Zapier, Make and n8n connect your apps so that one event, such as a new form entry, triggers steps in other tools. Zapier is the simplest to start with for short flows between popular apps, Make handles longer flows with branches and data reshaping, and n8n can run on your own server and suits complex or AI-heavy workflows. A Praxen pilot puts one workflow live in the tool that fits within 2–4 weeks, for £2,900 (£2,030 with the launch offer), excluding VAT.
The short comparison
| Zapier | Make | n8n | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Tasks: each completed action | Operations or credits: each module run | Executions: each run of a whole workflow on n8n Cloud; the self-hosted Community Edition has no per-run fee |
| Where it runs | Zapier’s cloud | Make’s cloud | n8n’s cloud or your own server |
| Who builds in it | Anyone comfortable with forms | Someone at ease with a visual flow diagram and data fields | Someone technical, or a partner |
| Strongest at | Short flows between popular apps | Long flows with branches and data shaping | Complex logic, custom code, AI agents, private data |
How the billing units change the cost
Each tool counts usage in its own unit, so compare them on the units your workflow would use.
An illustrative example: a workflow with a trigger and four actions runs 1,000 times a month. That is 4,000 Zapier tasks, about 5,000 Make operations (one per module, the trigger included) and 1,000 n8n Cloud executions. Price those on each vendor’s current plan for your volume; plans and limits change often.
- Zapier counts each completed action. The trigger does not count, so a form entry that creates a CRM contact, sends an email and posts to Slack uses three tasks.
- Make counts each module run, including modules that only reshape data, so a long scenario uses many operations per run.
- n8n Cloud counts one execution per workflow run, however many steps it has. A 20-step workflow uses the same single execution as a 2-step one.
- Self-hosted n8n has no per-run fee. You pay for the server and for someone to keep it updated, backed up and secure.
Data, hosting and UK GDPR
- Zapier and Make process your data in their own clouds. Check which region your account uses and sign the vendor’s data processing agreement.
- Self-hosted n8n runs on a server you control, for example in the UK or EU, so workflow data does not pass through another company’s automation platform. Any AI step still sends the text it handles to the model provider.
- Connect each app through a dedicated user with only the permissions the workflow needs.
- Keep a register of every workflow: the data it touches, the accounts it uses and the person who owns it.
Which one to pick
- Zapier when a non-technical person will build and maintain a handful of short flows between mainstream apps.
- Make when flows are longer and need branches or data reshaping, and someone on the team can map data between modules.
- n8n when you need AI steps with your own rules, custom code, internal systems without a ready connector, or data that must stay on your servers.
- Mixing them works: Zapier or Make for quick team automations, n8n for the core process. Moving a workflow to another tool means rebuilding it, so put the busiest one in the tool you expect to keep.
How to compare them on your own workflow
- Take one workflow you run by hand today and note its trigger, each action, each decision and who approves the result.
- Count how often it runs in a month and how many steps each run has; that gives you the billing units for each tool.
- List the apps it touches and check each tool has a ready connector, or an API you can call.
- Decide where the data may be processed, and rule out any tool that cannot meet it.
- Build the first version in the tool that passes those checks, then run it in parallel with the manual process for two weeks.
Getting it built with Praxen
We build in Zapier, Make or n8n, or in code when none of them fits, on your own accounts so the workflows stay yours. The tool’s plan, or the server for self-hosted n8n, and any AI usage are billed to you directly.