Make vs n8n (2026): cloud convenience vs self-host control

The short answer: they meter opposite things, and that decides the price at your volume.

Make counts every step. n8n counts the run. On Make, "each module action… counts as one credit". On n8n, one execution covers a whole workflow with "unlimited steps". So a simple two-step automation is cheapest on Make, whose free 1,000-credit tier n8n cloud doesn't even try to match (n8n has no permanent free cloud plan). But a long, step-heavy workflow flips hard the other way. A 10-step job run 1,000 times a month is roughly 10,000 Make credits, but only 1,000 n8n executions, well inside its 20€ Starter.

And there's a third option in this comparison, the one that pays neither vendor: n8n self-hosted. It's free software on your own VPS at roughly US$5. It suits the technically comfortable, and it keeps your data in Singapore.

At a glance (checked 15 Jul 2026)

A freshness warning, and we mean it: n8n's cloud pricing changed between our 13 July and 15 July checks. The table above is the 15 July page. Automation pricing moves this fast, so if you're reading this far from our date, click through. (That decay is the whole theme of the real-cost piece.)

What you're actually buying

Make is the friendliest serious automation canvas. 3,000+ app modules, a visual editor a non-technical owner can actually drive (every Make-based playbook on this site assumes exactly that), and the most usable free tier in the category. Its AI Agents, agents that reason and orchestrate across your scenarios, run on every plan including Free. The economics punish step-count. Each module action burns a credit, and credits expire.

n8n cloud is the same idea with more headroom and a more technical accent: unlimited steps per execution, code nodes when you want them, strong AI and agent nodes. Its pricing punishes frequency rather than complexity, the opposite of Make. Pack as much as you like into one run. The catch is that there's no free plan.

n8n self-hosted is the Community Edition on your own server. Free software, a flat ~US$5–10/mo for infrastructure, no execution counter, and the AI runs on your own model key with no platform credit limits. The full price is operational. You're now the person who updates it, backs it up, and fixes it when it breaks. (Self-hosted Docker and VPS stacks are exactly the territory this site's founder works in daily. But per our method, this comparison is still desk research against the vendors' own pages, not a lab test. Nothing here wears a Tested badge.)

The decision-flips: (1) Step-count vs frequency. Count both for your real workflows before you believe either "from" price. The crossover is dramatic: 10 steps × 1,000 runs is more than 2× Make's entry-tier allowance, but sits well inside n8n's 2,500. (2) Free-tier asymmetry. Light users should sit on Make Free indefinitely. n8n cloud has no equivalent. (3) The AI meter. Capped Assistant credits on n8n cloud, uncapped bring-your-own key on self-host, and Make's agents on all plans. At heavy AI usage, self-host is the only flat-cost option.

Singapore-specific notes

• PDPA is the quiet argument for self-hosting. Workflow data (customer names in sheets, chat contents, receipts) stays on your Singapore VPS instead of a vendor's overseas cloud. For some firms that one line settles the comparison.
• Billing currencies differ. Make bills in USD, n8n cloud in EUR. Add GST on imported services. Small line, real line.
• Neither is PSG territory. They're self-serve subscriptions (grant-path reality). If a vendor quotes you an "automation platform implementation" at five figures, check the markup.

Which one for which business

• Non-technical owner, first automations: Make. The Free tier plus the playbooks, and you may never pay anyone.
• Step-heavy or high-frequency workflows, some technical comfort: n8n cloud Starter. Do the unit maths above first.
• A technical person in-house (or the founder type who runs Docker for fun): self-hosted n8n. Flat cost, uncapped AI, data at home. Budget the real hours.
• Already deep in one: stay. Both are excellent, and switching costs more than the difference for most SME workloads. (Zapier user? That comparison.)

You might need neither if…

…you have one or two simple chores and they fit Make's free 1,000 credits. At ~3 credits per simple run, that's ~300 runs a month, which is more than most first-timers use. "Neither" here means pay neither: run the free tier, spend nothing, and revisit only when the credit email arrives. And if your chores are less than weekly, skip platforms entirely (why).

Your first workflow, step by step

1. Take your most-repeated chore and count its steps properly (trigger → actions → record).
2. Multiply by monthly frequency. That's your credits (Make) and your executions (n8n). Place yourself on the table.
3. Simple or light? Build it today on Make Free with the matching playbook.
4. Step-heavy? Take n8n's Starter trial (no card), rebuild the same chore, and compare the effort yourself.
5. Technical and volume-minded? Put the Community Edition on a small VPS, and treat the first weekend as the real price.

FAQ

Is n8n harder than Make? Somewhat. More nodes, more technical naming, code within reach. A non-technical owner gets further faster on Make. A semi-technical one stops noticing the difference within a week.

What happens when I hit the limits? Make: scenarios stop running and webhooks queue until credits return. n8n cloud: you're buying the next execution tier. Self-host: your server shrugs. Know the failure mode before it's month-end.

Which AI agents are better? Both are young and moving monthly. Make's ship on every plan; n8n's ecosystem is strong, and self-host uncaps usage. Pick the platform on unit economics. The AI capabilities are converging.

Can I migrate later? Concept-for-concept, yes. Click-for-click, no. Workflows get rebuilt, not imported. Another reason to do the unit maths before building your tenth workflow.

Next step

Do the two-number count (steps × frequency) on your real chores, then build the first one free. Make Free via a playbook if you're non-technical, or n8n's no-card trial if step-count is your problem. Spend money only when the free path tells you exactly why.