n8n vs Make vs Zapier: which automation tool fits a small business?
All three connect your apps. The differences show up in cost as you grow, how complex the logic can get, and who controls the data. How we choose between them.
Zapier, Make and n8n all do the same basic job: when something happens in one app, do something in others. The differences appear in cost as you grow, in how complex the logic can get, and in who controls your data. This is how we choose between them for small businesses.
The short answer
- Zapier if you want the easiest setup, rely on a less common app, and run modest volumes.
- Make if your workflows involve branches, loops and reshaping data, and you want a visual builder with good value per run.
- n8n if you run high volumes, need custom code or AI agents, or want automations hosted on a server you control.
Side-by-side comparison
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Easiest; step-by-step builder | Moderate; visual canvas | Moderate to technical; node canvas |
| How usage is counted | Tasks: each action step that runs | Operations: each module that runs | On n8n Cloud, executions: one per workflow run, however many steps |
| Hosting | Zapier’s cloud | Make’s cloud | n8n Cloud or self-hosted on your own server |
| Ready-made integrations | Largest catalogue | Large catalogue | Smaller, but any API works through the HTTP Request node |
| Complex logic | Paths, filters, formatter, looping | Routers, iterators, aggregators, error handlers | Branching, loops, merges, JavaScript and Python code |
| AI | AI steps and agents | AI modules and agents | AI agent nodes with memory and tools |
| Data control | Data passes through Zapier | Data passes through Make | Can stay entirely on infrastructure you control |
Plans and prices change regularly, so check the current pricing pages before committing. The way usage is counted changes far less often, and that is what drives cost as you scale.
Why the counting model matters
Picture a workflow with ten steps that runs 1,000 times a month, for example pushing every new order into your accounting system, a spreadsheet and a team chat.
- On Zapier, each action step that runs uses a task, so this workflow can consume close to 10,000 tasks a month.
- On Make, each module that runs uses an operation, which lands in a similar range of around 10,000.
- On n8n Cloud, each full run counts once: 1,000 executions. Self-hosted, there is no per-run fee at all; you pay for the server and the upkeep instead.
At low volume the difference hardly matters. At tens of thousands of runs, it can be the difference between a small monthly bill and a painful one.
When Zapier is the right choice
Zapier shines when workflows are simple and the people maintaining them are not technical. “New form entry, create a CRM contact, post a message to the team” is something anyone can read and edit. It also has the widest range of ready-made integrations, which matters if you depend on a niche industry tool.
Watch for cost creep. Many businesses start on Zapier, add dozens of workflows, and find that task usage has quietly become one of their larger software bills.
When Make is the right choice
Make is our usual pick when data needs reshaping: splitting an order into line items, looping through rows, combining results, routing records down different paths and handling errors gracefully. The canvas shows exactly how data moves, which makes complex scenarios easier to debug than a long list of steps.
It rewards a little learning, so expect your team to need a walkthrough before they are comfortable editing scenarios.
When n8n is the right choice
n8n suits businesses with high volumes, custom APIs or strict requirements about where data goes. Because it can be self-hosted, customer data can stay on a server you control, and because its cloud plans bill per execution rather than per step, long workflows do not cost more to run.
It is also the most flexible for AI work: agent nodes can call tools, look things up in your data and pause for a person to approve. The trade-off is responsibility. If you self-host, someone has to handle updates, backups and monitoring. n8n is distributed under its own fair-code licence, which permits internal business use but restricts some commercial uses such as reselling it as a service, so read the licence if that applies to you.
What we usually recommend
- Start from the tools and skills you already have. If your team lives in Zapier and volumes are low, stay there.
- Move heavy or complex workflows to Make or n8n when cost or logic limits start to bite.
- Add error alerts to every workflow on every platform. Silent failures are the real risk.
- Document each workflow in plain English, so the business owns it rather than one person.
Mixing platforms is perfectly fine. Plenty of clients run simple notifications in Zapier and their order processing or AI triage in n8n.
Switching platforms
There is no one-click export between these tools; workflows are rebuilt rather than copied. The upside is that a rebuild is a good moment to remove steps that no longer matter. We usually migrate the highest-volume workflows first, run old and new side by side for a few days, then switch off the original.
Not sure which fits? Tell us what you want to automate and the free audit will recommend a platform, with a fixed quote to build it.