Zapier, n8n or Make: which one fits your task
Zapier, n8n and Make do the same basic job. Something happens in one app (a form is submitted, a booking is made, a row is added to a sheet) and a chain of steps runs in other apps. The differences are price, complexity and who looks after it.
We do not sell one tool. We pick by the job, and we tell you the monthly cost of each option before you decide. This page is part of our automation service, where we automate one agreed task at a time.
Examples of what we connect
Typical automations for a service business:
- A form creates a lead. A new submission from your website creates a record in your CRM, adds the source, notifies the owner and sends a confirmation. See website to CRM integration.
- A sheet stays current. New bookings or leads are added to a Google Sheet, with a weekly summary sent to your inbox.
- A message gets a reply. A new inquiry is sorted by type, an AI step drafts an answer from your approved facts, and your team approves it.
- A job ends, a task starts. When a booking is marked done, a review request is queued and the invoice is created.
- A lead goes quiet. If nobody has replied after a set time, a reminder is created for the person who owns the lead.
Tools we connect include Google Sheets, your website forms, HubSpot, GoHighLevel, booking tools such as Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling, Calendly, Vagaro or Jobber, and channels such as email, SMS and website chat. We start with the tools you already use, or we help you choose one.
How the three compare
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A few simple automations, quick start | Longer flows you want to see as a map | Control, complex flows, self-hosting |
| Learning curve | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
| Free option | Yes, 100 tasks a month | Yes, 1,000 credits a month | Self-hosted version available |
| Paid plans (as listed October 2026) | Professional from $19.99 a month billed annually, 750 tasks | Core, Pro, Teams and Business plans; prices not shown on the page we opened | Cloud Starter 20 euros a month billed annually, 2,500 executions |
| Who maintains it | The vendor | The vendor | You or us, if self-hosted |
Running costs depend on volume. Zapier counts tasks, Make counts credits and n8n Cloud counts workflow executions, so a flow with many steps costs differently in each. Prices change, so check the vendor pages in the sources below before you decide.
How we choose the tool for your workflow
The build process (written plan, test on real examples, error alert, handover) is the same whichever tool we use, and it is described on our automation service page. What changes is the tool, and we pick it with four questions.
- How many runs a month, and how many steps each? For illustration: a flow with a trigger and four action steps that runs 300 times a month uses about 1,200 Zapier tasks, because Zapier counts each action step. That is past the 750-task entry plan. On n8n Cloud the same flow is 300 executions, because n8n counts each full run once. We do this arithmetic for your flow before you choose.
- Are your apps supported? Zapier connects the most apps out of the box. If one of your tools only has a basic connection, Make or n8n may handle it better with a direct web request.
- Who will look after it? If nobody on your team is technical, a hosted tool (Zapier, Make or n8n Cloud) is safer than a self-hosted server.
- Where should the data live? Self-hosted n8n keeps the data on a server you control, which some businesses prefer. It also means someone has to keep that server updated.
Already on Zapier and paying more each month? We can price moving a flow to Make or n8n and tell you whether the savings cover the move.
What it costs and what is not included
Builds are priced from $900 per workflow. Typical range: $900-$2,500; with AI or CRM steps $2,500-$5,000. Work outside a workflow, such as a custom integration, moving a flow between tools or repairing an old setup, is $120/hour. Timeline: 1-3 weeks per workflow. Prices are as of October 2026.
Not included in any price: domain and hosting, new photography, third-party software subscriptions (Zapier, Make, n8n Cloud, your CRM, billed at cost), SMS carrier registration (A2P 10DLC) and message fees, and AI usage above the plan allowance. If a workflow sends texts, they need the customer’s consent (TCPA). We set up opt-in and STOP handling. This is not legal advice.
Who this is for, and who it is not for
This is for owners who already know which task wastes their time, and who want it handled in a tool they can see and own. If you have one or two simple automations, you may build them yourself in Zapier or Make. We are worth the cost when the flow has several steps, touches your CRM or customer messages, or when a failure would cost you a lead.
If the task happens a few times a month, do it by hand. If you are not sure what to automate first, start with our guide to implementing AI in a small business, or read about CRM setup if you do not yet have one place for your leads.
How to start
Ask for a free demo: 30-minute call; demo shared within 3 business days. Or call 617-991-9912 (our AI assistant answers and passes your request to the team). Tell us the task and the tools you use today. We will say whether it is worth automating and which tool we would use.
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