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Workflow Automation

Make vs n8n: Which Workflow Automation Tool Fits Your Team in 2026?

Make is a polished, no-code visual automation builder for business users; n8n is open-source and self-hostable, node-based, and popular with technical and developer teams. Here is what each actually costs.

By Bill Belcamino · Last updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team
Make logoCore — From $12/mo (10,000 credits/mo, annual)

Make

VS
n8n logoStarter — From $20/mo (2,500 executions/mo, annual)

n8n

Run the cost calculator Compare pricing tiers
Make vs n8nVerified Sep 23, 2026
Bill Belcamino
Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Is n8n's free self-hosted edition really cheaper than Make?

Only with someone technical to run it, because Make's Core plan is $12/mo for 10,000 credits and n8n Cloud's Starter is $20/mo for 2,500 executions, both annual.

Self-hosted n8n has no per-execution cost, but the server, updates, backups, security patches and the alert when a workflow fails at night are all yours, and for most small teams those hours cost more than a cloud plan. The billing units matter too. Most Make actions cost 1 credit each, so a long scenario that runs often eats credits, while n8n counts a whole run as one execution however many steps it has. Take your busiest workflow, count its steps and how often it runs, and price both tools from that. Business users who want no-code fit Make, and a developer team building AI-agent workflows fits n8n.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

Verified data

Make vs n8n: quick facts

At a glanceMaken8n
CategoryWorkflow Automation
Entry priceCore — From $12/mo (10,000 credits/mo, annual)Starter — From $20/mo (2,500 executions/mo, annual)
Free planFree — 1,000 credits/mo, unlimited active scenarios not included, 3,000+ appsNo permanent free cloud plan — free trial only; free self-hosted open-source version on GitHub

Is Make cheaper than n8n?

Make, at the cloud entry tier: $12/mo against n8n Cloud’s $20/mo, both billed annually. But n8n’s free self-hosted Community Edition has no per-execution cost at all if your team can run its own server (n8n’s docs include setup guides for DigitalOcean, AWS, Azure and Hetzner; the hosting bill goes to that provider, not to n8n) — a real free option Make does not offer (Make’s free tier caps at 1,000 credits/mo and does not remove restrictions like unlimited active scenarios).

Verified data

Make vs n8n at a glance

CategoryMaken8n
Entry price (cloud)Core $12/mo (10,000 credits, annual)Starter $20/mo (2,500 executions, annual)
Free plan1,000 credits/mo, restricted (no unlimited scenarios)No permanent free cloud plan — trial only; free self-hosted version exists
Billing unitCredits (most actions = 1 credit)Full workflow executions, any number of steps
Self-hostingNot offeredYes — free, open-source Community Edition; you provide and pay for the server (e.g. DigitalOcean, AWS, Hetzner)
Users includedUnlimited, on paid plansUnlimited, on every plan including Starter
App connectors3,000+ appsEvery integration, all plans
AudienceNo-code visual builder for business usersNode-based builder popular with developers and technical teams
AI featuresAI Provider actions (may use more credits)2,300 AI Assistant credits/mo on Starter

Verified September 23, 2026Prices recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page. See sources

Prices in USD from make.com/en/pricing and n8n.io/pricing, both checked September 23, 2026.

Editorial assessment

How they actually differ

Both are visual, node/scenario-based automation builders connecting hundreds of apps, but they target different teams and bill differently.

Credits vs. executions

Make charges by credit, and most individual actions inside a scenario consume 1 credit each — a complex multi-step scenario can use many credits per run. n8n charges by full workflow execution, however many steps it contains, which n8n positions as fairer for complex automations: “pay for full executions, not for each step.”

Open source and self-hosting

n8n’s core product is open-source and fair-code licensed, with a free, self-hosted Community Edition available on GitHub — a real option for technical teams wanting zero per-execution cost on their own infrastructure. Make has no self-hosted or open-source option; every plan runs on Make’s cloud.

Who each is built for

Make’s polished, drag-and-drop scenario builder targets business users who want automation without code. n8n’s node-based canvas, code-step support (JS/Python) and CLI/API control are built with developers and technical teams in mind, though it does not require coding to use.

Editorial assessment

Pros & cons

Make

Pros

  • Cheaper cloud entry price ($12 vs $20)
  • Polished, no-code visual scenario builder
  • 3,000+ app connectors
  • Unlimited users on paid plans

Cons

  • No self-hosted or open-source option
  • Credits consumed per action, not per full run
  • Free tier is more restricted than n8n’s trial
  • No free permanent option comparable to n8n’s self-hosted edition

n8n

Pros

  • Free, open-source, self-hostable Community Edition
  • Bills by full execution, not per step
  • Unlimited users on every cloud plan including Starter
  • Popular with technical teams building AI-agent workflows

Cons

  • Higher cloud entry price ($20 vs $12)
  • No permanent free cloud plan, trial only
  • Steeper learning curve for non-technical users
  • Cloud plans cap executions more tightly at entry (2,500 vs Make’s 10,000 credits)
Verified data

Cost calculator: what does your team actually pay?

Make

 
$0/mo

n8n

 
$0/mo
 

Both figures are each vendor’s flat entry-tier cloud price (Make Core at 10,000 credits/mo; n8n Starter at 2,500 executions/mo, both annual) and do not scale with the number above. n8n also offers a free, self-hosted open-source edition not reflected here. Checked September 23, 2026.

Choose Make if…

You want a polished no-code builder for business users, the largest app-connector library, or the cheaper cloud entry price.

Choose n8n if…

You want open-source flexibility, free self-hosting, or a builder suited to technical teams and AI-agent workflows.

Total cost over time

Uses your selections above. Estimate excludes add-ons, overages, and negotiated discounts.

Ready to pick your automation tool?

Make’s free plan and n8n’s free trial (or free self-hosted edition) both cost nothing to test. Build one real workflow in each before committing.

See Make pricing See n8n pricing
Verified data

Make vs n8n: security, offline & remote work

How Make and n8n compare on compliance reports, sign-in controls, offline access and the setup details that matter for remote, hybrid and in-office teams. Every value links to the vendor page it came from.

What we checkedMaken8n
Security & compliance
SOC 2 reportSOC 2 Type IIsourceSOC 2 Type IIsource
ISO/IEC 27001CertifiedsourceNot published
Other certificationsSOC 3sourceSOC 3source
HIPAA (BAA)Not publishedNot published
GDPR data processing agreementDPA offeredsourceDPA offeredsource
Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)YesEnterprisesourceYesEnterprisesource
SCIM user provisioningNot publishedNot published
Two-factor authenticationYesEnforcement: EnterprisesourceYessource
Admin audit logYesEnterprisesourceYesEnterprise (log streaming to your own tools)source
Data residency choicesUS, EUsourceEUsource
EncryptionAES-256 full-disk encryption at rest (AWS KMS keys); TLS 1.2/1.3 in transitsourceCloud: AES-256 at rest (Azure server-side encryption, FIPS 140-2); traffic encrypted in transitsource
Self-hosting optionNot publishedYessource
Offline access
Offline modeNot documentedNot documented
Desktop appsNot publishedNot published
Mobile appsiOS, AndroidsourceNot published
Remote, hybrid & in-office
IP allowlistingNot publishedNot published
Device & session controlsNot publishedNot published
Editorial assessment

What this means for your team

  • Audit reports: both publish a SOC 2 report, and Make also holds ISO/IEC 27001. Ask each vendor for the report under NDA before you sign; security reviews usually want the latest one.
  • Single sign-on: Make includes it on Enterprise; n8n includes it on Enterprise. If your team signs in through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or Google, price the plan that includes SSO, not the entry plan.
  • Working offline: Make and n8n don’t document an offline mode. Details are in the Offline mode row above.
  • Where your data lives: Make lets you choose US, EU; n8n lets you choose EU. This matters for teams hiring across the EU, UK or Australia.

Make: worth knowing

  • RemoteEach Make organization picks a US or EU data center when it is created, and this cannot be changed later. source
  • RemoteMake's iOS and Android apps turn a phone into a trigger/action device for scenarios (e.g. call history, SMS); scenarios are built in the web app. source
  • SecurityMake's SSO supports both OpenID Connect and SAML 2.0, with Okta, Microsoft AD and Google as documented IdPs. source
  • SecurityAudit logs are kept for 12 months. source

n8n: worth knowing

  • OfficeSelf-hosted n8n can run on-premises, but you must put a TLS reverse proxy in front of it and handle encryption at rest yourself. source
  • Securityn8n Cloud runs on Microsoft Azure in the EU; n8n says it is preparing other hosting locations. source
  • SecurityThe full SOC 2 report is available to enterprise customers; others can use the public SOC 3 report. source
  • RemoteCustom session timeouts are supported on self-hosted n8n. source

Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Make cheaper than n8n?

At the cloud entry tier, yes: $12/mo against $20/mo, both billed annually. n8n also offers a free, self-hosted open-source edition with no per-execution cost if you run your own infrastructure.

Can I self-host n8n for free?

Yes — n8n’s Community Edition is open-source and free to self-host, with unlimited executions on your own infrastructure. Make has no self-hosted or open-source option.

How does billing actually differ?

Make bills by “credits,” where most individual actions inside a scenario cost 1 credit. n8n bills by full workflow execution, regardless of how many steps run inside it.

Which is better for developers?

n8n — its node-based builder supports custom code steps (JS/Python), CLI and API control, and is popular for building AI-agent workflows. Make is built for a more no-code, business-user audience.

Migration Guides

Already decided? Here’s how to actually switch.

Step-by-step migration guides covering what transfers automatically, what doesn’t, and how to handle the gap — in both directions.

Switching from Make to n8n Switching from n8n to Make
Editorial assessment

When to Buy — and When to Walk Away

Every “best workflow automation tool” listicle tells you why to buy. Here’s the other half: the specific conditions under which Make or n8n is the wrong purchase for your team.

Make

Buy Make if:

  • You want a no-code builder for business users
  • You want the largest app-connector library
  • You want the cheaper cloud entry price

Do NOT buy Make if:

  • You want a free, self-hosted option
  • Your workflows have many steps per run (credits add up)
  • Your team is technical and wants code-step control

n8n

Buy n8n if:

  • You want a free, open-source, self-hostable option
  • Your team is technical or building AI-agent workflows
  • You want to pay per execution, not per step

Do NOT buy n8n if:

  • You want the cheapest cloud entry price
  • Your team wants a no-code builder with no learning curve
  • You need a permanent free cloud plan, not just a trial

Canonical data for the tools on this page

Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.

MakePricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›n8nPricing, free plan, AI cost & every comparison›
Zapier vs n8nHead-to-head comparisonZapier vs MakeHead-to-head comparison

Sources

Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.

Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.

Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Make vs n8n”, helpcompare.com/make-vs-n8n/ (updated ).

Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.

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01 · CompareWhich tool fits your team, side by side.133 comparisons 02 · Price & approveSourced, dated pricing and a one-page brief for sign-off.Decision brief 03 · SwitchWhat moves, what you rebuild, what it costs.264 guides 04 · ShareDownload and cite the data. CC BY 4.0.Open data
Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare
About the author

Bill Belcamino

Founder and author, HelpCompare

Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.

“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”

Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 23, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.

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