Make vs n8n
Side-by-side total cost of ownership: subscription fees, labor, hidden costs, and AI alternatives.
Published pricing
The subscription is only part of the cost.
| Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | $9/seat/mo | $20/seat/mo |
| Team size modeled | 5 | 5 |
| Annual subscription | $540/yr | $1,200/yr |
What the invoice doesn't show
Make
Make charges per 'operation,' not per workflow run. A 5-step automation processing 1,000 records uses 5,000 operations. The free tier is 1,000 operations/month — a single mid-complexity automation can exhaust it in minutes. Teams quickly need Core ($9/mo, 10K ops) or Pro ($16/mo, 40K ops).
Free and Core plans limit scenario execution to 15-minute minimum intervals. Real-time automation for time-sensitive workflows (order processing, support triggers, inventory alerts) requires the Pro plan. The jump from $0 to real-time execution costs $16/month regardless of actual usage.
Make's per-operation model means complex, multi-branch automations with routers, iterators, and error handlers consume significantly more operations than expected. Teams building enterprise-grade workflows regularly run over their budgets and face overages at $0.001 per extra operation.
Collaboration requires upgrading to the Teams plan ($29/mo). Core and Pro plans support only 1 active user per account. A 3-person operations team is forced to Teams pricing — paying $29/mo for collaboration features that competitors include in every tier.
n8n
Self-hosting appears free but requires VPS infrastructure ($5–$20/mo), Docker expertise, and ongoing maintenance (2–5 hours/month for version updates, SSL certificates, and backups). Teams without a developer or DevOps resource often spend more in hourly labor than a Zapier Pro subscription covers.
n8n Cloud charges per workflow execution — one full run of a multi-step workflow counts as one execution. Starter ($20/mo, 2,500 executions) runs out quickly for businesses with 20+ active workflows. Pro ($50/mo, 10,000 executions) is the realistic SMB tier for automation-heavy teams.
n8n has a steep learning curve compared to no-code tools. It requires comfort with JSON expressions, JavaScript code nodes, and API authentication concepts. G2 reviewers report 1–2 weeks to become proficient; non-technical ops teams often require engineering support to build and maintain workflows.
No official support on the free self-hosted tier — community forum only, with response times measured in days. Enterprise cloud support requires custom pricing. Teams running mission-critical automations on self-hosted n8n have zero SLA if something breaks.
What teams are switching to
Replacing Make
n8n
Free (self-hosted), Cloud from $24/mo
Open-source workflow automation with no operation limits. Self-hosted on your own server for near-zero marginal cost; n8n Cloud starts at $24/month. 400+ integrations, visual builder, AI Agent nodes, and no per-operation charges regardless of workflow complexity.
Zapier
Free (100 tasks/mo), Professional $29.99/mo (2,000 tasks)
7,000+ app integrations vs Make's 1,800+, with task-based pricing that is easier to predict for simple workflows. AI Zap builder creates automations from plain-language descriptions. Better suited for non-technical users who don't need advanced data transformation.
Activepieces
Free (1K runs/mo), Business $99/mo unlimited
Open-source, MIT-licensed alternative with drag-and-drop workflow builder and no operation counting. Cloud plan is free for up to 1,000 runs/month. Growing integration library — best for teams that want Make's visual power without per-step billing.
Replacing n8n
Activepieces
Free (self-hosted), $99/mo (Cloud Pro)
Open-source automation platform with a no-code visual builder. Free self-hosted and cloud Pro includes unlimited tasks — no execution caps. Easier to set up than n8n without requiring code skills. Growing integration library of 200+ connectors.
Make
Free (1K ops/mo), $9/mo (Core, 10K ops), $16/mo (Pro)
Visual scenario builder with 10,000 operations for $9/mo — roughly 4x more actions per dollar than n8n Cloud Starter for non-technical users. No coding required. 1,500+ app integrations with a friendlier learning curve than n8n.
Zapier
Free (100 tasks/mo), $19.99/mo (Pro, 750 tasks)
Largest app ecosystem (7,000+ integrations) with the easiest no-code interface. AI Copilot builds automations from natural language descriptions. Best for teams that prioritize breadth of connections over cost efficiency.
StackCut doesn't sell or recommend any of these tools. We show them for context. The decision is yours.
Total Cost of Ownership
Subscription fees plus labor and error costs, modeled at $50/hr loaded rate (BLS ECEC).
| Cost Component | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Annual subscription | $540 | $1,200 |
| Labor cost | $7,200 | $7,200 |
| Error & rework cost | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | $10,140/yr | $10,800/yr |
| Est. AI alternative | $2,188/yr | $2,188/yr |
Labor rate based on BLS ECEC June 2025 ($45.65/hr private industry total compensation, rounded to $50). Team sizes differ because each vendor targets different market segments. Your actual numbers depend on team size, role mix, and usage. Run it with your own data.
Which one fits your team?
Both Make and n8ncost more than their published pricing suggests. The right choice depends on your team size and how you weigh each tool's trade-offs.
Make starts at $9/seat/mo , but watch for Make charges per 'operation,' not per workflow run. A 5-step automation processing 1,000 records uses 5,000 operations. The free tier is 1,000 operations/month — a single mid-complexity automation can exhaust it in minutes. Teams quickly need Core ($9/mo, 10K ops) or Pro ($16/mo, 40K ops).
n8n starts at $20/seat/mo , but watch for Self-hosting appears free but requires VPS infrastructure ($5–$20/mo), Docker expertise, and ongoing maintenance (2–5 hours/month for version updates, SSL certificates, and backups). Teams without a developer or DevOps resource often spend more in hourly labor than a Zapier Pro subscription covers.
An AI-native alternative may replace the workflow at a fraction of the TCO.
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