n8n vs Make vs Zapier for small businesses

I spent a good part of 2021 and 2022 building automations for businesses in n8n, Make and Zapier: CRM syncs, data moving between tools, and alerts when something needs attention. All three can do most jobs. The difference is who's going to look after the automation once it's built.

Zapier: the easiest to start

Zapier has the biggest library of ready-made app connections, and the simplest editor. Pick a trigger, pick an action, done. Someone with no technical background can build a working automation in ten minutes.

• Best for: simple, linear automations like "new form entry, add to sheet, send email".
• Watch out for: cost grows with the number of tasks you run, so high-volume automations get expensive.
• Weak spot: complex branching and data reshaping feel clumsy.

Make: the visual middle ground

Make (formerly Integromat) shows your automation as a flowchart. It handles branching, loops and reshaping data much better than Zapier, and it's usually cheaper for the same volume.

• Best for: multi-step flows with conditions, like routing leads differently by city or service.
• Watch out for: the editor takes an afternoon to learn.
• Weak spot: very large or long-running jobs.

n8n: the developer's choice

n8n also works as a visual flow builder, but you can drop into JavaScript at any step and call any API with an HTTP node. The big difference is that you can host it yourself, so you control the data and the cost doesn't climb with every run.

• Best for: developers, custom APIs, and businesses that want their data on their own server.
• Watch out for: if you self-host, you're the one keeping it updated, backed up and running.
• Weak spot: fewer one-click integrations than Zapier, though the HTTP node covers most gaps.

Which one I'd pick

• A shop, clinic or café owner doing it themselves: Zapier. Fastest to learn, and the cost is fine at low volume.
• A business with a few complex workflows and someone semi-technical: Make.
• A developer, or anything touching customer data you'd rather keep in-house: n8n, self-hosted.
• Not sure: start on Zapier, and move once the bill or the limits start to bother you.

Before you automate anything

Write the process down on paper first, step by step, as if you were training a new employee. If you can't describe it clearly, automating it will just make the mess faster. And check current pricing on each site before you commit, because all three change their plans often.

Automate the boring step you already do every day. Not the one you might do someday.