Zapier is best for non-technical small businesses ($20 to $100 per month, easiest setup). Make (formerly Integromat) gives more power for the same price ($9 to $29 per month). n8n is the most flexible and cheapest at scale ($0 self-hosted or $20 per month cloud) but requires some technical comfort. For most small businesses, start with Zapier or Make. Move to n8n when costs scale or workflows get complex. Here's the full breakdown.
What's the actual difference between Zapier, Make, and n8n?
All three connect apps and automate workflows. The differences are in pricing model, complexity, and flexibility.
Zapier
Trigger-action model. Something happens in App A, do something in App B. 6,000+ integrations, the biggest library in the space. The mental model is dead simple: "when X happens, do Y." Best-in-class for first-time automators.
Make
Visual scenario builder with modules connected by lines. Supports branching ("if X, do Y, else do Z"), loops, and complex multi-step flows. Same kind of integrations as Zapier (about 1,800+), but you can chain together more steps for the same price.
n8n
Open-source workflow automation tool. Node-based visual editor. Can be self-hosted on your own server. Built for technical users and developers. Supports custom JavaScript code in any workflow, plus has the best AI agent and LLM tool integrations of the three.
Pricing comparison: real per-task and per-month costs
Here's the honest math for a small business running about 5,000 actions per month.
| Tool | Entry Tier | 5K Tasks/mo Cost | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | $20/mo (750 tasks) | $73 to $103 | Per task |
| Make | $9/mo (10K ops) | $16 to $29 | Per operation |
| n8n Cloud | $20/mo (unlimited) | $20 | Per workflow / flat |
| n8n Self-hosted | $0 (server cost ~$5) | $5 to $10 | Self-hosted |
Zapier gets expensive fast because every step counts as a task. A 5-step workflow run 1,000 times a month is 5,000 tasks, which puts you on the $73 to $103 tier. Make charges per operation but operations are smaller units, so the same workflow costs less. n8n is the cheapest at scale because there's no per-task limit.
Which is easiest for non-technical users?
Easy ranking, hardest to easiest:
- Zapier: Easiest. Trigger-action is dead simple. You can build your first useful automation in 15 minutes.
- Make: Harder to learn but more rewarding. Once you understand the visual builder, you can do more. Plan for 2 to 3 hours to feel comfortable.
- n8n: Most technical. Branching logic, code nodes, and self-hosting setup intimidate beginners. Easier if you've ever touched JSON or basic coding.
If you've never written if-then logic in your life, start with Zapier. The first 5 automations will save you 20 hours a month and pay for themselves immediately.
When should you pick n8n over Zapier?
Pick n8n when any of these are true:
- Your Zapier bill is over $100 a month.
- You need complex branching, loops, or merging across data sources.
- You want to self-host for data privacy reasons (legal, medical, financial).
- You need AI agent workflows where an LLM calls multiple tools and decides what to do next.
- You have a developer (or someone like me) who can build and maintain it.
- You're running 50+ automations and the Zapier UI is getting unwieldy.
If none of those apply, stay on Zapier or Make. There's no prize for using the more complex tool.
Can you self-host?
Only n8n. It runs on any VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS) for about $5 to $10 a month in server costs. You get unlimited workflows, full data privacy, and no per-task fees.
The trade-off is you're responsible for maintenance: updates, backups, server uptime. For most small businesses, the $20 a month n8n cloud plan is the better deal. Self-host only if you have real data privacy requirements or you're nerdy about infrastructure.
Zapier and Make are cloud-only. You can't self-host either.
Examples of common workflows in each
Zapier examples
Best for simple linear flows.
- New Typeform submission → add row to Google Sheets → send Slack message.
- New Stripe payment → create QuickBooks invoice → email receipt.
- New calendar event → text customer reminder → log in CRM.
Make examples
Best for multi-step branching.
- New lead → if from Google Ads, tag as "paid" and assign to sales; if from referral, tag as "warm" and send welcome email; if from cold form, send qualifying questions.
- New order → calculate margin → if over 30%, route to fulfillment; if under, flag for owner review.
- Daily summary → pull data from 4 sources → format report → email to team.
n8n examples
Best for AI agents and complex flows.
- AI sales assistant: lead comes in, n8n calls Claude to draft a personalized outreach email, looks up company info on Clearbit, schedules send through Gmail, logs everything in HubSpot.
- Customer support triage: ticket arrives, n8n classifies it with an LLM, routes to the right person, drafts an initial response, and waits for human approval.
- Voice agent backend: my AI receptionist uses n8n behind the scenes to look up customer data mid-call, write appointments, and trigger SMS notifications.
What about Pipedream and Workato?
Two more honest mentions.
Pipedream is a developer-focused alternative. Generous free tier (10,000 invocations per month), great for code-first workflows. Best if you're comfortable writing Node.js or Python. Cheaper than Zapier at scale but a smaller integration library.
Workato is enterprise-grade. Starts at $10,000+ per year. Built for big companies with hundreds of automations and compliance requirements. Overkill for small business. Don't even look at it unless you're 50+ employees.
For small business, stick with Zapier, Make, or n8n unless you have a real reason to go elsewhere.
My take
Most clients I work with run on Zapier for the first 6 to 12 months. When their bill crosses $75 a month or they need a workflow Zapier can't handle, we move them to n8n. Make is a solid middle option if you want more flexibility than Zapier without going technical. Read what is workflow automation if you're starting from zero.
How do I migrate between tools?
There's no automated migration between Zapier, Make, and n8n. You have to rebuild each workflow in the new tool. The good news: most workflows take 10 to 30 minutes to rebuild because the logic is the same, just the UI is different.
The right way to migrate:
- List every workflow in your current tool. Note triggers, actions, and any custom logic.
- Start with one simple workflow. Rebuild it in the new tool. Test it.
- Run both in parallel for 1 to 2 weeks to make sure the new one works.
- Turn off the old workflow. Move to the next.
- Repeat until everything is migrated.
- Cancel the old tool.
Don't try to migrate everything in one weekend. You'll miss edge cases and break things.
The bottom line
Most small businesses should start with Zapier because it's the easiest. Move to Make if you need more branching for less money. Move to n8n when your bill scales, you need AI agents, or you want to self-host.
If you want me to build a custom workflow for you, in any of these tools or in custom code, fill out the custom intake form and I'll scope it within one business day. Also see custom AI agents for small businesses for examples of what's possible.