If you've outgrown Zapier or decided from the start that you need something more capable, you're probably looking at Make.com and n8n. Both handle complex automation. Both connect to hundreds of services. Both are significantly cheaper than Zapier at volume. The question is which one fits your situation.
The quick answer
Make for most small and mid-sized businesses that need a non-developer to maintain the system. n8n when you want full control, have a developer on the team, or need to self-host for data compliance reasons. When in doubt: start with Make. You can always migrate to n8n later if you hit its limits.
Make strengths
Make's visual canvas is genuinely well-designed. You build flows by dragging and connecting modules. The interface is intuitive enough that a non-technical ops manager can understand and modify an existing scenario without breaking it. The documentation is thorough. The native integration library covers 1,000+ apps. Error handling and retry logic work well out of the box. Pricing by operation is fair - the $9/month plan handles most small business automation comfortably.
Make is the right choice when:
- A non-developer needs to maintain the automations
- You want a polished interface and good documentation
- You're connecting standard business tools (CRM, email, spreadsheets)
- Volume is moderate (under 100,000 operations/month)
- You prefer cloud-hosted with no infrastructure to manage
Make weaknesses
Make is cloud-only - your data passes through their servers. For some compliance requirements, this is a non-starter. Complex custom code is possible but clunky. Very high-volume automations hit operational limits and cost more than self-hosted alternatives. Some advanced logic that feels natural in code feels forced in Make's visual builder.
n8n strengths
n8n is open-source and self-hostable. Run it on your own server and your data never leaves your infrastructure. Pricing when self-hosted is just the server cost - no per-operation charges. The 'Code' node lets you write JavaScript directly inside a workflow, which means you can do anything you'd do in a script. For developers, this is enormously powerful. n8n also handles complex branching and sub-workflows more naturally than Make.
n8n is the right choice when:
- You have a developer on the team who will own the automations
- Data compliance requires on-premise or self-hosted infrastructure
- You need custom code logic inside automations
- Volume is high and per-operation costs would be significant on Make
- You're building complex, deeply interconnected workflows
n8n weaknesses
Steeper learning curve - the interface is powerful but less intuitive than Make. Self-hosting means you own the infrastructure, the updates, and the uptime. n8n cloud (the hosted option at $20/month) removes the ops burden but loses the self-hosting cost advantage. The native integration library is smaller than Make's, though the HTTP module covers anything with an API.
Pricing comparison
Make: free (1,000 ops/month), $9/month (10,000 ops), $16/month (40,000 ops), $29/month (150,000 ops). n8n cloud: $20/month (2,500 workflow executions). n8n self-hosted: $30-50/month in server costs for a basic VPS, no execution limits. For high-volume automations running 100,000+ operations/month, n8n self-hosted is significantly cheaper.
When to use both together
Some systems use Make for the user-facing, frequently-modified flows and n8n for the heavy-lifting backend pipelines that need custom code. This isn't uncommon. The tools talk to each other via webhooks, so the handoff is clean.
What we recommend
At 2pizza.team, we use both. Make for clients who want to own and modify their automations without developer help. n8n for complex systems requiring custom logic, high volume, or self-hosted data requirements. The tool choice follows the requirement, not the other way around.
Not sure which fits your situation? A free audit call takes 30 minutes. We'll look at your workflows and tell you exactly what we'd use and why.
Free 30-min audit. We tell you what to automate first and what it would cost.