n8n vs. Make (2026): Which Automation Platform Fits Your Workflows?

n8n and Make both let you connect apps, branch logic, and transform data on a visual canvas, and both now include AI agent features. The difference that matters most is how they charge and where they run. n8n counts each complete workflow run as one execution and can be self-hosted. Make counts each module action as a credit and runs as a hosted service.

The short answer

Choose n8n if your workflows have many steps, you want to write code inside them, or you need control over where the software runs. Its Community Edition is free to self-host, and its cloud plans bill by whole workflow runs.

Choose Make if you want a hosted tool with a permanent free plan and a visual builder for branching workflows, and you are willing to watch credit use. Reviewers praise its builder and integrations, while its billing is the main thing buyers need to understand first.

How each one bills

This is the biggest practical difference. On n8n Cloud, a workflow run is one execution whether it has three steps or thirty. Starter costs €20 per month billed annually for 2,500 executions, and Pro costs €50 for 10,000.

On Make, most module actions use one credit. Core costs $9 per month billed annually for 10,000 credits. Routers and error handlers do not use credits, but loops, retries and polling triggers do.

A simple example shows the gap. Take a ten-module scenario with no routers that runs 1,000 times in a month. On Make that is roughly 10,000 credits, which is all of Core’s monthly allowance. On n8n it is 1,000 executions, well inside Starter’s 2,500. Real workflows vary, so count your own steps and runs. Note also that n8n lists prices in euros and Make in dollars, so compare the units rather than the headline numbers.

Pricing for both was checked on each vendor’s official pricing page on 17 October 2026.

Free options and limits

Make has a free plan with no time limit: 1,000 credits a month, two active scenarios, and a 15-minute minimum schedule interval. n8n Cloud does not have a permanent free plan, but it offers a free trial without a credit card, and the self-hosted Community Edition is free with no n8n-imposed execution quota. That free edition still costs you servers, updates and security work.

Both have run-time limits on lower plans. n8n Cloud caps a run at five minutes on Starter and 40 minutes on Pro. Make caps a run at five minutes on Free and 40 minutes on paid plans. Both include unlimited users on their paid cloud plans, so neither charges per seat.

Hosting, licensing and control

n8n is the one to consider if hosting matters. You can run the Community Edition yourself, or use n8n Cloud. Its Sustainable Use License allows internal business use and building workflows for clients, but it requires a separate agreement if you want to let your own customers use n8n to build their own workflows. It is source-available rather than OSI open source.

Make’s pricing page lists hosting on AWS in the EU and North America and does not list a self-hosted option. Make reports GDPR adherence and completed SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 audits. If your priority is a managed service with no servers to run, that is a simpler path.

Learning curve and AI

Neither is the simplest tool for basic automations. Reviews of n8n often describe a steeper curve for complex workflows, especially around JSON, expressions and code. Reviews of Make describe a curve that steepens with advanced features, along with errors that can be hard to diagnose. Some reviewers who chose Make over n8n found Make easier, so your own background matters.

On AI, n8n includes AI agent and MCP features on its cloud plans, and Make lists AI agents (still in beta), an AI toolkit, an MCP server and a conversational builder on every plan. Both let you bring your own AI provider in some form, so check the current plan details for the features you plan to use.

Which should you choose?

For multi-step, high-volume workflows, custom code, or self-hosting, n8n is the clearer match. For freelancers and small teams who want a hosted visual builder, a free plan to learn on, and mostly moderate-volume scenarios, Make is the more natural fit.

Neither is automatically cheaper. Estimate your steps per run and runs per month first, then compare. The comparison table below summarizes each product’s entry offer and its score from our individual review. For the full detail, read the n8n review and the Make review.