Amazingly detailed breakdown of the two tools. I picked n8n as my ultimate choice after playing with Make for a month or so. I chose it purely from two things:
1. Easy to understand pricing which makes it predictable what bill you get. Beginners non techies can use cloud while for technical folks hosting on cloud with queue mode enabled works amazing well at cheaper price.
2. The availability of Code node to ease out a lot of workflow complexity for me..again if you know how to code or can use AI to write basic stubs. I know now even Make provides a full code support as well read somewhere recently they launched that feature.
Thank you for this detailed beginner to advance comparison which anyone can use to pick one.
At the end of the day,tool is just a means to deliver business value so one shall pick it fast and start building.
PS: I even did a detailed deep dive video with 15 parameters but mostly felt n8n having an upper edge over others especially if someone is technical enough.
Yes ultimately, it's just a tool. I think it's important to ask yourself: which workflow I want to build? Then u can look which tools that can help u achieve it fast and reliably.
n8n is powerful yes, but only if you are ready to get technical. If i have strong technical background, n8n is my primary choice.
I'd rather start with Make then u can learn basics and only level up when you hit walls. Once u learn basic, it's easier to level up to n8n. But again, it depends what do you want to build.
for most of my typical knowledge work, most of them can be done inside make.
This is a great breakdown of the differences between n8n and Make! Plus the recommendations with reasoning is amazing. I'm saving this for future reference. Thanks!
I’m currently a beginner trying (and mostly failing) to build my first “simple” newsletter-digest workflow in n8n. I even started from templates, then tried to tweak them to avoid wasting tokens on OpenAI and Google… and ended up creating an even bigger disaster.
I’ve been battling with my personal assistant ChatGPT-5 (frustration level somewhere near DEFCON 1), who made me do everything and the exact opposite more than once. What a ride.
Now I’m tempted to try Make, but honestly, what’s really discouraging is that none of these tools feel accessible for non-technical people like me. I wanted to speed up my business, instead I’ve basically sacrificed a couple of days jumping between workflows and LLMs without achieving anything meaningful.
Ironically, the only workflow that worked flawlessly was a super simple Relay setup, but once I ran out of evaluation credits the monthly cost turned into a small horror story. So here I am, rebuilding everything from scratch in n8n.
Long story short: I really hope I’m not just banging my head against these tools for nothing. Ideally, all this pain will translate into some actual skill… but let’s just say I’m not fully convinced yet.
n8n also got big and talked a lot because they were the first automation platform to add and push (easily) AI Agent blocks and Human in the loop blocks, before Make and Zapier.
That gave them the lead in "AI agent automation workflows" that they still have.
Platforms like Lindy are amazing to build agentic flows but from my experience they are great for non tech users, not for people used to "build" workflows with bricks
This comparison clearly highlights how choosing between Make.com and n8n depends more on your technical comfort and workflow needs than on features alone, which is a perspective often overlooked in mainstream reviews.
Thank you for this one! I’ve been experimenting the last couple weeks with local LLMs so am excited to explore n8n and what it can do. Very helpful rundown :) cheers
Great article! This is kind of what I've come to understand myself but I appreciate someone breaking it down so I don't waste time trying n8n out for myself. 🤣
I still find Make to be kind of complicated. They used to have a help chat agent inside the scenario builder that would help troubleshoot problems (maybe not that well, but it was better than nothing). However, they got rid of it, saying it was a beta feature, and now they direct you to build your own chat agent, which isn't really the same thing. It's really frustrating and I've ended up using Claude Code to help debug the scenarios, which isn't great either. The problem with all of these tools is you can see what is possible, but without an excellent understanding of the technical side of things, it can be really hard to make your ideas come to fruition, at least not quickly and without the help of community forums!
true! the problem with these tools u can see whats possible, but hard to get there because u need to understand and able to navigate which module or node you have to use. and this takes time and trial/error.
Amazingly detailed breakdown of the two tools. I picked n8n as my ultimate choice after playing with Make for a month or so. I chose it purely from two things:
1. Easy to understand pricing which makes it predictable what bill you get. Beginners non techies can use cloud while for technical folks hosting on cloud with queue mode enabled works amazing well at cheaper price.
2. The availability of Code node to ease out a lot of workflow complexity for me..again if you know how to code or can use AI to write basic stubs. I know now even Make provides a full code support as well read somewhere recently they launched that feature.
Thank you for this detailed beginner to advance comparison which anyone can use to pick one.
At the end of the day,tool is just a means to deliver business value so one shall pick it fast and start building.
PS: I even did a detailed deep dive video with 15 parameters but mostly felt n8n having an upper edge over others especially if someone is technical enough.
thanks for sharing Dheeraj!
Yes ultimately, it's just a tool. I think it's important to ask yourself: which workflow I want to build? Then u can look which tools that can help u achieve it fast and reliably.
n8n is powerful yes, but only if you are ready to get technical. If i have strong technical background, n8n is my primary choice.
Loved this breakdown.
The real gem: “Make pushes complexity into the UI, n8n pushes it into your brain.”
That’s the cleanest explanation I’ve seen for why people pick the wrong tool.
Curious, do you think beginners who might eventually get technical should still start with Make, or ever jump straight into n8n?
thanks Mark!
I'd rather start with Make then u can learn basics and only level up when you hit walls. Once u learn basic, it's easier to level up to n8n. But again, it depends what do you want to build.
for most of my typical knowledge work, most of them can be done inside make.
Most people haven’t discovered MindStudio. AI automation platform but more intuitive. If N8N = Linux. MindStudio = Apple
This is a great breakdown of the differences between n8n and Make! Plus the recommendations with reasoning is amazing. I'm saving this for future reference. Thanks!
glad u find it useful! :)
Really exhaustive Jonas. Thanks for the decision matrix at the end.
That's all Wyndo! We probably should have led with that 😆
Haha 😛 I mean it nicely distills everything you broke down before that!
Perfect timing for this great article.
I’m currently a beginner trying (and mostly failing) to build my first “simple” newsletter-digest workflow in n8n. I even started from templates, then tried to tweak them to avoid wasting tokens on OpenAI and Google… and ended up creating an even bigger disaster.
I’ve been battling with my personal assistant ChatGPT-5 (frustration level somewhere near DEFCON 1), who made me do everything and the exact opposite more than once. What a ride.
Now I’m tempted to try Make, but honestly, what’s really discouraging is that none of these tools feel accessible for non-technical people like me. I wanted to speed up my business, instead I’ve basically sacrificed a couple of days jumping between workflows and LLMs without achieving anything meaningful.
Ironically, the only workflow that worked flawlessly was a super simple Relay setup, but once I ran out of evaluation credits the monthly cost turned into a small horror story. So here I am, rebuilding everything from scratch in n8n.
Long story short: I really hope I’m not just banging my head against these tools for nothing. Ideally, all this pain will translate into some actual skill… but let’s just say I’m not fully convinced yet.
Thanks for the great contents!
Mike
i believe these will turn into actual skills, esp thinking in system, thats what i've been experiencing with so far.
yes relay is much easier to setup but credits is too crazy because you no longer need to bring your own API key, you use credits provided by relay.
so, i'm actually recommend if people use either make/n8n. and in case u choose make, my posts right here could help https://aimaker.substack.com/s/maker-labs
Thanks Wyndo, just subscribed!
Both wyndo and myself have written posts about our newsletter digest flows in make, here's mine: https://open.substack.com/pub/metacircuits/p/how-i-automated-my-newsletter-research
Hope it helps!
Thanks Jonas, really appreciate it, diving into the article right away!
Love this breakdown!
I can understand version control of n8n, though... does Make not have that?
Also, n8n is a no brainer pick for me, so much customization I could do even without being an expert :)
I can see why u prefer n8n Jenny :)
Make has version control too but maybe n8n has more control over it.
Yeah n8n has git integrations but only for paid & enterprise plans AFAIK
Interesting. Looks like i need to dive into these and try them out.
thats the only way we can learn it more effectively! happy experimenting!
Dream collaboration! Posts like this one have a potential to turn non-users into users. Thank you both!
thats the goal Karo :)
Great benchmark.
n8n also got big and talked a lot because they were the first automation platform to add and push (easily) AI Agent blocks and Human in the loop blocks, before Make and Zapier.
That gave them the lead in "AI agent automation workflows" that they still have.
Platforms like Lindy are amazing to build agentic flows but from my experience they are great for non tech users, not for people used to "build" workflows with bricks
yes n8n is the OG of this, thats why they've been reaping all benefits when AI agent takes off this year!
yeah lindy looks interesting, but the price still doesnt make sense for me. I'd rather build myself with AI automation tool make/n8n
Thanks for the comprehensive walkthrough for the good 😊
This comparison clearly highlights how choosing between Make.com and n8n depends more on your technical comfort and workflow needs than on features alone, which is a perspective often overlooked in mainstream reviews.
Thanks Suhrab, yes this is the whole point of this post to ensure people use tools that suit with their technical comfort
This is an outstanding deep dive.
For me, the biggest takeaway here is..."open-source and free" argument for n8n is misleading for 99% of creators and solo entrepreneurs.
Awesome comparison. It makes the decision much clearer.
open source and free are still vague enough I couldnt make clear decision out of it haha
thanks man, appreciate you :)
Thank you for this one! I’ve been experimenting the last couple weeks with local LLMs so am excited to explore n8n and what it can do. Very helpful rundown :) cheers
thanks Peter, have fun with n8n! all these tools both frustrating yet satisfying to crack at the same time :)
It’s the aha moments that keep us going :) def gonna have fun with this one 🙌🏻 all the best, Wyndo!
Great article! This is kind of what I've come to understand myself but I appreciate someone breaking it down so I don't waste time trying n8n out for myself. 🤣
I still find Make to be kind of complicated. They used to have a help chat agent inside the scenario builder that would help troubleshoot problems (maybe not that well, but it was better than nothing). However, they got rid of it, saying it was a beta feature, and now they direct you to build your own chat agent, which isn't really the same thing. It's really frustrating and I've ended up using Claude Code to help debug the scenarios, which isn't great either. The problem with all of these tools is you can see what is possible, but without an excellent understanding of the technical side of things, it can be really hard to make your ideas come to fruition, at least not quickly and without the help of community forums!
thanks Amanda! :)
true! the problem with these tools u can see whats possible, but hard to get there because u need to understand and able to navigate which module or node you have to use. and this takes time and trial/error.
One of the more nuanced comparisons I've seen. Most focus on features rather than workflow fit.
The self-hosted n8n option is underrated for sensitive data. Control matters more than most realize.
My testing: https://thoughts.jock.pl/p/ai-agent-comparison-claude-manus-zapier-real-testing-results-2025