// Blog · Automation

Zapier vs Make vs n8n — comparing automation tools

Updated: 5 November 2026 · reading time about 9 minutes

A new order in the online store should land in a spreadsheet, the customer should get a confirmation and the warehouse a notification. An enquiry from the contact form should end up in the CRM, and the salesperson should know about it within a minute. Connections like these between apps are most often built in one of three tools: Zapier, Make or n8n.

All three do essentially the same thing, so the choice can look like a matter of taste. In practice they differ in where they process data, how they charge and how far you can go before the tool starts getting in the way. Below we compare them from the perspective of a small or medium-sized business in Poland. We don't copy price lists, because they change several times a year – we compare the approach and what it means for your bill.

What is Zapier

Zapier is an American cloud service and one of the first “connect app A with app B without coding” platforms. A single automation is called a Zap: it has a trigger (e.g. “new row in Google Sheets”) and one or more actions (e.g. “create a contact in the CRM”, “send a Slack message”).

Zapier's biggest strengths are simplicity and the number of ready-made integrations – it has the most of the three, including many niche SaaS apps. A non-technical person can build their first Zap in a quarter of an hour. Zapier is also developing AI features: steps with language models, an assistant that builds an automation from a plain-language description, and its own AI agents.

Weaker points: billing by the number of executed tasks (every successful action in a Zap is a task), which quickly raises the cost of frequent, multi-step processes, and limited control over more complex logic. Zapier runs only in the provider's cloud – you cannot install it on your own server.

What is Make

Make (formerly Integromat) is a platform with Czech roots, now owned by the German company Celonis. Automations are called scenarios and are built on a visual map: modules connected by lines, with branches, filters and loops visible at a glance.

Make gives you more control over the data flow than Zapier: it is easier to process lists, map fields, handle errors and build several paths in one process. The interface is still visual and approachable, although the learning curve is a little steeper. There are fewer ready-made integrations than in Zapier, but the popular tools are covered, and the universal HTTP module lets you connect to any system with an API.

Make also charges by usage – as a rule it counts the operations performed by the modules of a scenario. It runs as a cloud service, but lets you choose the data processing region, including the European Union, which matters for GDPR when your company is in Poland.

What is n8n

n8n is a tool from Berlin developed under a fair-code model: the code is publicly available, and you can install the tool on your own server and use it in your own company without licence fees. There is also a cloud version run by its creators. Automations are workflows made of nodes, similar to Make.

n8n is the most “technical” of the three: anywhere in a process you can add code in JavaScript or Python, easily connect to any API and build elaborate logic. It also has strong AI features – language model nodes (cloud and local), an AI agent node, conversation memory and vector stores. We describe it in detail in the article what n8n is and what it is used for.

In the cloud, n8n counts executions of the whole workflow rather than individual steps. In the self-hosted version you mainly pay for the server and for the time of the person who maintains it.

n8n vs Make vs Zapier — comparison table

The table is a simplification. Each of these tools evolves quickly, and features that set one apart today may appear in the others in six months. Before deciding, check the current plan limits with the provider.

Cost: why the bill grows differently

The difference in the billing model matters more than the difference in plan prices. Take a simple example of an online store that performs five steps for every order: it fetches the order data, saves it to a spreadsheet, emails the customer, notifies the warehouse and adds the contact to the newsletter.

• In Zapier one order is several tasks (actions are counted, not the trigger itself). With a few hundred orders a month, that is already several thousand tasks.
• In Make one order is several operations, plus operations used for checking for new data if the scenario runs on a schedule.
• In n8n cloud one order is one workflow execution, regardless of the number of steps. In the self-hosted version the number of executions does not affect the licence – only the server's performance limits it.

That is why with a small number of simple processes Zapier or Make is usually cheaper, as there is no server to maintain and no setup to pay for. When there are many multi-step processes, the “per step” model starts to cost more than a server running n8n. It is also worth adding the cost of time: someone has to build the automations, test them and fix them when one of the connected apps changes. We describe what a whole AI automation project costs in the article how much AI implementation costs.

Data, GDPR and security

Automations almost always process personal data: names, emails, phone numbers, delivery addresses, the content of enquiries. Each of the three tools therefore becomes a data processor and requires a data processing agreement and an entry in your company's GDPR records.

• Zapier processes data on infrastructure in the USA. Transferring data outside the EU is allowed, but requires checking the transfer basis – read the provider's current data processing terms.
• Make lets you choose an EU region when creating the organisation, which simplifies data location.
• Self-hosted n8n lets you keep everything on a server in Poland or the EU, and combined with a local AI model – even without sending data to external services. In return, you are responsible for updates, backups and securing access.

For an accounting firm, law firm or clinic that processes particularly sensitive data, this point often decides in favour of n8n on your own server.

Zapier, Make, n8n and AI

All three tools now let you add a language model step to a process: the model reads a message, recognises its type, extracts data or drafts a reply. The differences are in the details:

• in Zapier and Make, AI is mainly ready-made steps and assistants – quick to use, but running on cloud models;
• in n8n you can build an AI agent that chooses its own tools (e.g. checks an order status, opens a ticket), connect the company knowledge base and run everything on a local model.

How an AI agent differs from a plain “if X, then Y” automation is explained in the article what is an AI agent.

Examples: which tool in which situation

One-person service business

Contact form → spreadsheet → phone notification → appointment reminder the day before. A dozen or so enquiries a week, no technical person. Zapier will work fastest here, often on the free or cheapest plan.

Online store with several sales channels

Orders from several sources, stock synchronisation, invoices, customer messages, a daily report. Processes branch and need error handling. Make is a good choice, and with a large number of orders – n8n, so that the cost doesn't grow with every step.

Accounting firm or law firm

Client documents, financial data, correspondence. Automatic sorting of attachments, reading data from invoices, reply drafts prepared by AI. Here we usually recommend n8n on a server in the EU or on the client's premises, with a local language model.

A company that already has dozens of Zaps

The bill is growing, nobody remembers which Zap does what, and some of them overlap. This is a good moment for a review: some processes can stay, some can be merged and the most expensive ones moved to n8n. Migration isn't automatic – processes have to be rebuilt, but they usually get simpler along the way.

How to choose: a quick cheat sheet

• A few simple connections, nobody on the team codes → Zapier.
• Processes with branches and list processing, you want to stay in the cloud with data in the EU → Make.
• Many processes, sensitive data, AI steps, custom code needed → n8n.
• Real-time customer conversations, very complex logic or large volumes → a no-code tool as the back end, with a custom-built core.

Whatever the tool, start with the process, not the platform: write down the steps someone does by hand today, count how much time they take, and only then choose the tool. Automating a badly designed process only produces errors faster.

How we work with these tools at Axisway

We aren't tied to one platform. If a client already has working automations in Zapier or Make that serve them well, we extend them instead of migrating. New projects, especially with AI steps and personal data, we most often build in n8n, frequently on the client's server and with local language models. Where none of these tools is enough, we write custom code. The first working version of an automation is usually ready in 7–14 days.

You can read more about what such a project looks like on the AI process automation page. If you don't know which process to start with, an AI audit will help by pointing out the tasks worth automating first.

Summary

Zapier is the simplest and has the most integrations, but gets expensive with many multi-step processes. Make gives more control and EU data processing while staying visual. n8n is the most flexible, can run on your server and handles AI best, but needs technical skills or a partner to maintain it. For a small business, a good starting point is usually one tool and one well-chosen process – the rest is easy to add once the first automation starts saving time.