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 ("each module action… counts as one credit" [1]); n8n counts the run — one execution per workflow, "unlimited steps" [3]. So simple two-step automations are cheapest on Make (whose genuinely free 1,000-credit tier n8n cloud doesn't even try to match — n8n has no permanent free cloud plan [3]), while long, step-heavy workflows flip hard to n8n (a 10-step job run 1,000 times a month is ~10,000 Make credits but only 1,000 n8n executions, inside its 20€ Starter). And there's a third player in this comparison: n8n self-hosted is free software on your own ~US$5 VPS [4] — the option that pays neither vendor, suits the technically-comfortable, and keeps your data in Singapore.

At a glance (checked 15 Jul 2026)

Freshness warning we're proud of: n8n's cloud pricing changed between our 13 July and 15 July checks — the table above is the 15 July page [3]. Automation pricing moves this fast; if you're reading far from our date, click the sources. (This decay is a load-bearing theme of the real-cost piece.)

What you're actually buying

Make — the friendliest serious automation canvas: 3,000+ app modules, a visual editor a non-technical owner genuinely can drive (every Make-based playbook on this site assumes exactly that), and the most usable free tier in the category [1]. Its AI Agents — agents that reason and orchestrate across your scenarios — run on every plan including Free [2]. Its economics punish step-count: each module action burns a credit, and credits expire [1].

n8n cloud — the same idea with more headroom and a more technical accent: unlimited steps per execution, code nodes when you want them, strong AI/agent nodes. Its economics punish frequency rather than complexity, and reward the opposite of Make: pack as much as you like into one run [3]. No free plan is the honest catch [3].

n8n self-hosted — the Community Edition on your own server [4]. Free software, flat ~US$5–10/mo infrastructure, no execution counter, and the AI runs on your own model key with no platform credit limits [3]. The full price is operational: you are now the person who updates, backs up, and fixes it. (Self-hosted Docker/VPS stacks are exactly the territory this site's founder works in daily — and 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 believing either "from" price; the crossover is dramatic (10-step × 1,000 runs: >2× Make's $9-tier allowance vs. well inside n8n's 2,500). (2) free-tier asymmetry — light users should sit on Make Free indefinitely; n8n cloud has no equivalent [1][3]. (3) the AI meter — capped Assistant credits on n8n cloud vs uncapped BYO-key on self-host [3] vs Make's all-plans agents [2]; at heavy AI usage, self-host is the only flat-cost option on the table.

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 single line settles the comparison.
• Billing currencies differ: Make in USD, n8n cloud in EUR [1][3] — plus GST on imported services; small line, real line.
• Neither is PSG territory (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 — Free tier plus the playbooks; you may never pay anyone.
• Step-heavy or high-frequency workflows, some technical comfort: n8n cloud Starter — do the unit maths above first [3].
• 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 honest hours.
• Already deep in one: stay; both are excellent, and switching costs exceed the delta 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 — which, at ~3 credits per simple run, is ~300 runs a month, more than most first-timers use [1]. "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 honestly (trigger → actions → record).
2. Multiply by monthly frequency: that's your credits (Make) and your executions (n8n). Place yourself on the table.
3. Simple/light → build it today on Make Free with the matching playbook.
4. Step-heavy → n8n's Starter trial (no card) [3]; rebuild the same chore and compare effort yourself.
5. Technical and volume-minded → Community Edition on a small VPS [4]; 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 [1]. n8n cloud: you're buying the next execution tier [3]. 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 [2]; n8n's ecosystem is strong and self-host uncaps usage [3]. Pick the platform on unit economics; the AI capabilities are converging.

Can I migrate later? Concept-for-concept yes, click-for-click no — workflows are 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 [3] if step-count is your problem. Spend money only when the free path tells you exactly why.

Sources

1. Make pricing: make.com/en/pricing — fetched 15 Jul 2026
2. Make AI Agents: make.com/en/ai-agents — fetched 15 Jul 2026
3. n8n pricing: n8n.io/pricing/ — fetched 15 Jul 2026 (changed vs our 13 Jul snapshot)
4. n8n hosting docs (Community Edition): docs.n8n.io/hosting/ — fetched 13 Jul 2026
5. Make affiliate program: make.com/en/affiliate — fetched 15 Jul 2026 (35% × 12 months)
6. n8n affiliate program: n8n.io/affiliates/ — fetched 15 Jul 2026 (30% × 12 months)