There is no single best automation platform. Zapier, Make and n8n all connect apps and move data between them, but they differ in who hosts the software, how you are billed, how far you can bend a workflow with code, and how much operational work lands on you. A small business with a handful of simple workflows and no technical staff usually suits a fully hosted tool. A business that needs control over data, custom logic or its own infrastructure should look hard at self-hosting.
What the three tools have in common
All three let you build a workflow from a trigger (a form submission, a new row, an incoming webhook) followed by actions in other apps. All three offer a way to add custom code when the built-in steps are not enough. The differences show up once your workflows grow: how they are billed, how errors surface, and what happens when you need something unusual.
Before comparing products, list your first five workflows. Note the trigger, the apps involved, how often each runs, and what happens if a run fails. That list will decide more than any feature table. If you are still deciding whether to automate at all, AI for small business: where to start covers how to pick the first candidates.
Comparison by hosting, flexibility, complexity and control
The table below reflects what each vendor’s own documentation states, at the time of writing (November 2026). Check current plans before you commit.
| Question | Zapier | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Vendor-hosted | Vendor-hosted | Self-hosted, or n8n Cloud |
| Billing idea | Plan limits | Credits for operations | Cloud subscription, or your own server costs |
| Custom code | Code steps (JavaScript or Python) with limits | Available | Code node (JavaScript or Python) |
| Operational burden | Low | Low | Low on Cloud, yours if self-hosted |
Zapier
Zapier’s Code steps run short JavaScript (Node.js) or Python snippets as a trigger or an action. Zapier’s help article says scripts are sandboxed, limited in runtime and memory, and that the code plus the data it processes cannot exceed 6 MB (Use JavaScript code in Zaps). It also recommends building a custom app when you need more than two HTTP requests or authenticated requests. That is a useful guide to where Zapier’s simple model starts to strain.
Make
Make separates operations from credits: its help centre defines operations as the activities performed in your scenarios and credits as what you pay for those activities (Credits and operations). Practically, that means a workflow that loops over many records can consume far more than one that handles a single item. Model your highest-volume scenario before you assume the cheapest plan will cover you.
n8n
n8n can be self-hosted, which means running it on your own infrastructure. Its hosting documentation lists databases, environment variables, users, security settings, monitoring and updates among the things a self-hoster deals with (Hosting n8n). Its Code node supports JavaScript and native Python, and self-hosted instances can use external npm modules while n8n Cloud provides only a small set (Code node).
The licence matters too. n8n’s licence FAQ says the community licence applies to self-hosted n8n, and that you can charge clients for building and maintaining workflows, but you cannot host n8n as a service where clients build their own workflows, or white-label it, without an Enterprise licence (n8n licence FAQ). If your plan touches reselling, read that page in full and ask n8n directly.
A decision framework
Work through these questions in order.
- Do you have anyone who can maintain a server? If not, choose a hosted option (Zapier, Make or n8n Cloud). Self-hosting is a real job: backups, updates, uptime and security.
- Is your data sensitive or subject to residency expectations? If so, self-hosting or a private deployment may be worth the effort. Check your obligations under the Privacy Act and any contracts first.
- Are your workflows mostly linear (a trigger and a few actions)? Any of the three will cope. Pick on price predictability and the apps you already use.
- Do you need branching, loops, custom transformations or calls to your own services? Favour the tool with stronger logic and code support, and expect a steeper learning curve.
- Will volume grow quickly? Estimate monthly runs and steps per run, then check how each vendor bills that pattern.
Trade-offs to be honest about
Hosted tools are fast to start, but you accept the vendor’s limits and pricing changes. Self-hosting gives control but moves risk to you. Visual builders get harder to read as workflows grow, and a tangled scenario with forty steps can be harder to maintain than a short script. The build vs buy question applies to automation as much as to AI tools. Keep a person in the loop for any step that sends money, messages or data outside the business (human-in-the-loop workflows).
Whatever you pick, document each workflow: its owner, what it does and what to do when it fails. A platform choice is easy to change if the documentation is good, and painful if it lives in one person’s head. For a wider view of where automation helps, see how AI automation can improve business operations.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Technology division builds business websites, landing pages and workflow automation, and offers ready-made automation kits through /products. You can try the logic of those kits on the /automation-demos page, or start with the free automation checklist. To talk through which platform suits your situation, see /technology or get in touch via /contact.
Sources
- Use JavaScript code in Zaps, Zapier Help Centre
- Credits and operations, Make Help Centre
- Hosting n8n, n8n Docs
- Code node, n8n Docs
- n8n licence FAQ, n8n Docs
