n8n vs Zapier vs Make: An Honest Automation Platform Comparison

We've built automation on all three. Here's the honest breakdown, without the marketing spin.

Zapier

The easiest starting point, with the widest app library. Great for simple, low-volume automations. Cost scales quickly once you're running high task volumes, and complex branching logic gets awkward fast.

Make (formerly Integromat)

A visual, more powerful alternative to Zapier with genuinely good branching and iteration support. The learning curve is steeper, but the ceiling is much higher before you outgrow it.

n8n

Open-source and self-hostable, which matters a lot once data privacy or cost-at-scale becomes a concern. Native support for custom code steps and AI agent nodes makes it our default choice for anything beyond simple data-shuffling.

How we actually choose

• Simple, low-volume, non-sensitive data → Zapier is fine, don't overengineer it
• Complex branching logic, moderate volume → Make
• AI-agent-driven workflows, sensitive data, or cost-at-scale matters → n8n, usually self-hosted

The right tool depends on your volume, your data sensitivity and how far the workflow needs to grow — not which one has the flashiest landing page.