Workflow Automation & Backend OrchestrationLast technical review:
Markdown for AI (.md)

n8n vs Make

Objective factual benchmark between two leading platforms to identify optimal fit based on scale and architecture.

n8n

Paid
From $24/mo

Node-based workflow automation platform combining AI capabilities with code flexibility for technical teams.

View analysis of n8nTry n8n

Technical Verdict & Decision Factors

n8n stands out for offering self-hosted deployments and native support for custom JavaScript and Python nodes, ensuring strict data control and infrastructure sovereignty. Make operates exclusively as a cloud-based SaaS, featuring a highly sophisticated visual canvas for error handling and complex data structures without requiring proprietary infrastructure.

Scale-ups & Agile Teams

Choose n8n if

Ideal for engineering teams requiring total infrastructure control via self-hosted deployments and needing to process complex logic using custom JavaScript or Python code.

Get started with n8n (opens in a new tab)
Enterprise & Compliance

Choose Make if

Suitable for operations teams and developers prioritizing a managed SaaS platform with an advanced visual canvas for data mapping and detailed error management without server maintenance.

Get started with Make (opens in a new tab)

Key Differentiators

  • Self-hosted deployment versus strictly SaaS architecture
  • Custom code execution using JavaScript and Python nodes
  • Licensing models and data sovereignty on proprietary servers
Weights 40% DX, 40% Fair Pricing, 20% PerformanceRecommended winner for this scenario:n8n (8.6/10)
n8n8.6/10
Make7.0/10
Weights 45% Security & Governance, 35% Reliability, 20% DXRecommended winner for this scenario:n8n (8.9/10)
n8n8.9/10
Make7.8/10
Weights 55% Data Portability, 25% Fair Pricing, 20% SecurityRecommended winner for this scenario:n8n (6.2/10)
n8n6.2/10
Make3.8/10

Side-by-Side Feature Comparison

n8n vs Make
Datasheet
n8nPaid
MakeFreemium
Commercial Model & Pricing
Base Price$24.00/moFree Tier
Pricing ModelPaidFreemium
Score4.5/5.0(1 review)4.4/5.0(1 review)
VerifiedVerifiedVerified tool: Audited technical attributesVerifiedVerified tool: Audited technical attributes
Core Features Matrix
Specific Capabilities for Workflow Automation & Backend Orchestration
Stateful Durable ExecutionNot availableNot available
Dead Letter Queue (DLQ) & ReplayNot availableNot available
TypeScript / Python Code StepsNot availableNot available
Enterprise Architecture & Security (7 Universals)
REST & GraphQL APICompatibleCompatible
SSO / SAML AuthenticationCompatibleCompatible
Self-Hosted OptionCompatibleNot available
Full Data ExportCompatibleCompatible
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)CompatibleCompatible
Custom Domains & SSLNot availableNot available
Immutable Audit LogsCompatibleCompatible
Architecture & Verified Specs
Compliance & Data Sovereignty
Audited Certifications
SOC2 TYPE2GDPR
SOC2 TYPE2GDPR
SSO (SAML) AvailabilityEnterprise plan onlyEnterprise plan only
Legal Headquarters & JurisdictionDECZ
Subject to US CLOUD ActImmune (EU Sovereignty)Immune (EU Sovereignty)
Data ResidencyUS, EU, SELF_HOSTEDUS, EU
Open Source Telemetry & Code Sovereignty
GitHub Stars 209.3kProprietary / Closed Source
Latest Commit / VitalityNov 1, 2026Proprietary / Closed Source
SPDX LicenseOtherProprietary / Closed Source
Primary LanguageTypeScriptCloud / SaaS
Minimum RAM RequiredCloud ManagedCloud Managed
Visit WebsiteTry n8n (opens in a new tab)Try Make (opens in a new tab)

Last technical review:

Technical Scorecard Comparison
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Technical Scorecard Comparison: n8n vs Make

n8n88/100
Make85/100
DX & Tech Documentation+4 pts n8n
n8n
92
Make
88
Pricing Fairness+6 pts n8n
n8n
88
Make
82
Security & Governance
n8n
85
Make
85
Data Portability & Sovereignty+10 pts n8n
n8n
90
Make
80
Performance & Reliability+5 pts Make
n8n
85
Make
90

Time to Value & Fit by Segment: n8n vs Make

n8n

Time-to-Value:< 1 hour (Immediate)
Curve:Moderate (Standard)

Near-instantaneous deployment with minimal technical friction.

Make

Time-to-Value:< 1 hour (Immediate)
Curve:Moderate (Standard)

Near-instantaneous deployment with minimal technical friction.

Segment Fit Comparison

Startup & Agile Teams1 to 50 members
n8n
90%
Make
90%
Mid-Market & Scaleup50 to 500 members
n8n
85%
Make
85%
Corporate Enterprise500+ members
n8n
75%
Make
75%
Pricing & Licensing Breakdown
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Billing Clauses & SSO Tax: n8n vs Make

n8n

Enterprise-Only SSO

SAML/SSO locked strictly behind the highest custom corporate tier.

Free:Self-hosted edition is free under fair-code terms; limited cloud trial available.
  • Execution quotas can deplete rapidly during high-volume data loops or debugging iterations.

Make

Enterprise-Only SSO

SAML/SSO locked strictly behind the highest custom corporate tier.

Free:Includes a limited monthly operations quota for testing and basic workflows.
  • Operations count can increase exponentially with poorly optimized loops and iterations.
TCO & Savings CalculatorTCO 1-3Y
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Indie / Solo (1 active user)

Solo developer or independent technical founder.

n8n

Base Monthly Cost:$24/month
12-Month Investment:$245/year
36 Months (3 years):$735

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$12/month
12-Month Investment:$122/year
36 Months (3 years):$366
Estimated Financial Differential

Make: $123 USD/year ($369 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Startup (10 active users)

Agile engineering team in validation and early traction stage.

n8n

Base Monthly Cost:$390/month
12-Month Investment:$3,978/year
36 Months (3 years):$11,934

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$270/month
12-Month Investment:$2,754/year
36 Months (3 years):$8,262
Estimated Financial Differential

Make: $1,224 USD/year ($3,672 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Growth (25 active users)

Scaling company with team governance and granular access control requirements.

n8n

Base Monthly Cost:$975/month
12-Month Investment:$9,945/year
36 Months (3 years):$29,835

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$675/month
12-Month Investment:$6,885/year
36 Months (3 years):$20,655
Estimated Financial Differential

Make: $3,060 USD/year ($9,180 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Scaleup (100 active users)

Established organization with enterprise security policies and mandatory SAML/SSO.

n8n

Base Monthly Cost:$3,900/month
12-Month Investment:$39,780/year
36 Months (3 years):$119,340

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Base Monthly Cost:$2,700/month
12-Month Investment:$27,540/year
36 Months (3 years):$82,620
Estimated Financial Differential

Make: $12,240 USD/year ($36,720 USD 36 Months (3 years)).

Usage Billing PredictabilityWhat usage costs as you scale
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Prototype / MVP (10 GB)

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

n8n

Overage penalty:$0
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$24/mo
Low Risk

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$1/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$21/mo
Low Risk

Base Production (50 GB)

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

n8n

Overage penalty:+$5/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$29/mo
Low Risk

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$8/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$28/mo
Low Risk

Active Growth (250 GB)

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

n8n

Overage penalty:+$41/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$65/mo
High Risk

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$44/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$64/mo
High Risk

Large Scale (1.000 GB (1 TB))

Comparative projection for Storage & Compute (GB)

n8n

Overage penalty:+$176/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$200/mo
Critical Risk

Make

Most Cost-Effective
Overage penalty:+$179/mo
Estimated Monthly Invoice:$199/mo
Critical Risk
Bidirectional Migration Friction Index (MFI)
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Bidirectional Migration Friction Index (MFI)

n8nMake
Smooth Migration

Migration friction: n8n to Make

0/100

Agile transition with low operational risk and native export/API support.

Critical Factors Evaluated

Smooth path: native export support, ingestion API, and authentication parity.

Maken8n
Smooth Migration

Migration friction: Make to n8n

15/100

Agile transition with low operational risk and native export/API support.

Critical Factors Evaluated

  • +15 ptsTransition from a free or freemium model to a mandatory paid tier in n8n.
Migration & Portability VerdictMake · Δ 15 pts

Migrating from Make to n8n has significantly lower friction (15/100) than the reverse path (0/100). {from} provides easier data liberation and lower exit costs.

Technical Transition Playbook: n8n to MakeCLI Runbook
4-stage execution protocol to switch dependencies with zero data loss and verifiable rollback.
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01

Data Extraction & Baseline Snapshot

Full export of n8n datasets in audited formats (JSON). Secure an immutable snapshot prior to cutover.

n8n export:workflow --all
02

Schema Mapping & Contract Validation

Normalize entity identifiers, timestamps, and event payloads between n8n APIs and destination schema in Make.

# Schema mapping & validation
npx tsx scripts/map-migration.ts --source=n8n --target=integromat
03

Dual-Ingestion Period (Dual-Writing)

Simultaneous telemetry dispatch to n8n and Make for 72 hours to contrast volume, integrity, and latency without downtime.

export TELEMETRY_PRIMARY="integromat"
export TELEMETRY_SECONDARY="n8n"
04

Decommissioning & Rollback Safety

De-instrument n8n SDK, archive snapshot in cold S3 storage, and confirm zero ongoing billing.

# Check decommission
curl -I "https://n8n.io/"

Architecture Decision Record for CTOs & Tech Leads

Production-ready technical document for Notion, Confluence, or Pull Requests

Select recommended tool:
n8nMake
Download ADR (.md)View Markdown
Community Sentiment & Commercial Terms
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Technical Reputation of n8n

87/100 Technical Trust

Frequent Praises in Production

  • Fair-code licensing model suitable for local self-hosting with total data control.
  • Advanced combination of visual nodes with custom JavaScript or Python code execution.
  • Native integration with artificial intelligence agents and large language models.

Reported Production Frictions

  • Advanced enterprise security features like SAML/SSO require higher-tier or custom enterprise plans.
  • Learning curve for configuring complex data flows and debugging custom code requires technical skills.
Commercial Treatment & Vendor Lock-in:Self-Service in Dashboard

Cancellation flow is autonomous via billing portal or subscription settings.

Technical Reputation of Make

83/100 Technical Trust

Frequent Praises in Production

  • Advanced error handling capabilities compared to similar tools
  • Powerful visual canvas for complex and branching workflows
  • Extensive connector ecosystem and support for custom API calls

Reported Production Frictions

  • Moderately steep learning curve for non-technical users
  • Operation consumption can scale quickly under high-traffic scenarios
Commercial Treatment & Vendor Lock-in:Requires Sales Contact

Assisted cancellation requiring meeting with account team or contract notice period.

Frequently Asked Questions: n8n vs Make

What are the key differences between n8n and Make?

n8n stands out for offering self-hosted deployments and native support for custom JavaScript and Python nodes, ensuring strict data control and infrastructure sovereignty. Make operates exclusively as a cloud-based SaaS, featuring a highly sophisticated visual canvas for error handling and complex data structures without requiring proprietary infrastructure.

How do n8n and Make pricing compare?

n8n starts at 24.00/mo under paid tier, while Make starts at 0.00/mo with freemium billing.

When should you choose n8n over Make?

If your priority is Node-based workflow automation platform combining AI capabilities with code flexibility for technical teams., n8n is the optimal choice; for Visual platform for no-code workflow automation and orchestration., Make provides superior benefits.

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