Make
Visual automation platform for multi-step workflows, APIs and AI modules.
Selected vendor documentation read 9 October 2026
Tool profile and evidence →Researched choice guide
Make vs n8n
Do you want managed visual automation or control that includes code and infrastructure?
Selected official sources read 9 October 2026. Choice criteria are editorial inference; no side-by-side product test was performed.
What each product is for
n8n
Workflow automation with code nodes, AI agents and cloud or self-hosted deployment.
Selected vendor documentation read 9 October 2026
Tool profile and evidence →Choose by the work
Make
Start with Make when the operator wants a managed visual workflow and clear data mapping.
n8n
Start with n8n when code nodes or deployment control are essential and someone will own operations.
The tradeoff that matters
Self-hosting is a responsibility choice, not simply a free version of cloud automation. Updates, backups, credentials and failed runs need an owner. If nobody on the team will restore a broken service, hosting it yourself may cost more time than it saves.
Both products support more complex work and AI modules. Compare the requirements that are difficult in your flow: custom API authentication, nested data, retry behaviour and inspection of failures. Use the same data rather than separate vendor demos.
If n8n will be embedded or sold as a service, read the Sustainable Use License before building around it. Internal workflow use and offering a hosted product to customers are different licensing questions.
Read the bill, not just the plan name
| Scope | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Observed entry | Core · $12/month | Cloud Starter · $20/month |
| Billing and limits | 10,000 credits/month paid tier in the official readable pricing page. The browser displayed alternate annual rates; these figures preserve the public text's monthly view. Public monthly view at 10,000 credits/month. | Annual billing; charged by monthly full workflow executions, not steps or users. Billed annually; 2,500 workflow executions/month. |
| Source | Official pricing ↗ | Official pricing ↗ |
Make Core’s checked monthly view is $12 for 10,000 credits. n8n Cloud Starter is $20/month billed annually for 2,500 full workflow executions. Community Edition has no licence charge but infrastructure and maintenance costs remain. Credit and execution units cannot be equated.
Run the same small trial
- Build a workflow with one code transformation and retry path.
- Trigger a failure and restore from saved configuration.
- Include operator time, infrastructure and third-party AI/API charges in the monthly budget.
Sources and coverage
Capability observations are bounded to these documents. Price observations retain their stated billing and currency scope. The 93 recorded directory criteria were not freshly rescored for this comparison.
Edited by Clinton Feyisitan · Evidence policy · Suggest a correction