We build workflow automations across all three platforms every week. Here's the honest breakdown of when each one wins — and when it'll bite you.
TL;DR — pick by use case
- Pick Zapier if: non-technical team, simple linear flows, speed-to-launch matters most
- Pick Make if: visual thinker, moderate complexity, mid-volume operations
- Pick n8n if: technical team, complex logic, high volume, AI-heavy, or self-hosting matters
Zapier — the ubiquitous one
Zapier wins on integrations (7,000+) and ease. Anyone on your team can build a Zap in 10 minutes. But complexity falls off a cliff once you need branching, loops, or custom code.
Strengths
- Largest app marketplace by far
- Excellent UX for non-developers
- Strong AI features (Zapier Agents, Tables, Interfaces)
- Mature, reliable infrastructure
Weaknesses
- Costs scale fast at volume — $69/mo gets you only 2k tasks
- Complex flows become unwieldy
- Limited debugging tools for production issues
- No self-hosting option
Make (formerly Integromat)
Make is the visual sweet spot — more powerful than Zapier, more accessible than n8n. The bubble-and-arrow scenarios make complex flows readable.
Strengths
- Visual interface scales to genuinely complex flows
- Pricing is 5–10x cheaper than Zapier at volume
- Strong iterators, aggregators, and routers
- Good error handling and rollback features
Weaknesses
- Smaller integration library than Zapier
- Learning curve is real for non-technical users
- Limited code execution compared to n8n
- AI integrations feel bolted on, not native
n8n — the developer's choice
n8n is what we reach for on serious projects. Open source, self-hostable, and built for engineers who want to combine no-code speed with code-when-needed power.
Strengths
- Self-host for unlimited workflows at fixed cost
- Native code nodes (JavaScript, Python) for any custom logic
- Best-in-class AI nodes (LangChain, agents, vector stores)
- Powerful debugging with execution history and replay
- Source-available — no vendor lock-in
Weaknesses
- Requires technical skills to use well
- Self-hosting adds DevOps overhead
- Smaller pre-built integration count (though growing fast)
- Cloud version is solid but not as polished as Zapier
Real cost comparison at scale
Scenario: 50,000 monthly automation runs
Zapier: ~$799/mo (Company plan). Make: ~$199/mo (Pro). n8n self-hosted: ~$50/mo (server). n8n Cloud: ~$120/mo. The gap widens as you grow.
What we actually deploy for clients
For small ops teams running standard SaaS-to-SaaS flows: Zapier. For mid-market with custom logic and 10k+ monthly runs: Make or n8n Cloud. For anyone running AI agents, complex orchestration, or high-volume: n8n self-hosted, every time.