The honest answer first
n8n and Make are both excellent at connecting one thing to another. The choice is not about which is more capable — both are — it is about where the work runs and who maintains it. That is a business decision, not a technical preference.
The real differences
- Where it runs. Make is cloud-only: someone else runs it, and you pay per operation on a published pricing model. n8n can run on your own server, so the recurring cost can be a hosting bill you already pay.
- Cost shape. Cloud pricing that scales with volume means a workflow that quietly runs 5,000 times a month can cost more than the task was worth. Self-hosting flips that: you pay for the server, not the run.
- Maintenance. A cloud tool is somebody else’s uptime problem. A self-hosted tool is yours: updates, backups, and the day it stops working at 2am.
- Complexity ceiling. Make is faster for straightforward visual scenarios. n8n handles awkward data better — real HTTP calls, custom code steps, odd shapes of API response — because you can drop into JavaScript or Python.
And when you need neither
The most common thing we are asked for — “automate this form into a sheet” — does not need a platform at all. A webhook or a short script does it, costs nothing to run, and has nothing to break. Our lead-capture post covers that case. Adding a platform where a 20-line script would do is a recurring bill for a one-time problem.
How we price it
Automation and integration work sits at $120–$700 fixed price depending on how many
systems are involved; n8n self-hosted setup and hardening is $550. Those are on our
Frequently asked
Only if you already have somewhere to run it and someone to maintain it. If not, a
server plus your time costs more than the platform fee you were avoiding. Usually, yes, if the workflows are documented and use plain HTTP calls rather than
anything clever. That is another argument for the boring option early on. Tell us the process you want automated and how often it runs. We will tell you which
tool fits, including “none”:
Which manual task in your business would you happily never do again?Is self-hosting always cheaper?
Can we move between them later?
Next step