If you're looking to automate your business workflows, you've probably come across three names: Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), and n8n. Each has its strengths, and the right choice depends on your specific situation.
Here's an honest breakdown from a team that's built hundreds of automations across all three platforms.
The Quick Summary
Zapier — Best for simple automations and non-technical users
Make — Best balance of power and usability for growing businesses
n8n — Best for complex workflows and technical teams
Now let's dig into why.
Zapier: The Easy Button
Zapier pioneered the automation space and remains the most user-friendly option. If you've never built an automation before, you can have one running in 15 minutes.
Strengths:
- Incredibly intuitive interface
- 6,000+ app integrations (the largest library)
- Great documentation and templates
- Reliable and well-supported
Weaknesses:
- Gets expensive fast (pricing based on "tasks")
- Limited logic capabilities (basic branching only)
- Can't handle complex data transformations
- No self-hosting option
Best for: Solopreneurs and small teams who need simple, reliable automations and don't want to think about the technical details.
Typical cost: $20-100/month for light use, $200-600/month for serious use
Make: The Middle Ground
Make offers significantly more power than Zapier while remaining accessible to non-developers. The visual workflow builder is excellent.
Strengths:
- Visual builder that handles complex logic
- Much better pricing than Zapier (10-20x more operations per dollar)
- Strong data manipulation tools
- Good API connectivity
- Scenarios can be quite sophisticated
Weaknesses:
- Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- Fewer native integrations (though still 1,500+)
- Can get confusing on very complex workflows
- No self-hosting option
Best for: Growing businesses that need more sophisticated automations without hiring developers.
Typical cost: $10-50/month for light use, $100-300/month for heavy use
n8n: The Power Tool
n8n is open-source and designed for technical users who need maximum flexibility. It's what we use for most client projects at Hellion Studios.
Strengths:
- Self-hostable (your data stays yours, one-time cost)
- Unlimited workflows and executions (no per-task pricing)
- Full JavaScript/Python code access within workflows
- Can connect to anything with an API
- Most powerful data transformation capabilities
- Active open-source community
Weaknesses:
- Requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain
- Fewer pre-built integrations than competitors
- UI is less polished
- Self-hosting means you manage infrastructure
Best for: Technical teams, agencies, and businesses with complex automation needs who want full control.
Typical cost: Free (self-hosted) or $20-50/month (cloud), plus hosting costs if self-hosted (~$10-50/month)
Decision Framework
Ask yourself these questions:
1. How technical is your team?
- Non-technical: Start with Zapier
- Somewhat technical: Make is your sweet spot
- Developers on staff: n8n gives you the most power
2. How complex are your workflows?
- Simple (2-5 steps, basic logic): Any platform works
- Medium (branching, multiple apps, some data transformation): Make or n8n
- Complex (loops, heavy data processing, custom API calls): n8n
3. What's your budget sensitivity?
- Need predictable costs: n8n (flat hosting cost, no per-task fees)
- Budget flexible but want simplicity: Zapier
- Want balance: Make
4. Do you care about data privacy?
- Sensitive data, compliance requirements: n8n (self-hosted)
- Standard business data: Any platform is fine
Real-World Scenarios
Scenario 1: E-commerce store connecting Shopify to email marketing
→ Use Zapier. Simple integration, both apps are well-supported, you'll be done in 30 minutes.
Scenario 2: Lead routing based on multiple criteria with CRM updates and Slack notifications
→ Use Make. Complex enough to need real logic, but not so technical that you need code.
Scenario 3: Processing webhook data from multiple sources, transforming it, and syncing to a custom database
→ Use n8n. You'll need code access for the data transformations, and the volume will make per-task pricing painful.
Scenario 4: Building automations for clients as an agency
→ Use n8n. Self-hosting means you can build unlimited workflows without usage costs eating your margins.
Our Recommendation
For most businesses we work with, we recommend starting with Make if you're DIY-ing, or n8n if you're working with us.
Make gives you room to grow without immediately needing technical help. And if your needs eventually exceed what Make can do, the concepts transfer well to n8n.
If you're already technical or plan to build a lot of automations, skip straight to n8n. The self-hosted option means unlimited workflows for a fixed infrastructure cost — the economics are unbeatable at scale.
Need Help Deciding?
Every business is different. If you want a quick gut-check on which platform makes sense for your specific workflows, grab time on our calendar. We'll give you an honest recommendation — even if that recommendation is "just use Zapier, you don't need us."