We get asked this on almost every first call, usually by someone who has read three comparison posts that each ended with “it depends.” It does depend, but on a short list of things you can check in an afternoon.

Start with who will edit the workflows

If the people maintaining the automation after we leave work in ops or marketing and don’t write code, Zapier is usually the right call. Its editor is the easiest to read six months later, and most SaaS tools you use already have a Zapier integration that someone else keeps working.

Make’s visual editor is more powerful but takes longer to learn. n8n assumes you’re comfortable reading JSON and writing the occasional bit of JavaScript.

Then look at volume and pricing

Zapier charges per task, which means every step in every run. A five-step Zap that runs 2,000 times a month uses 10,000 tasks. Make charges per operation and works out cheaper at the same volume in most accounts we see. n8n’s cloud plans charge per workflow execution no matter how many steps it has, and the self-hosted version has no execution cap at all.

Pricing pages change often, so check current numbers before you decide. The pattern has held for a while, though: the more steps and the more runs, the further n8n and Make pull ahead on cost.

Data rules can decide it for you

If client or patient data can’t leave your infrastructure, self-hosted n8n is often the only one of the three that fits. We run it in the client’s own cloud account, with their logging and their access controls.

When we tell people to stay put

If you have a handful of Zaps that work and a bill under a few hundred dollars a month, migrating is rarely worth it. Your budget is better spent on the workflows that don’t exist yet.

The exception is a Zapier account nobody understands anymore. Those we usually rebuild, and the platform choice comes after we’ve mapped what the old Zaps were doing.

Our short version

Zapier for low volume and non-technical owners. Make for branching logic at moderate volume. n8n for high volume, self-hosting or anything that needs real code. If you’re still unsure, bring your current setup to a call and we’ll look at it with you.