n8n vs Make.com: Which Workflow Automation Tool To Choose in 2025?

Workflow automation isn’t optional anymore, it’s survival. Every modern team is drowning in repetitive processes, fragmented SaaS tools, and endless handoffs. Whether it’s syncing CRM data, automating invoices, or powering AI-driven apps, companies are increasingly asking: How much can we automate without hiring more engineers?

That’s where workflow automation platforms like n8n and Make.com (formerly Integromat) come in. But the debate, n8n vs Make.com, isn’t just about UI preferences. It’s about control vs convenience, extensibility vs speed, developer-first vs business-first.

In this deep-dive, we’ll break down both platforms across technical architecture, integrations, customization, pricing, and real-world use cases.

By the end, you’ll know exactly whether your team should bet on n8n or Make.com in 2025.

Why the n8n vs Make.com Debate Matters

The automation market is exploding. Gartner estimates that by 2026, 80% of enterprises will have hyper-automation initiatives combining APIs, AI, and workflow tools.

That surge has created two distinct camps:

• SaaS-first tools like Make.com: hosted in the cloud, pre-packaged integrations, drag-and-drop simplicity.
• Open-source frameworks like n8n: self-hosted or cloud, customizable, developer-centric, and extendable.

For start-ups and enterprises alike, choosing the wrong tool can mean wasted spend, security risks, or brittle workflows that collapse under scale. The make.com vs n8n decision is really about what kind of team you are and what kind of control you need.

n8n vs Make.com: Quick Comparison

Before diving deep, here’s a high-level snapshot:

What is n8n?

n8n is an open-source workflow automation framework built for developers and technical teams. Unlike closed SaaS tools, n8n lets you self-host on your own infrastructure or use n8n Cloud if you prefer managed hosting.

At its core, n8n works on a node-based workflow model. Each “node” is either an integration (e.g., Google Sheets, Slack) or a function (like HTTP requests, if/else branching, or loops). Unlike simpler tools, n8n supports JavaScript function nodes, giving developers full control over transformations, logic, and custom API calls.

Strengths of n8n:

• Full control of data: Self-hosting means sensitive data never leaves your servers.
• Developer flexibility: Extend with JavaScript, build custom nodes, or contribute to community integrations.
• Scalability on your terms: Deploy on Docker, scale with Kubernetes, or run lightweight on a VM.
• AI & ML workflows: Easily stitch together OpenAI APIs, embeddings, or vector databases with custom logic.

Weaknesses of n8n:

• Setup overhead: Requires infrastructure setup and maintenance if self-hosted.
• Steeper learning curve: Power comes at the cost of complexity. Non-technical users may struggle.
• Smaller integration library: Growing fast, but fewer pre-built modules compared to Make.com.

For developer-heavy startups or compliance-driven enterprises, n8n shines. You trade SaaS convenience for raw power and flexibility.

What is Make.com?

Make.com (formerly Integromat) is a cloud-based SaaS automation platform. It’s designed for teams who want drag-and-drop simplicity, thousands of pre-built integrations, and no infrastructure headaches.

Make uses a visual scenario builder where you connect apps with drag-and-drop modules. Need to sync HubSpot with Slack? Or auto-generate invoices in Xero when Stripe gets a payment? Chances are Make already has a pre-built template.

Strengths of Make.com:

• Massive integration library: 1,600+ apps officially supported.
• Ease of use: Anyone, PMs, marketers, ops, can build workflows without code.
• No hosting headaches: Fully managed, globally available SaaS platform.
• Enterprise-ready: SOC2, GDPR, and SSO support for larger organizations.

Weaknesses of Make.com:

• Vendor lock-in: You’re tied to Make’s pricing, infra, and limits.
• Limited customization: Great for pre-built integrations, weaker for custom logic.
• Data residency: Since it’s SaaS, you can’t always control where data lives.

For product, marketing, or ops teams, Make is a dream: fast, easy, and reliable. But for developers needing deep extensibility, it can feel like a walled garden.

Technical Deep Dive: n8n vs Make.com

Now let’s compare n8n vs Make.com head-to-head across the dimensions that actually matter for technical decision-makers. These aren’t marketing checkboxes, these are the trade-offs that affect whether your workflows stay nimble or get stuck in scaling bottlenecks.

1. Hosting Model

The first fork in the road comes down to where your workflows live.

• n8n gives you flexibility. You can self-host on your own servers, deploy inside a private VPC, or use their managed cloud. This means if your organization needs data sovereignty (think healthcare, fintech, or government), you don’t have to compromise. You own the infrastructure, you set the rules. Of course, that also means your DevOps team needs to provision, monitor, and scale it.
• Make.com takes the opposite approach, it’s a pure SaaS play. You don’t touch servers, containers, or configs. Everything runs on their platform. For lean teams or non-technical operators, this is a big win: zero maintenance. The trade-off is less control. If your compliance team requires data residency in a specific region or tighter access control, you’ll have to check if Make.com’s policies line up with your needs.

Verdict: If you’re in a regulated industry or already running Kubernetes clusters, n8n will feel like home. If speed-to-automation with minimal setup is the priority, Make.com wins.

2. Customization & Extensibility

This is where the technical gap becomes obvious.

• With n8n, customization isn’t just a checkbox, it’s core to the product. You can drop in a Function node and run raw JavaScript inline. Want to transform API responses? Add retry logic? Call multiple endpoints conditionally? No problem. Beyond that, n8n lets you build custom nodes and even extend the platform with community-contributed packages. For developer-first teams building API-heavy products or experimenting with AI agents, this extensibility is gold.
• Make.com, on the other hand, focuses on pre-built modules. The catalog is deep, but you’re often locked into what the module allows. Yes, you can use the HTTP module to call any REST API, but once you start writing complex business logic, you’ll hit walls fast. For non-technical teams that just want things to work without writing a single line of code, this is fine. For engineers who live in code editors, it feels limiting.

Verdict: n8n is essentially an automation framework for developers, while Make.com is more like an automation product for operators.

3. Integrations

The sheer number of integrations often comes up as a deciding factor.

• n8n offers around 400 official integrations but the story doesn’t end there. Because it’s open-source, the community contributes nodes regularly, and you can always build your own if something is missing. More importantly, since n8n supports generic API connectors and direct code execution, its effective integration surface is nearly unlimited. You don’t wait for the vendor to ship support, you can just extend it yourself.
• Make.com has a serious lead here: over 1,600+ official modules across categories like CRM, marketing, finance, and ecommerce. If you’re working in mainstream SaaS ecosystems (HubSpot, Notion, Shopify, Slack, Airtable), chances are Make.com has it ready out of the box. This makes it perfect for teams who don’t want to think about APIs.
  

Verdict: For breadth and plug-and-play, Make.com leads. For teams building modern, API-first stacks, especially if AI or niche APIs are in play, n8n keeps you agile.

4. Scalability

Scaling isn’t just about handling more workflows; it’s about how much control you have over performance and cost.

• With n8n, scalability is tied to your infrastructure. Deploy it on Docker or Kubernetes and you can horizontally scale as far as your cloud budget allows. This makes n8n a natural fit for engineering teams already running containerized environments. It also means you can optimize for performance and cost in ways SaaS can’t.
• Make.com handles scaling transparently. You don’t think about servers, your automations just “work.” But this also means you’re bound by whatever execution limits or pricing tiers Make.com sets. If you suddenly need to process millions of tasks per hour, you can’t just spin up more pods, you’ll need to negotiate with the vendor.

Verdict: n8n favors teams that want full elasticity and infrastructure-level control. Make.com is frictionless for smaller teams but less predictable at enterprise scale.

5. Security & Compliance

Finally security, often the dealbreaker for enterprise adoption.

• With n8n, security posture is largely in your hands. Since you can self-host, you decide the network, IAM policies, encryption layers, and monitoring. For industries with strict compliance mandates (finance, healthcare, government), this is often non-negotiable. The flip side is more responsibility: your security team has to harden and monitor the deployment.
• Make.com takes the vendor-responsibility approach. They handle security at the platform level and boast enterprise-grade certifications (ISO, SOC 2, etc.). For many SaaS-first organizations, this level of trust is enough. But the model is fundamentally “trust the vendor.” If your compliance officer demands on-premise control, Make.com won’t fit.

Verdict: If your security team demands maximum control, n8n is the safer bet. If you’re fine with a vendor-managed SaaS model and want quicker onboarding, Make.com fits.

Pricing Models: n8n vs Make.com

This is where many decisions get made.

• n8n:
  • Free open-source version if you self-host.
  • n8n Cloud starts at ~$20/month.
  • Predictable cost if you’re managing your own infra.
• Make.com:
  • Free tier available.
  • Paid tiers scale by operations (e.g., 10,000 ops/month).
  • Costs can spike as workflows scale.

In short: n8n = predictable with infra overhead. Make.com = frictionless but potentially costly at scale.

Use Case Matchups: When to Choose What

Here’s where theory meets reality. Which tool fits which scenario?

Final Verdict: n8n vs Make.com

So, which one should you choose?

• Go with n8n if you’re a developer-led team, building AI/ML workflows, SaaS MVPs, or compliance-sensitive apps. It’s more technical but infinitely flexible.
• Go with Make.com if your team is non-technical, ops-heavy, or needs to ship business automations quickly. It’s SaaS simplicity at scale.

The real answer? Many organizations end up using both, Make.com for quick wins, n8n for deep, extensible systems.

The Future of Workflow Automation

The make.com vs n8n debate reflects a bigger industry shift: SaaS-first tools making automation accessible to everyone, and open-source frameworks giving developers ultimate control.

In 2025, the smartest teams aren’t just choosing one, they’re layering both approaches depending on context. Rapid prototypes on Make.com, production-scale AI workflows on n8n.

If your team is serious about automation, don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Experiment with both, run pilots, and double down where it fits.

Need help building your automation stack? We specialize in AI app builders, workflow automation, and enterprise-ready integrations using platforms like n8n and Make.com.  Contact us to discuss your automation roadmap.