Directory / Agents & Automation
Make vs n8n
Two of the three visual automation tools most people compare in the same breath, and a pairing Make names itself: its own verdict places itself directly between Zapier and n8n.
The difference that matters
Make's own verdict states the position outright: real logic, no server to run, but the canvas gets messy fast at scale. n8n is the self-hostable, open-source-adjacent option that trades a steeper learning curve for actual ownership, which n8n's own verdict calls the cheaper trade over time. Make is entirely hosted with no self-hosting option at all.
Side by side
| Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1,000 credits/mo, full visual workflow builder, capped at 2 active scenarios | Community Edition: free, self-hosted (Sustainable Use fair-code license, not OSI open source). Unlimited workflows, executions, steps and users, limited only by your own server hardware. |
| Entry paid plan | Core plan, $9/mo, 10,000 credits/mo, unlimited active scenarios, 1-minute scheduling and API access | Cloud Starter plan, €24/mo (~€20/mo billed annually), unlocks managed cloud hosting with no self-hosting/maintenance burden. Monthly execution cap is unresolved between sources: n8n's own pricing markup showed 300/mo in one fetch, third-party trackers cite 2,500/mo. |
| Bills in | Credits/month (renamed from 'operations'), not per-seat; active-scenario count is a secondary cap on the Free plan only | Cloud tiers billed by monthly workflow-execution count, not per-seat; self-hosted has no execution cap at all |
Choose Make if
You want visual branching logic without ever running your own server, and are comfortable staying inside a hosted credit-metered plan.
Choose n8n if
You want to self-host for cost or data-residency reasons, or you are building complex automations you want to actually own rather than rent.
Our verdict
Make for hosted branching logic with nothing to maintain. n8n once you want to self-host or the automation is complex enough that owning it beats renting it.
What to watch out for
Neither vendor's exact entry-tier usage cap is fully settled: Make's own pricing page (fetched directly) confirms Core at $9/mo with 10,000 credits/month, but n8n's own pricing page and third-party trackers disagree with each other on n8n Cloud Starter's execution cap (300/mo seen directly on n8n's page in one fetch vs 2,500/mo from third-party trackers), so treat n8n Cloud's usage room as unresolved pending a fresh check.
Compare against the rest
Both of these sit in the full Agents & Automation directory, which covers 5 tools.
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