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Last updated: October 29, 2026
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Make vs n8n (2027): Pricing, Self-Hosting and Which Automation Tool to Pick
Choose Make if you want a visual, no-code automation builder with a low price: it's free for 1,000 credits a month, and Core costs about $9 a month for 10,000 credits on annual billing, according to 2026 pricing guides. Choose n8n if you're technical, want to self-host for free, or run complex workflows with many steps: the Community edition is free to self-host, and n8n Cloud Starter costs €20 a month for 2,500 executions on annual billing. The billing units differ: Make counts every module action, n8n counts whole workflow runs.
- Make: Free 1,000 credits/month (2 active scenarios); Core about $9, Pro about $16, Teams about $29 per month for 10,000 credits (annual) *.
- n8n: Community edition free (self-hosted); Starter €20/month (annual) for 2,500 executions; Pro €50 for 10,000; Business €667 (self-hosted licence).
- Billing unit: Make 1 credit per module action; n8n 1 execution per complete workflow run.
- A 6-step workflow run 1,000 times: about 6,000 Make credits vs 1,000 n8n executions.
- Make is no-code first; n8n is low-code with code steps and self-hosting.
Make vs n8n at a glance
| Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|
| Free option | 1,000 credits/month (cloud) | Community edition (self-hosted) |
| Entry paid plan | Core about $9/month, 10,000 credits * | Starter €20/month, 2,500 executions |
| Next plan | Pro about $16 * | Pro €50, 10,000 executions |
| Billing unit | Credits (per module action) | Executions (per workflow run) |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes |
| Best for | Non-technical teams, visual scenarios | Technical teams, complex and high-step workflows |
Why the billing unit changes everything
Take a workflow with 6 steps (a trigger and five actions) that runs 1,000 times a month:
| Tool | How it counts | Units used | Plan needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make | 1 credit per module action | about 6,000 credits | Core (10,000 credits), about $9 * |
| n8n Cloud | 1 execution per workflow run | 1,000 executions | Starter (2,500), €20 |
| n8n self-hosted | Free | Unlimited (server capacity) | Community: server cost only |
For short workflows with few steps, Make's credits go far. For long workflows with many steps, n8n's per-execution billing becomes cheaper, and self-hosting can make it almost free.
Pricing compared
Free options
Make's free plan gives 1,000 credits a month and 2 active scenarios in the cloud, with a 15-minute minimum interval. n8n's Community edition is free and unlimited, but you host it yourself on a server you pay for and maintain.
Paid cloud plans
Make Core costs about $9 a month for 10,000 credits on annual billing, according to 2026 pricing guides. n8n Starter costs €20 a month for 2,500 executions on annual billing, and Pro €50 for 10,000.
Cost per unit
| Plan | Price (annual) | Units | Cost per 1,000 units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make Core * | about $9 | 10,000 credits | about $0.90 per 1,000 credits |
| n8n Starter | €20 | 2,500 executions | €8 per 1,000 executions |
| n8n Pro | €50 | 10,000 executions | €5 per 1,000 executions |
Compare per workflow run, not per unit: a 10-step Make scenario uses 10 credits per run; an n8n workflow uses 1 execution per run.
What real workflows cost
| Workflow | Runs/month | Make | n8n Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form to CRM to Slack (3 steps) | 500 | 1,500 credits: Core * | 500 executions: Starter €20 |
| Lead enrichment (8 steps) | 1,000 | 8,000 credits: Core * | 1,000: Starter €20 |
| Order sync (12 steps) | 2,000 | 24,000 credits: above Core's 10,000 * | 2,000: Starter €20 |
| AI content pipeline (15 steps) | 5,000 | 75,000 credits: higher tier * | 5,000: Pro €50 |
Make is cheapest for small, simple scenarios; n8n gets cheaper as workflows get longer and run more often.
Features that decide the choice
| If you need… | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A visual, no-code builder | Make | Designed for non-developers |
| Self-hosting and data control | n8n | Community edition and Business licence |
| Long workflows with many steps | n8n | Billed per execution |
| Code steps (JavaScript, Python) | n8n | Built-in code nodes |
| The cheapest start for simple automations | Make | Core about $9 * |
| AI agents and LLM workflows | n8n | Popular for AI workflows with code control |
Three real-world scenarios
A marketing team automating lead routing
Forms, CRM updates and Slack alerts with 3 to 5 steps and a few hundred runs a month: Make's visual builder and Core plan fit well.
A developer building AI workflows
Multi-step workflows that call AI models, transform data with code and run thousands of times: n8n self-hosted or Pro is cheaper and more flexible. See how to self-host n8n.
An agency managing automations for clients
Make's scenarios are easy to hand over to non-technical clients; n8n's self-hosting suits agencies that want to control infrastructure and costs. Many agencies use both.
Try Make free → 1,000 credits a month, no credit card · Affiliate link
Hidden costs to watch
- Make credits add up quickly on scenarios with many modules.
- n8n self-hosting costs server fees and maintenance time.
- n8n Cloud executions: long-running or frequent workflows use them faster.
- Make's free plan: 2 active scenarios and a 15-minute interval.
- Currency: n8n's pricing page shows euros.
Alternatives worth comparing
| Tool | Free option | Entry price | Why consider it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | 100 tasks/month | Professional $19.99/month for 750 tasks (annual) | Easiest, most integrations |
| Activepieces | 1,000 credits/month | Plus $20/month | Open-source alternative |
| Pabbly Connect | 100 tasks/month | One-time lifetime plans | Pay once |
See Make pricing, n8n pricing, Make vs Zapier, n8n vs Zapier and what is n8n.
How to choose in 5 steps
- List your workflows with step counts and monthly runs.
- Calculate Make credits (steps × runs) and n8n executions (runs).
- Decide on hosting: cloud only, or self-hosted for control and cost.
- Build your most important workflow in both free options.
- Pick the tool your team can maintain without help.
Terms explained
- Scenario: a Make automation.
- Workflow: an n8n automation.
- Credit: Make's billing unit, one per module action.
- Execution: n8n's billing unit, one per complete run.
- Self-hosting: running the software on your own server.
Self-hosting n8n: what it really costs
The Community edition is free, but a server is not. A small cloud server suitable for light workloads costs a few dollars a month, and you also spend time on updates, backups and security. For a developer comfortable with Docker, that's often the cheapest way to run thousands of executions. For a non-technical team, n8n Cloud or Make avoids the maintenance. Our guide on how to self-host n8n explains the setup step by step.
Our verdict
Make is the better choice for non-technical teams that want a visual builder and a low price for simple to medium automations. n8n is the better choice for technical teams, long multi-step workflows and anyone who wants to self-host, because it bills per workflow run and its Community edition is free. If you're unsure, count your workflow steps: the more steps per run, the more n8n saves.
How we compiled this page
n8n prices come from its official pricing page on October 29, 2026 (annual billing, in euros). Make's free plan comes from its official page; paid prices come from 2026 pricing guides and are marked with *. Workflow examples multiply steps by runs.
FAQ
Is n8n cheaper than Make?
For long workflows that run often, usually yes, because n8n bills per execution and can be self-hosted free. For short, simple scenarios, Make is often cheaper.
Is Make easier than n8n?
Yes, for most non-technical users. n8n is more flexible for developers.
Can I self-host Make?
No. Make is cloud-only. n8n can be self-hosted.
Does n8n have a free plan?
The Community edition is free to self-host. n8n Cloud plans start at €20 a month (annual).
Which is better for AI workflows?
n8n is popular for AI workflows because of code nodes and self-hosting; Make also offers AI modules in its visual builder.
Which has more integrations?
Both offer large libraries of app integrations and generic HTTP and webhook modules for anything not built in. Check that your key apps are supported natively before choosing.
Does n8n charge per step?
No. n8n Cloud bills one execution per complete workflow run, regardless of the number of steps.
Sources
n8n.io/pricing and make.com/en/pricing, checked October 29, 2026. Make paid prices from 2026 pricing guides.
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