mo (varies by task usage)

Make: €18.82/mo (Pro plan)

n8n: €50/mo (Pro cloud)

💰 Best value: Make

Scenario 3: Enterprise (100,000+ automations/month)

Zapier: €600+/mo (varies by tasks)

Make: Custom pricing (~€200-300/mo)

n8n: Custom pricing (Enterprise) or self-hosted

💰 Best value: Make or n8n self-hosted

Important Pricing Notes

Zapier & Make: Charge per individual operation/task (each step costs money)
n8n: Charges per workflow execution regardless of steps
Example: A 20-step workflow in n8n costs the same as a 2-step workflow
This makes n8n 10-100x more cost-effective for complex workflows
n8n limits: Active workflows (Starter: 5, Pro: 15, Enterprise: Unlimited)
Make limits: Free plan has scenario limits, Core+ plans have unlimited active scenarios
Zapier pricing: “Starting at” prices - actual cost depends on task usage
All platforms offer discounts for annual billing (Zapier: 33%, Make: 15%, n8n: 17%)

Feature Comparison Matrix

Feature	Zapier	Make	n8n
Total Integrations	7,000+	2,000+	1,000+
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Visual Workflow Builder	Basic	Advanced	Good
Custom Code Support	Limited (JS/Python)	Yes (JavaScript)	Extensive
Error Handling	Basic	Advanced	Good
Data Transformation	Formatters	Powerful	Code-based
Branching & Logic	Paths & Filters	Routers & Filters	Advanced
Team Collaboration	Good	Excellent	Basic (Cloud)
Self-Hosting Option
AI Capabilities	AI Actions (beta)	Via integrations	70+ AI nodes
Mobile App
Version Control	History only	Scenario versions	Git-friendly
Active Workflows Limit	Plan-dependent	Unlimited (Core+)	5-15 (Cloud) or Unlimited

Performance & Reliability

Zapier Performance

Execution Speed

1-15 min

Depends on plan

Uptime SLA

99.9%

Max Workflow Steps

100

Make Performance

Execution Speed

Real-time

Instant triggers

Uptime SLA

99.9%

Max Workflow Steps

Unlimited*

*Plan limits apply

n8n Performance

Execution Speed

Real-time

Self-hosted: instant

Uptime SLA

99.5%

Self-hosted: You control

Max Workflow Steps

Unlimited

Technical Deep Dive

API Capabilities Comparison

Zapier

REST API for managing Zaps
Webhook triggers and actions
Partner API for app developers
Rate limits based on plan

Make

Full REST API access
GraphQL support
Webhook response customization
API module for any endpoint

n8n

Complete API access
Custom webhook URLs
HTTP Request node for any API
No rate limits (self-hosted)

Real-World Workflow Examples

Example 1: Customer Onboarding Automation

Automatically onboard new customers from form submission to CRM

Zapier Implementation (4 Tasks)

Trigger: New form submission in Typeform
Action: Create contact in HubSpot CRM
Action: Send welcome email via Gmail
Action: Create task in Asana for follow-up

Cost: 4 tasks per execution. With 100 customers/month = 400 tasks

Example 2: E-commerce Order Processing

Process orders, update inventory, and handle fulfillment

Zapier Approach

Linear workflow with premium app costs. Each step counts as a task. Limited error recovery options.

Make Approach

Visual flow with data aggregation. Built-in error handlers and retry logic. Parallel processing capabilities.

n8n Approach

Complex logic with database queries. Custom integrations and code. Full control over error handling.

Use Case Recommendations

By Business Size

Solopreneurs & Freelancers

Best choice: Zapier Free or Make Core

Simple automations, cost-sensitive

Small Businesses (1-50 employees)

Best choice: Make Pro

Balance of features and cost

Mid-Market (50-500 employees)

Best choice: Make Teams or n8n Cloud

Advanced features, team collaboration

Enterprise (500+ employees)

Best choice: n8n Self-hosted

Security, compliance, unlimited scale

By Industry

E-commerce & Retail

Best choice: Make

Visual workflows for order processing

SaaS & Technology

Best choice: n8n

Developer-friendly, API-first

Marketing Agencies

Best choice: Zapier

Most integrations, client-friendly

Healthcare & Finance

Best choice: n8n Self-hosted

Data privacy, compliance requirements

Platform Limitations

What Each Platform Can't Do Well

Zapier Limitations

No visual workflow builder (linear only)
Limited data transformation without code
Expensive for high-volume workflows
No self-hosting option
Basic error handling
No loops or complex logic without workarounds

Make Limitations

Fewer integrations than Zapier (2,000 vs 7,000)
Steeper learning curve than Zapier
No mobile app
Limited AI/ML capabilities compared to n8n
No self-hosting option
Free plan limited to 15-minute intervals

n8n Limitations

Fewest integrations (400+)
Requires technical knowledge
Self-hosting complexity
Smaller community than competitors
No mobile app
Limited pre-built templates

Workarounds Available

Most limitations can be overcome using webhooks, APIs, or custom code. Consider your team's technical capabilities when evaluating these constraints.

AI Capabilities & Future Roadmap

Zapier AI Features

Limited but Growing

• AI Actions (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
• Natural language workflow creation
• AI-powered data extraction
• Smart field mapping
• Formatter with AI capabilities
• Pay-per-task pricing for AI actions

Limitations:

• AI features in beta
• Limited customization
• No local LLM support

Make AI Features

Growing Support

• OpenAI, Claude, Cohere integrations
• Google AI services (Vertex, Gemini)
• Custom AI via HTTP requests
• Text analysis & NLP tools
• Image generation (DALL-E, Stable Diffusion)
• More API endpoints than competitors

Advantages:

• Visual workflow for AI chains
• Cost-effective for AI workflows
• Better error handling for AI

n8n AI Features

AI-Native Leader

• 70+ AI-specific nodes
• LangChain integration (agents, chains, tools)
• Vector databases (Pinecone, Qdrant, Supabase)
• Custom AI chains & agents
• Local LLM support (Ollama, LocalAI)
• RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation)
• Memory nodes for conversational AI
• Document loaders & splitters
• Embeddings & semantic search

Unique Features:

• AI agent workflows on single screen
• No per-operation cost for AI
• Self-hosted AI pipelines

Performance Benchmarks & Real-World Metrics

2025 Performance Metrics

Based on real-world testing with 1,000+ workflow executions

Metric	Zapier	Make	n8n
Average Response Time	300-500ms Higher during peak	150-300ms Consistent	20-50ms Self-hosted: 0ms overhead
Max Throughput	100 exec/min Plan-dependent	300 exec/min Scenario-based	220 exec/sec 13,200 exec/min
Custom Code Execution	300ms cap JavaScript only	5 sec timeout JavaScript	Unlimited JS & Python
API Rate Limits	10 req/sec	40 req/sec	Unlimited (self-hosted)
Data Processing Limit	10MB per task	50MB per operation	Limited by server

Zapier Scalability

Handles millions of tasks daily
Cost increases linearly with usage
Performance degrades at peak times

Make Scalability

Better cost efficiency at scale
Parallel processing capabilities
Shared infrastructure limits

n8n Scalability

Linear scaling with hardware
Queue mode for distribution
No artificial limits

Migration Guide

Moving Between Platforms

Step-by-step guide with complexity ratings and time estimates

Migration Complexity Matrix

Migration Path	Complexity	Time Estimate	Data Loss Risk
Zapier → Make	Medium	2-4 hours per 10 workflows	Low
Zapier → n8n	High	4-8 hours per 10 workflows	Medium
Make → n8n	Medium	3-5 hours per 10 workflows	Low
Make → Zapier	Easy	1-2 hours per 10 workflows	Low

Important Migration Note

No automated migration tools exist between these platforms. All workflows must be manually recreated. Most businesses report 60-90% cost savings after migrating to n8n (self-hosted) or Make.

Community & Support Comparison

Zapier Support

Community Size

1M+ users

Support Channels

• Email support (all plans)
• Live chat (Team+ plans)
• Community forum
• Extensive documentation
• Video tutorials

Response Times

• Free: 2-3 days
• Paid: 24 hours
• Team+: 1-2 hours

Make Support

Community Size

500K+ users

Support Channels

• Email support (all plans)
• Priority support (Pro+)
• Active community forum
• Make Academy courses
• Partner network

Response Times

• Free: 3-5 days
• Core: 48 hours
• Pro+: Same day

n8n Support

Community Size

40K+ members

Support Channels

• Active community forum
• Discord server
• GitHub discussions
• Enterprise support
• Self-service docs

Response Times

• Community: Same day
• Cloud: 24-48 hours
• Enterprise: 4 hours

Support Quality & Resources

Resource Type	Zapier	Make	n8n
Documentation Quality	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Video Tutorials	Extensive	Good	Growing
Templates Library	10,000+	1,000+	500+
Community Activity	Very Active	Active	Very Active
Third-party Resources	Abundant	Moderate	Limited

Conclusion & Recommendations

Final Verdict

Choose Zapier if you:

Need the widest selection of app integrations (7,000+)
Prefer a simple, no-code interface
Want extensive documentation and community support
Have budget for premium features
Value stability and reliability over advanced features

Choose Make if you:

Want visual workflow design
Need advanced data transformation
Require complex branching logic
Are budget-conscious but need power
Work with European data regulations

Choose n8n if you:

Have technical expertise or developer resources
Need self-hosting for security/compliance
Want unlimited workflow complexity
Require custom integrations
Plan to build AI-powered automations

Need Help Choosing or Implementing?

Our automation experts can help you select and implement the perfect platform

Digital Applied specializes in workflow automation and integration. We've helped dozens of businesses save thousands of hours through smart automation.

Key Takeaways

Best for Beginners

Best Value

Best for Developers

Platform Overviews

Detailed Pricing Comparison

Scenario 1: Small Business (1,000 automations/month)

Scenario 2: Growing Company (10,000 automations/month)

Scenario 3: Enterprise (100,000+ automations/month)

Feature Comparison Matrix

Performance & Reliability

Technical Deep Dive

Zapier

Make

n8n

Real-World Workflow Examples

Zapier Implementation (4 Tasks)

Zapier Approach

Make Approach

n8n Approach

Use Case Recommendations

Solopreneurs & Freelancers

Small Businesses (1-50 employees)

Mid-Market (50-500 employees)

Enterprise (500+ employees)

E-commerce & Retail

SaaS & Technology

Marketing Agencies

Healthcare & Finance

Platform Limitations

Zapier Limitations

Make Limitations

n8n Limitations

AI Capabilities & Future Roadmap

Performance Benchmarks & Real-World Metrics

Migration Guide

Migration Complexity Matrix

Migrating from Zapier to Make

Migrating from Zapier to n8n

Migrating from Make to n8n

Community & Support Comparison

Support Channels

Response Times

Support Channels

Response Times

Support Channels

Response Times

Conclusion & Recommendations

Choose Zapier if you:

Choose Make if you:

Choose n8n if you:

Related Articles

CRM Implementation: Transform Your Sales Process

AI App Builders: v0 vs Lovable vs Bolt vs Replit

Meta Ads API Guide: Scale Facebook & Instagram Ads

Which platform is easiest for beginners?

Can I use multiple platforms together?

What about data privacy and GDPR?

Which platform handles errors best?

Is the pricing really that different?