Choose Your Automation Tool in 5 Minutes

Non-technical (marketers, ops) → Zapier. Simplest interface, 7,000+ app integrations, minimal learning curve.

Somewhat technical → Make. Visual flowchart builder, more powerful but steeper learning curve.

Developers comfortable with Docker → n8n. Self-hostable, JavaScript/Python in any node, full data control.

Under 100 tasks → Zapier Free (100 tasks/mo, two-step only). Good enough for most solo founders.

100–2,000 tasks → Make Core at $10.59/mo (10,000 operations). About 3x cheaper than Zapier Professional at $29.99/mo (750 tasks).

2,000+ tasks → Make Core or n8n self-hosted (free, unlimited). Zapier Team at $103.50/mo only gives 2,000 tasks.

Niche/uncommon app → Check Zapier first (7,000+ apps). If Zapier has it, it probably works. Make has 1,800+ apps; n8n has 400+.

All major SaaS tools → All three platforms cover mainstream tools. Choose on price and complexity.

Simple A → B workflows → Zapier. Clean, linear automation is Zapier's strength.

Complex logic with routers and fallbacks → Make. Visual routers, error handlers, and iterators built in.

Custom code and API calls → n8n. Write JavaScript/Python in any node. Full HTTP/webhook control.

Cloud is fine → Zapier or Make (both cloud-only with SOC 2 compliance).

Need self-hosted / full data control → n8n Community Edition (free, self-hosted). Run on your own server with Docker. Cloud version available from $20/mo if you prefer managed hosting.