n8n vs Make
n8n and Make both build multi-step automations visually, but they differ on where the engine runs and what is billed. n8n GmbH, registered in Berlin, offers a free self-hosted Community Edition and a cloud hosted in Frankfurt, billed per workflow execution. Make, now part of the Celonis group, is a hosted service billed in credits per module action, with over 3,000 apps listed.
Choose n8n if
your workflows touch credentials that should stay on your own servers, run often with many steps each, or you want a free self-hosted edition alongside a cloud hosted in Frankfurt.
Read the n8n reviewChoose Make if
you want a hosted service with no servers to run, need one of its more than 3,000 listed apps, and prefer a free plan and a low monthly entry price.
Read the Make reviewn8n and Make side by side
| n8n | Make | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | n8n GmbH | Make (Celonis) |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Founded | 2019 | 2012 |
| Jurisdiction | EU (Germany) | EU (Czech Republic) |
| Where the data sits | Your own servers, or EU cloud | AWS, EU or North America |
| Pricing | Free self-hosted / Cloud from €20/month billed annually | Free (1,000 credits/month) / Core from $9/month billed annually |
| Entry-level list price (vendor site, checked 30 September 2026) | Starter (n8n Cloud): EUR 20/month billed annually, 2,500 workflow executions; self-hosted Community Edition free | Core: USD 9/month for 10,000 credits a month (pricing page, monthly billing; annual saves 15% or more) |
| Free tier or trial | Free Community Edition | Free tier |
| Certifications and checks | Not stated in our data | ISO 27001; SOC 2 Type II |
| Source code | Source-available (Sustainable Use Licence) | Closed source |
| Usually replaces | Zapier, Make, Workato, Tray.io | Zapier, Workato, Power Automate |
| Position in our Automation & Integration guide | #1 of 13 | #2 of 13 |
Both are listed in our European Automation & Integration guide. The table is built from the same directory data as those entries, except the list price, which is quoted from each vendor's own pricing page (see Sources below); how we check it is described in the editorial process.
Where n8n and Make differ
Across the six points below, n8n has the edge on 2 points, Make on 2 points and 2 are a tie. A count like that is a summary, not a verdict: the point that matters to you may be the one the other product wins.
Where it runs and who holds the credentials
n8n can run on your own infrastructure through Docker, npm or a one-line installer, keeping credentials on your servers, and its hosted cloud stores data in Frankfurt. Make lists hosting on AWS in the EU or North America for every plan, and each organisation has a region setting for the data centre that stores and processes its data. Its only on-premises item is an Enterprise agent for local systems.
Edge: n8n
How the bill is counted
n8n bills its cloud per workflow execution, however many steps run; Starter lists EUR 20 a month billed annually for 2,500 executions, and the self-hosted Community Edition is free. Make bills credits, one per module action, with routers not counted; Core lists USD 9 a month for 10,000 credits and the free plan 1,000. Long workflows favour n8n, light ones Make.
No clear winner on this point.
Integrations and code
Make lists more than 3,000 standard apps on every plan, plus custom apps on paid plans, against the more than 500 integrations on n8n's home page, where HTTP and GraphQL requests cover other APIs. Both now run JavaScript or Python: n8n through code steps on every plan, Make through its Code app, which costs 2 credits per second of execution. On ready-made connectors Make leads.
Edge: Make
Operational effort
n8n's own guide recommends its cloud to people without technical expertise or who do not want to manage infrastructure, because a self-hosted instance is yours to run, update and scale. Every Make plan runs on Make's AWS infrastructure, so there is nothing to install or upgrade. For a team without operations capacity, Make, or n8n's paid cloud, is the lighter route.
Edge: Make
Security assurances
Make says its information security programme is ISO 27001 certified and that it has completed SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 audits. n8n aligns its security programme to SOC 2, is audited annually by an independent auditor, shares the SOC 2 report with enterprise customers and publishes a SOC 3 report. Both document audited controls; self-hosted n8n additionally sits inside your own.
No clear winner on this point.
Company and jurisdiction
n8n.io is a product of n8n GmbH, registered with the Charlottenburg district court in Berlin, and its hosted plans keep data in Frankfurt. Make belongs to Celonis: its privacy notice is issued by Celonis Inc. in New York on behalf of the group, names Celonis SE as headquarters, and says EU, UK or Swiss personal data may be transferred outside those regions.
Edge: n8n
When neither n8n nor Make fits
Neither is built for scheduled data pipelines or for machines. Kestra calls itself a declarative orchestration platform, with workflows written in YAML under the Apache 2.0 licence, and Node-RED runs on low-cost hardware such as a Raspberry Pi with built-in MQTT nodes.
n8n vs Make: questions
Not in the classic sense. n8n publishes its code under the Sustainable Use License, a fair-code licence allowing use and modification for internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes, and free distribution only for non-commercial purposes. Make is a commercial hosted service; its Enterprise on-premises agent only connects scenarios to local systems.
Make, by the vendors' own counts: more than 3,000 standard apps on every plan, plus custom apps on paid plans. n8n's home page cites more than 500 integrations, with custom HTTP and GraphQL requests and JavaScript or Python code steps for anything else. If a ready-made connector decides it, check Make's list first.
Yes. n8n's hosted plans store data on servers in Frankfurt, and self-hosted n8n keeps it wherever you run it. Make lists AWS hosting in the EU or North America, and each organisation has a region field for the data centre that stores and processes its data, so pick the EU region when you create it.
n8n's free option is the self-hosted Community Edition; its cloud plans start with a free trial limited to 1,000 executions and no credit card. Make's free plan has no time limit and includes 1,000 credits a month, two active scenarios and a 15-minute minimum interval between runs.
Sources
Facts, prices and plan details on this page were checked on the vendors' own websites on . Prices and plans change; the vendor's current page is authoritative.
- n8n pricing page: n8n plan prices, billing per execution, code steps, AI nodes, trial limits, Frankfurt hosting, Git in Business plan (checked 30 September 2026)
- n8n home page: n8n more than 500 integrations (checked 30 September 2026)
- n8n imprint: n8n GmbH registered in Berlin (checked 30 September 2026)
- n8n security page: n8n SOC 2 alignment, annual audits, SOC 3 report (checked 30 September 2026)
- n8n Sustainable Use License (official repository): Sustainable Use License limitations (checked 30 September 2026)
- n8n docs: choose how to use n8n: n8n recommends its cloud to users without technical expertise (checked 30 September 2026)
- n8n docs: host n8n: n8n self-hosting via Docker, npm and one-line setup (checked 30 September 2026)
- Make pricing page: Make plan prices, credits per module action, routers not counted, 3,000+ apps, Code app, AWS EU/North America hosting, on-prem agent (checked 30 September 2026)
- Make security page: Make ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II / SOC 3 (checked 30 September 2026)
- Make privacy notice: Make privacy notice issued by Celonis Inc., transfers outside the EEA (checked 30 September 2026)
- Make help centre: organisations: Make organisation region field sets data centre (checked 30 September 2026)
- Kestra home page: Kestra declarative YAML workflows (checked 30 September 2026)
- Kestra repository: Kestra Apache 2.0 licence (checked 30 September 2026)
- Node-RED home page: Node-RED on low-cost hardware such as the Raspberry Pi (checked 30 September 2026)