Compared
Make vs n8n: which automation platform fits your workflows
Make bills credits per module; n8n bills one execution per run. Compare verified 2026 prices, five computed workloads, hosting and code options, and pick with your own numbers.
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No commercial relationship: No affiliate or sponsored links appear on this page. If that changes, commissions will never change which tool we recommend or how the costs are computed.
Short answer
Choose Make for a hosted visual builder with a free plan and low entry price at modest volume. Choose n8n when workflows have many steps, need code, or must run on your own servers: n8n bills 1 execution per run where Make bills 13 credits for the same 12-step run. Prices are in different currencies, so we compare units, not a converted total.
Last updated · Last verified
Choose one if
Choose Make if
- you want a hosted product with a free tier and your monthly credits fit a recorded plan allowance.
- your builders prefer configuring modules on a canvas to writing code.
Choose n8n if
- your workflows run many steps each, because n8n counts one execution per run.
- you need custom JavaScript or Python steps, or must self-host for data control.
Head to head
| Factor | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| What you are billed for | Credits. A module run is one operation; for non-AI apps one operation uses one credit. Routers and error handlers use none. Sources: Make operations and credits help pages High confidence | Executions. One execution is one full run of a workflow, with unlimited steps. Manual test runs and sub-workflow runs do not count. Sources: n8n pricing and executions docs High confidence |
| Units for one 12-step run | 13 credits (12 action modules + the trigger) Computed with our published unit mapping Medium confidence | 1 execution Step count does not change it High confidence |
| Where it runs | Hosted by Make. The Enterprise on-premise agent connects Make to local systems; it does not make the platform self-hosted. High confidence | n8n Cloud, or self-hosted: the free Community Edition and paid self-hosted plans. Self-hosting means you run updates, backups and monitoring. High confidence |
| Custom code | HTTP and custom app modules for APIs. No general code step is claimed here. Medium confidence | Code node runs custom JavaScript or Python as a workflow step. High confidence |
| Error handling | Error handler routes: Skip, Retry (stores incomplete executions for automatic or manual retry), Resume, Commit and Rollback. High confidence | A per-workflow error workflow starts from the Error Trigger when a run fails; failed executions can be retried. High confidence |
| AI agents | Make AI Agent (New) is in open beta: functionality and pricing may change. Custom AI provider connections need a paid plan. High confidence | An AI Agent node connects a chat model to at least one tool the agent can choose to call. High confidence |
A blank winner means the evidence doesn't support ranking one product above another on that row.
Verified pricing
| Plan | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | Free hosted plan: 1,000 credits per month High confidence | No free cloud plan. Community Edition is free to self-host (you pay for the server). High confidence |
| Entry paid plan | Core: $12/mo billed annually 10,000 credits per month at the price shown (the page's default 10,000-credit setting) High confidence | Starter: €20/mo billed annually 2,500 workflow executions with unlimited steps High confidence |
| Next plan up | Pro: $21/mo billed annually 10,000 credits per month at the price shown (the page's default 10,000-credit setting) High confidence | Pro: €50/mo billed annually 10,000 workflow executions with unlimited steps High confidence |
| Currency | US dollars | Euros (n8n shows US-dollar prices to US visitors; we never convert one into the other) |
A blank winner means the evidence doesn't support ranking one product above another on that row.
Make plans
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Pricing unit | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | Free | Per account |
|
| Core | $16/mo | $12/mo | By usage tier |
|
| Pro | $28/mo | $21/mo | By usage tier |
|
| Teams | $51/mo | $38/mo | By usage tier |
|
| EnterpriseContact sales | Contact sales | Contact sales | Custom | None published |
Prices are in USD as Make publishes them for visitors in the United States; we never convert currencies. Taxes are not included unless the vendor says so.
- Free
Why a value is blank or missing: Free plan; there is no annual billing.
- Core
At 10,000 credits per month: $16/mo billed monthly ($1.60 per 1,000 credits) or $12/mo billed annually ($1.20 per 1,000 credits). Price scales with the credits you choose.
- Pro
At 10,000 credits per month: $28/mo billed monthly ($2.80 per 1,000 credits) or $21/mo billed annually ($2.10 per 1,000 credits).
- Teams
At 10,000 credits per month: $51/mo billed monthly ($5.10 per 1,000 credits) or $38/mo billed annually ($3.80 per 1,000 credits).
- Enterprise
Why a value is blank or missing: "Custom" pricing; Make asks Enterprise buyers to talk to sales.
How Make counts usage
Each module action in a scenario (for example adding a Google Sheets row or fetching Gmail data) consumes credits; most actions use 1 credit, while some advanced features using Make's AI Provider may use more. Router and error-handler modules use none. The pricing FAQ says credits replaced the previous billing unit "as of August 27".
Last verified from the official Make pricing page.
n8n plans
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed annually | Pricing unit | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Not published | €20/mo | Per account |
|
| Pro | Not published | €50/mo | Per account |
|
| Business | Not published | €667/mo | Per account |
|
| EnterpriseContact sales | Contact sales | Contact sales | Custom | None published |
Prices are in EUR as n8n publishes them for visitors in Germany; we never convert currencies. Taxes are not included unless the vendor says so.
- Starter
Read from the euro-priced page n8n serves to visitors in Germany ("20€/mo, billed annually"). n8n shows US-dollar amounts to US visitors instead; at verification the US page showed $20/mo billed annually and $24/mo billed monthly. Neither figure is converted from the other.
Why a value is blank or missing: The monthly-billing euro price could not be captured at verification (the billing toggle did not respond on the EU-region fetch).
- Pro
Read from the euro-priced page n8n serves to visitors in Germany ("50€/mo, billed annually"). At verification the US page showed $50/mo billed annually and $60/mo billed monthly.
Why a value is blank or missing: The monthly-billing euro price could not be captured at verification (the billing toggle did not respond on the EU-region fetch).
- Business
Self-hosted only; n8n Cloud hosting for Business is waitlisted. Read from the euro-priced page ("667€/mo, billed annually"). At verification the US page showed $800/mo billed annually and $960/mo billed monthly. Overage is 4,000 EUR per extra bucket of 300,000 executions.
Why a value is blank or missing: The monthly-billing euro price could not be captured at verification (the billing toggle did not respond on the EU-region fetch).
- Enterprise
Why a value is blank or missing: "Contact Sales" on the pricing page.
How n8n counts usage
An execution is a single run of an entire workflow, however many steps it has or however much data it processes.
Last verified from the official n8n pricing page.
What five standard workloads cost
| Workload | Make (USD) | n8n (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| W1 · Solo lead capture1 workflow × 100 runs × 2 steps after the trigger | FreeFree · 300 credits | €20/moStarter · 100 executions |
| W2 · Small-business starter stack5 workflows × 200 runs × 3 steps after the trigger | $12/moCore · 4,000 credits | €20/moStarter · 1,000 executions |
| W3 · Long multi-step process2 workflows × 250 runs × 12 steps after the trigger | $12/moCore · 6,500 credits | €20/moStarter · 500 executions |
| W4 · High-volume simple sync3 workflows × 2,000 runs × 1 step after the trigger | Not verifiable12,000 credits | €50/moPro · 6,000 executions |
| W5 · Multi-client operations6 workflows × 300 runs × 4 steps after the trigger | $12/moCore · 9,000 credits | €20/moStarter · 1,800 executions |
Per month, billed annually, in the currency each vendor publishes; never converted. “Not verifiable” means the Price Index holds no price for that volume, so we show none. Prices last verified .
Price your own workflow
How each vendor counts this workload
Zapier tasks, Make credits and n8n executions are different units. Here is how we translate 5 workflows × 200 runs × 3 action steps into each one. It is an approximation: change any per-run figure if you know your real usage.
Zapier: tasks
Each successful action step uses 1 task. Trigger steps never use tasks, and neither do Filter or Paths steps or built-in tools such as Formatter and Delay.
Default: action steps per run (the trigger is free).
3,000 tasks a month
- AI by Zapier and Code by Zapier steps can use more than 1 task; a Zapier MCP tool call uses 2.
- Steps that error, halt or are skipped by a filter use no tasks, so real usage can be lower.
Sources, read Oct 17, 2026: Zapier: How is task usage measured; Zapier pricing
Make: credits
Each module run is one operation, and for non-AI apps 1 operation uses 1 credit. The trigger runs once per scenario run; each later module runs once per bundle it processes. Routers and error handlers use none.
Default: action modules per run + 1 for the trigger.
4,000 credits a month
- A polling trigger uses a credit on every check, even when it finds nothing new, so frequent schedules add credits.
- A module that handles several bundles in one run (rows, emails, files) uses a credit per bundle.
- Make AI features can use extra credits based on tokens.
Sources, read Oct 17, 2026: Make Help Center: Operations; Make Help Center: Credits; Make pricing
n8n: executions
One execution is one full run of a workflow, however many steps it has or however much data it processes.
Default: 1 per workflow run, whatever the step count.
1,000 executions a month
- If your workflows start other workflows, check how n8n counts those runs before relying on this figure.
Sources, read Oct 17, 2026: n8n pricing
Cost side by side (billed annually)
Zapier
MakeLowest cost
n8n
Make is cheapest among the USD-priced options, billed annually. n8n is priced in another currency and is not ranked against them; we never convert currencies.
Plain link to Make's pricing page. We have no affiliate relationship with Make.
Assumptions
- Every price and limit comes from the Vetted SaaS Price Index; each column links its source and verification date.
- Each vendor is quoted at its cheapest plan that fits the mapped usage, users, active workflows and steps.
- Amounts stay in the currency each vendor published. We only rank vendors priced in the same currency.
- “A year” figures are 12 × the monthly price. Overage and add-ons are not included.
- n8n is quoted on its Cloud plans; self-hosting costs depend on your own setup (see the n8n cost calculator).
Strengths and limits
Make
Strengths
- Free hosted plan, so a first workflow costs nothing to try.
- Five documented error handler types, including Rollback and Commit for partial runs.
Weaknesses
- Credits grow with every module and every bundle a module processes, so long or data-heavy runs add up.
- Prices above the default 10,000-credit setting sit behind a selector we have not recorded, so High-volume simple sync cannot be priced here.
n8n
Strengths
- Per-run billing with unlimited steps; manual test runs and sub-workflow runs do not count.
- Code node for JavaScript or Python, and genuine self-hosting.
Weaknesses
- No free cloud plan; the free Community Edition excludes SSO, workflow sharing and Git version control.
- Cloud plans also cap concurrent executions (Starter and Pro in the Price Index), which matters for bursty triggers.
Decision guide
If your runs have more than a handful of steps — price n8n first; its unit does not grow with steps.
If you have no one to maintain a server — compare Make with n8n Cloud, not with self-hosted n8n.
If you need code inside the workflow — pilot n8n's Code node with your real data.
If you want to start free on a hosted plan — start on Make Free and watch the credit counter in scenario history.
Neither tool wins outright. On our five standard workloads n8n landed on its Starter and Pro plans, while Make's cost depended on step count and volume. Run the calculator with your own workflow before you choose. Based on official documentation and pricing as of October 20, 2026. No product was tested hands-on for this page.
Take the next step
Down to two platforms? The Opportunity Scorecard weighs them against your own criteria and shows why one leads, in your browser, with no account.
Score your shortlistSources
Official vendor pages, each with the date we last checked it. Prices on this page come from the Vetted SaaS Price Index; the facts on this page were last checked .
- Make pricing and subscription packages
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- Make Help Center: Operations
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- Make Help Center: Credits
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- Make Help Center: Error handlers
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- Make Help Center: Introduction to Make AI Agent (New)
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- Make Help Center: On-premise agent
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- n8n plans and pricing
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- n8n Docs: Understand executions
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- n8n Docs: Using the Code node
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- n8n Docs: Handle errors gracefully
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- n8n Docs: Community Edition features
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- n8n Docs: Host n8n
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- n8n Docs: AI Agent node
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Update history
Published. Prices from the Price Index; product facts re-checked against official documentation.