n8n vs Zapier vs Make
Should a small business use n8n, Zapier or Make for automation?
The short answer
Zapier wins below roughly 2,000 tasks a month, where its per-task pricing stays cheaper than paying anyone to run a server. Above that, or when data cannot leave your infrastructure, self-hosted n8n wins because task volume stops affecting the bill. Make sits between them, cheaper than Zapier at volume with a visual builder that handles branching well.
Side by side
| Criterion | n8n (self-hosted) | Zapier | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Server cost only, unlimited tasks | Per task, tiered | Per operation, tiered |
| Cost at 10,000 tasks/month | Roughly $10ā20 of server | Hundreds of dollars | Tens of dollars |
| Data location | Your own server | Vendor cloud | Vendor cloud |
| Setup effort | Docker install and maintenance | None | None |
| Custom code steps | Full JavaScript and Python | Limited code steps | Limited code steps |
| Connector library | Large, plus custom nodes | Largest | Large |
| Complex branching | Strong | Weak | Strong |
| Reaches internal APIs | Yes, same network | Only if publicly exposed | Only if publicly exposed |
| Who maintains it | You or a retainer | Vendor | Vendor |
How to decide
Choose n8n when
- You run more than roughly 2,000 automation tasks a month
- Customer or health data cannot legally sit in a third-party cloud
- The workflow must call an internal system that is not exposed to the internet
- You need real code inside a step, not a formula field
Choose Zapier when
- Volume is low and predictable
- Nobody on the team can own a server, and no retainer is planned
- You need an obscure connector that only Zapier has
- You want it working this afternoon
Choose Make when
- Volume is moderate and Zapier pricing has become uncomfortable
- The workflow has heavy branching and you want to see it visually
- You want hosted convenience without Zapier costs
What most comparisons leave out
The comparison people skip: self-hosting is not free, it is a transfer of cost from a subscription to a person. If nobody owns backups, updates and monitoring, a self-hosted instance is cheaper right up until the week it silently stops and nobody notices.
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Marwan Ayman is a full-stack web developer and automation engineer based in Egypt who builds custom business systems, Next.js web applications, e-commerce stores, client portals and n8n / API automations for companies in the Middle East, UK, Europe, Australia and the US. He works remotely in English and Arabic.
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