On smaller screens, scroll sideways to compare both tools.
| Compare features | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A visual automation service built around scenarios. Model branching, iterations and data volume before estimating credits. | A workflow platform with hosted and self-hosted options. Assess operational control alongside maintenance responsibilities. |
| Category | Automation & websites | Automation & websites |
| Paid entry price | US$9 / mo+Monthly equivalent, billed annually · Core · 10,000 credits/month Core with 10,000 credits per month. USD 9 monthly equivalent on annual billing (USD 108 annual base commitment); month-to-month billing is USD 10.59. Allowances reset monthly. Taxes, extra credits and external AI/API bills are separate. | €20 / mo+Monthly equivalent, billed annually · Starter Starter monthly equivalent on annual billing. Check executions, concurrency and external API bills separately; the Cloud trial is not a continuing free allowance. |
| Free plan | Supported | Supported |
| Japanese support | Unverified | Unverified |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud / self-hosted |
| Reasons to choose |
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| Pricing checked | 2026-10-28 | 2026-10-27 |
| Official pricing | Check pricingAffiliate link | Check pricing |
Prices exclude tax, currency conversion and introductory discounts. Different currencies and billing periods are not directly comparable. Japanese support can apply to input, output or the interface; check each tool’s scope.
- Separate the three operating options
- Model credits and workflow executions independently
- Compare equal service requirements
- Price self-hosted maintenance as real work
- Test the exact integration and handover task
- Example: choose around the actual operating team
- Record the choice and a separate cutover plan
Separate the three operating options
Treat Make, n8n Cloud and self-hosted n8n as separate operating choices. Self-hosting gives you infrastructure responsibility as well as configuration choices. List the reason for requiring it, such as a deployment boundary or internal integration. Also map outbound API traffic: hosting the workflow yourself does not keep information local when its next step sends data to an external service.
Model credits and workflow executions independently
Model Make from module usage and paid n8n plans from workflow executions. One thousand source items can become individual starts or daily batches, with different timing and complexity. A process with many line items deserves a separate fan-out estimate. Include workflow splitting and recovery in the selected provider’s terms rather than assuming one business record always equals one billable execution.
Compare equal service requirements
Daily batching and immediate intake are not equivalent service levels. Fix acceptable delay, item counts and invalid-input behavior before pricing either design. The workflow diagrams can differ, but the resulting ledger and notification should satisfy the same test. Any claim about execution speed needs a separate measurement; this article provides a decision method, not a latency benchmark.
Price self-hosted maintenance as real work
Budget hosting, storage and backups along with upgrades and recovery time. Check whether the selected edition includes the access and collaboration controls the team needs. Avoid adopting a production self-hosted service solely because someone can install it once. Name the person who will restore it, rotate credentials and test an update after the original builder is unavailable.
Test the exact integration and handover task
Try a recipient change, an extra API field and a changed input format as maintenance exercises. Identify which changes fit ordinary modules and which need code. A visually maintained Make scenario may suit one team, while another already has the engineering ownership needed for its n8n setup. Evaluate the actual handover rather than ranking products by feature count.
Example: choose around the actual operating team
For a small team of nontechnical operators, focus on who can inspect connections and recover unfinished work. Having one developer does not mean all daily operations should depend on that person. A team already maintaining complex internal API transformations can evaluate a different design within its established engineering process.
For self-hosting, have a second person locate the backup and understand the recovery instructions. Managed cloud still leaves connection renewal and business exceptions to the customer. Write the responsibilities before comparing prices so that one proposal does not appear cheaper simply because its maintenance work was omitted.
Record the choice and a separate cutover plan
Use a small acceptance sample, then choose the allowance and operating model supported by the team. For migration, carry over processed IDs and unfinished work as well as connections. Define which system owns requests at the boundary and how you would reverse the cutover. Subscription savings matter only alongside a process the organization can maintain and recover.
Start a small workflow in Make
Try the required workflow with practice data, then choose a plan around its usage and features. Check current prices, promotions and eligibility in the official signup flow.
Sign up on MakeAffiliate linkEstimate costs for your workload
Enter monthly jobs, billable steps and retries to see how different billing units affect your estimate.
Open cost calculatorOfficial sources
Pricing, availability and feature limits can change. Check the linked official pages before subscribing.
- n8n pricingInformation checked: 2026-10-27
- Self-hosting n8n and maintenance responsibilitiesInformation checked: 2026-10-29
- Make creditsInformation checked: 2026-10-26
- Make pricing — Core at 10,000 monthly creditsInformation checked: 2026-10-28
- Make scenario settingsInformation checked: 2026-10-26
- Choose how to use n8nInformation checked: 2026-10-26
- n8n Community license FAQInformation checked: 2026-10-26