n8n vs Zapier vs Make comes down to how you want to build. Zapier is no-code and connects the most apps, 9,000+. Make lays out each workflow on one visual screen and connects 3,500+ apps. n8n adds code steps and lets you host it yourself, which takes technical skill. All three leave the same work to you: when a step keeps failing or a login expires, the workflow stops until someone fixes it. The fourth way is agents set up and kept working for you.
n8n vs Zapier vs Make: the short version
Zapier, Make and n8n each move work between your apps without someone typing it, and each now has AI agents you can build. Zapier is built so anyone can do it with no code. Make is built so you can see the whole workflow on one screen. n8n is built for people who want control, down to the code and the server.
What each one is, in its own words
Three ways to build it, and one way not to.
Zapier
- How it works
- Zapier calls itself no-code automation across 9,000+ apps. You build Zaps: a trigger in one app, then the steps that follow. It also has Agents you create yourself.
- Good for
- Quick hand-offs between popular apps, with no code. It has a free plan.
- Where it breaks
- Zapier turns a Zap off if it fails 95% of the time over more than 20 runs in a week. If the account reaches its task limit, all its Zaps hold their actions until the billing month resets.
Make
- How it works
- Make lets you build and manage AI agents and automations in one visual landscape, by drag and drop, by prompt, or from an AI chat. Its agents take goals, tools and limits, and show their reasoning.
- Good for
- Workflows with many steps and branches that you want to see laid out. It has a free plan with no card needed.
- Where it breaks
- By default, Make turns a scenario off after 3 errors in a row, or at the first error if it starts the moment something happens. Someone then has to find the cause and start it again.
n8n
- How it works
- n8n calls itself the platform for agents and workflows you can follow. It has 500+ built-in integrations, reaches any app with an API, and lets you add code and approvals by a person. Use n8n Cloud, or host the free Community Edition yourself.
- Good for
- Teams with a developer who want full control or data on their own servers.
- Where it breaks
- Hosting it yourself means monthly updates and reading each release for changes that break workflows. Failure alerts are a separate workflow you build.
Arkeo agents
- How it works
- Nothing to build. We set up agents that each do one whole job inside your own software, like keeping your CRM right, and we keep them working when apps change.
- Good for
- Owners of a 10 to 50 person business with nobody to look after workflows.
- Where it breaks
- Anything your rules keep for a person, like a large refund or a lead it can't place, goes to your team in one message.
n8n vs Zapier vs Make, side by side
| n8n | Zapier | Make | Arkeo agents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you build | Visual builder plus code | Trigger, then steps; no code | Visual screen, drag and drop or a prompt | You don't; you tell us the job |
| Apps it connects | 500+ built in, plus any API | 9,000+ | 3,500+ | Works in the software you already use |
| Where it runs | n8n Cloud, or your own servers | Zapier's cloud | Make's cloud | In your own accounts |
| When a workflow keeps failing | Runs your error workflow, if you built one | Turned off at 95% errors over 20+ runs in a week | Turned off after 3 errors in a row, by default | Tells your team in one message |
| Who keeps it working | You | You | You | We do |
n8n vs Zapier
Zapier connects far more apps and needs no code. n8n has fewer built-in apps, but can reach any app with an API and lets you write code. If you have a developer and want data on your own servers, n8n fits. If not, Zapier is the easier start.
Zapier vs Make
Both need no code and both run in their own cloud. Zapier has more apps. Make shows the whole workflow on one screen, which helps when a job has many branches.
n8n vs Make
Both give you a visual canvas. Make runs in its own cloud and needs no code. n8n lets you add code and host it yourself. If nobody can look after a server, use Make or n8n Cloud.
What n8n, Zapier and Make leave for you to do
All three end their help pages at the point where your workflow is switched on. What comes after is the same in each: someone has to notice when it stops, find out why, and start it again. A Make answer in its own forum says a scenario that was turned off does not come back on by itself.
Logins expire. n8n's Google page says that if your Google app is left in testing mode, logins expire after seven days and must be reconnected, and its forum has threads asking why.
Updates change things. n8n asks self-hosters to update at least once a month, and version 2.0 changed how some older workflows behave.
Reviews say the setup and fixing take real time. Trustpilot's summary of Zapier reviews says many people lost hours on basic errors. Several recent Make reviews say it was hard to set up, and some say a scenario worked for months, then stopped.
The fourth way: having it done for you
The fourth way is agents set up and looked after for you. An agent does one whole job, like following up with each new lead or getting the month's invoices out in QuickBooks. It follows your rules, checks its own work, and tells a person when a case needs one. Simple hand-offs can stay in Zapier, Make or n8n.
Agents that do the jobs people build workflows for
Each one does a whole job inside your own software, and your team talks to them in Slack or Teams.
Your CRM stays right without anyone typing.
- Logs emails and callsas they happen
- Checks off the task when the reply landsright away
- Moves the deal to the right stageper deal
No more calculator. Invoices match the visits.
- Reads finished visitsper billing period
- Adds up the hours per patientper patient
- Builds and sends the invoicesame day
Trials that stall on day two, not day 30.
- Tracks each trial to paidreal time
- Spots trials going quietwithin 48 h
- Wins them back by emailsame day
Questions
Is my customers' information safe?
Yes. Agents work in your own accounts and see only what each job needs. Customer details never go into public AI. Agents connect to AI through business-grade connections audited under SOC 2.
Which is easier, n8n, Zapier or Make?
Zapier and Make both need no code. Make shows the workflow on one screen. n8n's docs say hosting it yourself needs technical skill, though n8n Cloud does not.
Can n8n replace Zapier?
For many jobs, if you have technical skill. n8n can reach any app with an API, but has fewer built-in apps, 500+ against Zapier's 9,000+, so check yours are there.
Is Make better than Zapier?
Make is made for long workflows you want to see on one screen. Zapier connects the most apps. Both have free plans, so try the same workflow in each.
What does it cost?
You get the price on the call, along with the hours it saves your team.
Sources
- n8n.io
- docs.n8n.io: choose how to use n8n
- docs.n8n.io: update n8n
- docs.n8n.io: breaking changes
- docs.n8n.io: handle errors gracefully
- docs.n8n.io: oauth generic
- community.n8n.io
- zapier.com
- help.zapier.com: Zap is not running
- make.com: en
- make.com: security
- help.make.com: Overview of error handling
- community.make.com
- trustpilot.com: zapier.com
- trustpilot.com: make.com