n8n vs Make (Integromat): the complete 2026 comparison

n8n and Make (formerly Integromat) both let you connect apps and automate workflows without writing a full backend. But the trade-offs are wildly different once you go past toy demos. This guide is based on running both in production for client projects: WhatsApp AI agents, CRM sync, invoice generation, scraping pipelines, LLM chains, the works.

The 30-second summary

• →Pick n8n if: you value ownership, want to self-host, need code inside workflows, care about cost at scale, or build AI agents.
• →Pick Make if: you want the fastest onboarding, hate DevOps, and your workflow volume stays under ~10k operations/month.
• →For most agencies and startups building AI-heavy automations in 2026, n8n wins. For solo operators automating personal SaaS stacks, Make is often faster to ship.

Pricing that actually reflects real usage

Make charges per operation (each module execution). A single scenario that fetches a webhook, calls OpenAI, writes to Airtable, and sends a Slack message = 4 operations. Their Pro plan gives you 10,000 ops/month for $16. Sounds fine until you plug in an AI agent that runs 50 times per lead — you burn through it in a week.

n8n Cloud starts at $20/month for 2,500 workflow executions (not operations — full runs). More importantly, self-hosted n8n on a $6/month VPS gives you unlimited executions. We run client instances processing 200,000+ executions monthly for the cost of a coffee. That's the real pricing story most comparison articles miss.

AI and LLM support in 2026

This is where n8n pulled decisively ahead in the last 18 months. Native AI Agent nodes with tool calling, vector stores (Qdrant, Pinecone, Supabase pgvector), LangChain-style chains, and memory management — all as first-class nodes. You can build a functional WhatsApp customer support agent with RAG in an afternoon.

Make added an OpenAI module and a few AI helpers, but you're mostly wiring raw HTTP calls if you want anything sophisticated. For agentic workflows (multi-step reasoning, tool use, memory) n8n isn't just better — it's a different category.

Self-hosting: the deciding factor for many

n8n is fair-code (Sustainable Use License) and can be self-hosted on any Docker host. Deploy on Hetzner, Coolify, Railway, or a $5 DigitalOcean droplet. You own the data, the credentials, the execution logs. For clients in regulated industries (health, legal, finance) this alone rules Make out.

Real cost example: 100k executions/month

• →Make Teams plan (100k ops): $299/month
• →n8n Cloud Pro (100k executions): $50/month
• →Self-hosted n8n on Hetzner CX22 (unlimited executions): $6/month + 2 hours setup

Error handling and observability

Make's error handling UI is genuinely excellent — visual, per-module, with automatic retries and rollback paths that even non-technical users can configure. n8n's error workflows are more powerful (you can trigger arbitrary sub-workflows on failure) but less polished visually. If your team is non-technical, Make's error UX is a real advantage.

Code when you need it

n8n ships with Code nodes running JavaScript or Python (via Pyodide). You can npm-install packages, hit databases directly, transform data with real code. Make has an Iterator and a rudimentary JS module but nothing close. For anything beyond simple map/filter, n8n saves hours.

// n8n Code node — enrich a WhatsApp message with CRM data
const phone = $json.from;
const crm = await $helpers.httpRequest({
  url: `https://api.crm.com/contacts?phone=${phone}`,
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${$env.CRM_KEY}` },
});
return [{ json: { ...$json, contact: crm.contact } }];

Community and templates

Make has a bigger app catalog (~1,900 integrations vs n8n's ~500) but n8n's HTTP Request node handles any REST API in 30 seconds. The n8n community publishes 2,000+ workflow templates on n8n.io/workflows, and the AI-agent community around it is exploding. Make's template library is polished but less open.

When Make is still the right call

• →One-person operation, no DevOps appetite, workflows are simple app-to-app sync.
• →You value a highly polished visual UX over customization.
• →Your integrations are exclusively in Make's native catalog (Facebook Ads, ClickUp, etc.).
• →You don't need AI agents or code execution.

Our recommendation

For agencies, product teams, and anyone building AI-heavy workflows: go n8n, self-host it, and never look back. For solo entrepreneurs automating a personal SaaS stack: start on Make, migrate to n8n when your bill crosses $80/month or when you need AI agents.