Choosing the right automation platform is one of the most impactful decisions you'll make when starting your automation journey. The three biggest players — Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), and n8n — each have distinct strengths, and the best choice depends on your team, your budget, and the complexity of what you're building.
We've built hundreds of automations across all three platforms. Here's an honest, no-sponsorship comparison.
Zapier: The Easiest Starting Point
Best for: Non-technical teams, simple automations, fast prototyping
Zapier is the platform most people try first — and for good reason. It has the largest library of app integrations (7,000+), the most intuitive interface, and requires zero technical knowledge to get started.
Strengths:
- Dead simple to set up — most automations take 15 minutes or less
- Massive app library with pre-built templates
- Reliable — strong infrastructure and uptime
- Good support documentation and community
Weaknesses:
- Gets expensive fast — pricing is per-task, and complex automations can burn through tasks quickly
- Limited logic — basic if/then branching, but struggles with complex conditional workflows
- Linear only — each Zap follows a single path; you can't easily build branching, parallel workflows
- Data transformation is clunky — formatting, parsing, and math operations feel bolted on
Pricing (2026): Free tier (100 tasks/month), Starter at $29.99/month (750 tasks), Professional at $73.50/month (2,000 tasks). Costs scale fast for high-volume use cases.
Make: The Power User's Playground
Best for: Complex workflows, visual thinkers, cost-conscious teams
Make (formerly Integromat) uses a visual, node-based builder that feels more like drawing a flowchart than filling out forms. It's significantly more powerful than Zapier for complex logic — and dramatically cheaper at scale.
Strengths:
- Visual workflow builder — see your entire automation as a connected diagram
- Advanced logic — routers, filters, iterators, aggregators, error handlers built-in
- Much better data transformation — built-in functions for formatting, parsing, math
- Cost-effective — pricing is by operations, not tasks, and you get far more for your money
- HTTP module — connect to any API directly, even without a pre-built integration
Weaknesses:
- Steeper learning curve — the interface is powerful but can be overwhelming for beginners
- Smaller app library than Zapier (though the HTTP module fills most gaps)
- Documentation is decent but not as polished as Zapier's
- Occasional UI sluggishness with very large scenarios
Pricing (2026): Free tier (1,000 operations/month), Core at $10.59/month (10,000 operations). Significantly cheaper than Zapier for equivalent volume.
n8n: The Developer's Dream
Best for: Technical teams, self-hosted requirements, maximum flexibility
n8n is the open-source alternative. You can self-host it on your own infrastructure (free) or use their cloud version. It's the most flexible platform by far — if you have the technical skills to use it.
Strengths:
- Open source — self-host for free, full control over data and infrastructure
- Custom code nodes — write JavaScript or Python directly inside your workflow
- No per-execution pricing on self-hosted — run unlimited workflows
- AI-native — excellent built-in support for LLM chains, vector stores, and AI agents
- Community-driven — hundreds of community-built nodes and templates
Weaknesses:
- Requires technical knowledge — best for teams with at least one developer or technical ops person
- Self-hosting means you own reliability, security, and updates
- Smaller pre-built integration library than Zapier or Make
- Cloud version is relatively new and less mature than competitors
Pricing (2026): Self-hosted is free (forever). Cloud starts at $24/month for small teams.
Our Recommendations
After building with all three extensively, here's our honest advice:
- Use Zapier if: You need something working in 15 minutes, your workflows are simple (under 5 steps), and your team isn't technical. Perfect for solopreneurs and small teams just starting out.
- Use Make if: You need more complex logic, want better pricing at scale, and are willing to invest an hour learning the interface. Best all-around choice for growing businesses.
- Use n8n if: You have technical capacity on your team, care about data sovereignty, need custom code in your workflows, or want to build AI-powered automations. The best choice for technically capable teams.
Honestly? For most of our clients, we start with Make for its balance of power and accessibility. But the best platform is the one your team will actually use and maintain.
It's Not Either/Or
Many businesses end up using more than one platform. You might use Zapier for quick, simple integrations and Make or n8n for your core operational workflows. That's totally fine — just be intentional about which goes where.
Need help deciding, or want someone to build your first automations on the right platform? Let's talk.