Zapier vs Make vs n8n: Complete 2025 Automation Platform Comparison
Choosing the right automation platform can save your business thousands of hours and tens of thousands of euros annually. We've tested Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), and n8n extensively to bring you this comprehensive comparison based on real-world usage, pricing analysis, and performance benchmarks.
Table of Contents
Navigate through this comprehensive comparison
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
✅ Yes → Choose Zapier
❌ No → Continue below ↓
✅ Yes + Budget conscious → Choose Make
❌ No → Continue below ↓
✅ Yes → Choose n8n
❌ No → Choose Make for balance
Platform Overviews
Founded: 2011
The most popular automation platform with the largest app ecosystem
7,000+ integrations
No-code interface
Extensive templates
Expensive at scale
Founded: 2012 (as Integromat)
Visual workflow builder with powerful data transformation
Visual workflow design
Advanced error handling
Cost-effective pricing
2,000+ integrations
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 |
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
- 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
Execution Speed
1-15 min
Depends on plan
Uptime SLA
99.9%
Max Workflow Steps
100
Execution Speed
Real-time
Instant triggers
Uptime SLA
99.9%
Max Workflow Steps
Unlimited*
*Plan limits apply
Execution Speed
Real-time
Self-hosted: instant
Uptime SLA
99.5%
Self-hosted: You control
Max Workflow Steps
Unlimited
Technical Deep Dive
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
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
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
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
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
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
AI Capabilities & Future Roadmap
- • 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
- • 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
- • 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
| 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 |
- Handles millions of tasks daily
- Cost increases linearly with usage
- Performance degrades at peak times
- Better cost efficiency at scale
- Parallel processing capabilities
- Shared infrastructure limits
- Linear scaling with hardware
- Queue mode for distribution
- No artificial limits
Migration Guide
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 |
Community & Support Comparison
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
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
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
| 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 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion & Recommendations
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