Business process automation is no longer exclusive to large corporations. Today, tools like n8n and Make allow small teams to connect dozens of systems without writing a single line of code. But choosing the wrong tool can cost you dearly in migration time, operational costs, or technical limitations exactly when you need them most.
What are n8n and Make?
n8n is an open-source automation platform you can install on your own servers or use as a cloud service. Its business model is based on cloud hosting or enterprise licenses. Launched in 2019, it grew rapidly thanks to its open-source philosophy and active community.
Make (formerly Integromat) is a visual automation SaaS platform founded in 2012. It is entirely cloud-based, more mature in terms of available integrations, and has a particularly visual interface that makes it accessible to non-technical users.
Both compete directly with Zapier but offer greater flexibility at a lower cost for medium and complex use cases.
Price comparison
This is frequently the first question and deserves an honest answer.
n8n pricing
- Self-hosted: Free for non-commercial use. For businesses, a license is required in certain cases.
- Cloud Starter: $20 USD/month (2,500 executions)
- Cloud Pro: $50 USD/month (10,000 executions)
- Enterprise: Negotiated price, includes SSO and dedicated support
The advantage of self-hosting is significant: if you already have infrastructure on AWS or DigitalOcean, you can run n8n for the cost of the server ($5–20 USD/month) with unlimited executions. For high-volume businesses, this is a huge difference.
Make pricing
- Free: 1,000 operations/month
- Core: $9 USD/month (10,000 operations)
- Pro: $16 USD/month (10,000 operations + advanced features)
- Teams: $29 USD/month
- Enterprise: Negotiated price
Make's "operations" model differs from n8n's "executions" model: each step in a scenario counts as one operation. A 10-step flow that runs 1,000 times consumes 10,000 operations. This can be surprising when you start to scale.
Available integrations
Make has a historical advantage here: it has more than 1,500 native integrations versus approximately 400 in n8n. However, n8n allows running arbitrary JavaScript/Python code and has a generic HTTP module that covers virtually any REST API or webhook.
For the Latin American context, both tools have notable gaps with local software:
Available integrations for LATAM:
- Siigo (Colombia): Only available in n8n via HTTP module
- Alegra: Native module in Make, HTTP in n8n
- Bsale (Chile): HTTP in both
- ContaFácil: HTTP in both
- WhatsApp Business API: Native in Make, excellent support in n8n
- Mercado Libre / Mercado Pago: HTTP in both (well-documented APIs)
The reality is that for local Latin American software, both tools require manual construction via HTTP. n8n has a better development experience for this thanks to its integrated code editor.
Technical complexity and learning curve
Make is more accessible for non-technical profiles. Its visual interface with modules connected by lines is intuitive. Basic scenarios can be built without knowing how to code. Conditional logic has a clear, if limited, interface.
n8n has a steeper curve but offers more control. Its interface is also visual, but accessing the real power of the tool requires understanding JavaScript. Code nodes allow data transformations that in Make would be impossible or require multiple modules.
For teams with a developer available, n8n is the clear choice. For operations teams without a technical profile, Make may be more sustainable in the long run.
Workflow examples
Make flow: new sales notification
A typical Make scenario to notify via Slack when there is a new sale in WooCommerce:
- Trigger: WooCommerce - New Order
- Filter: Order status = "completed"
- Slack - Send message:
"New sale: {{order.total}} from {{order.billing_first_name}}"
Building this takes less than 10 minutes in Make with its drag-and-drop interface.
n8n flow: complex data synchronization
For a flow that extracts data from a paginated API, transforms it, and loads it into PostgreSQL, n8n is superior:
// Code node in n8n
const items = $input.all();
const transformed = items.map(item => ({
id: item.json.external_id,
name: item.json.full_name?.trim() || 'No name',
email: item.json.email?.toLowerCase(),
created_at: new Date(item.json.timestamp * 1000).toISOString(),
metadata: JSON.stringify(item.json.extra_data || {})
}));
return transformed.map(t => ({ json: t }));
This level of data control is much harder to achieve in Make.
When to choose each one
Choose Make if:
- Your team is non-technical or semi-technical
- You prioritize implementation speed over control
- Your integrations are with mainstream tools (Google, Slack, HubSpot, Stripe)
- You prefer not to manage infrastructure
- Operation volume is low to medium
Choose n8n if:
- You have at least one developer on the team
- You need complex data transformation logic
- Volume is high and Make costs would scale significantly
- You have data privacy restrictions (self-hosted)
- You need integrations with local/custom APIs
- You want to version your workflows in Git
The LATAM context: data on national territory
One factor that many comparisons ignore: in several Latin American countries, certain data must be processed on local servers by regulation (medical, financial, and personal data under data protection laws). In these cases, n8n self-hosted on a server in the corresponding country may be the only legally valid option.
Make is 100% cloud with servers in Europe and the United States. For sensitive data from Colombian users under Law 1581, or medical data under specific regulations, consult with your legal team before using Make.
Conclusion: there is no universal winner
The right decision depends on your specific context. Starting from the mid-sized Latin American companies we work with, we recommend Make for getting started quickly with standard integrations, and n8n when volume, technical complexity, or data privacy justify it.
Most importantly: do not fall into the trap of choosing based on features you will not use. Start with the specific problem you want to solve and choose the tool that solves it with the lowest implementation and maintenance cost.
Need help deciding which is the best option for your company? Contact us and we will do a free diagnosis of your automation needs.