Make vs n8n Pricing for Small Automation Workflows

Quick answer

The two tools charge for different things. Make counts credits per action, so a workflow with many steps uses more of your plan each time it runs. n8n counts executions per workflow run, no matter how many steps the workflow has. For short workflows that run often, the per-step model matters less. For long workflows, n8n’s per-run model can stretch further. n8n also has a free self-hosted edition if you are comfortable running a server.

How each one charges

Make (prices shown for 10,000 credits per month):

• Free: $0 with 1,000 credits per month and a 15-minute minimum interval between runs
• Core: $10.59/month, or $9/month billed annually
• Pro: $18.82/month, or $16/month billed annually
• Teams: $34.12/month, or $29/month billed annually

Make’s pricing page lets you pick more credits per month, and the price goes up with the credit amount. Unused credits expire at the end of the term.

n8n (shown in euros on n8n’s pricing page):

• Community Edition: free to self-host from GitHub
• Starter: €24/month, or €20/month billed annually, with 2,500 executions per month
• Pro: €60/month, or €50/month billed annually, with 10,000 executions per month

The cloud plans offer a free trial with no credit card required.

A worked example

Suppose a workflow has 5 steps and runs 1,000 times a month.

• On Make, if each step uses about 1 credit, that is roughly 5,000 credits a month. The Free plan’s 1,000 credits would not cover it, so you would look at a paid plan with enough credits.
• On n8n, the same workflow is 1,000 executions a month, which fits inside the Starter plan’s 2,500.

This is an estimate based on each vendor’s published counting rules. Some Make modules use more than 1 credit, and some (like routers and error handlers) use none, so check Make’s credit rules for the modules you plan to use.

Things to check before you pick

• How many steps your workflows have. More steps per run favor per-execution pricing.
• How often they run. Make’s Free plan has a 15-minute minimum interval. Paid Make plans allow scheduling down to the minute.
• Whether you want to run a server. n8n’s free Community Edition means hosting, updating, and securing it yourself.
• Currency. Make lists prices in US dollars and n8n in euros, so compare after converting to your currency.

Which should you choose?

• Look at Make if you want a free tier to start with, a visual builder, and workflows that are short or run infrequently.
• Look at n8n if your workflows have many steps, or if you want the option to self-host for free.