Independent scorecards · Small teams
We score automation tools so small teams pick with evidence — not vibes.
Scoring in progress — 0 of 28 criteria published. Named weights.
- Solo operators and small teams wiring Make, n8n, Zapier, Notion, or similar tools.
- People who want the workings, not a confident “#1 pick” with no scores shown.
- Readers who want original tables and named weights, in English.
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How the score works
We score automation tools for small teams so you can pick one.
Each tool is rated 1–5 on named criteria. Each criterion has a weight; the weights add up to 100. Total = rating × weight, summed. A perfect score is 500. Totals are not published yet.
Higher is a better fit for small teams on our criteria — not “best tool forever.” These two cards use different criteria, so do not compare the automation card to the workspace card.
Automation tools · Not ranked yet
Make vs n8n vs Zapier
Same criteria on one card.
Short reads · live pages only
Latest guides
Newest first.
Newest
Notion Business vs Enterprise — when Enterprise earns the step
The Business to Enterprise step. Admin, audit, SCIM, and data-control rows that are empty on Business. Business listed price quoted. Enterprise stays contact sales. Not a ranking.
Guide
Coda Free vs Pro — when Pro earns the upgrade
The Free to Pro step. Who pays as a Doc Maker, which Free limits bite first, and when Pro earns the upgrade. Later plans stay on the pricing map. Not a ranking.
Guide
Airtable Business vs Enterprise Scale — when Enterprise earns the step
The Business to Enterprise Scale step. Admin, audit, and scale rows that are empty on Business. Business seat lines quoted. Enterprise Scale stays contact sales. Not a ranking.
Guide
Airtable annual vs monthly — when the year up front earns it
Already on Airtable. When paying the year up front earns the lock-in, and when a monthly line wins. Both price lines quoted. A yearly lump sum stays an em dash. Not a ranking.
Guide
Notion annual vs monthly — when the year up front earns it
Already on Notion. When paying the year up front earns the lock-in, and when a monthly cycle wins. Listed prices only. The Pay monthly prices are on the Notion pricing page. Not a ranking.
Guide
n8n annual vs monthly — when the year up front earns it
Already leaning n8n. When paying the year up front earns the lock-in, and when a monthly cycle wins. Card euros quoted for both controls. Other execution steps left as an em dash. Not a ranking.
Guide
Zapier annual vs monthly — when the year up front earns it
Already leaning Zapier. When paying the year up front earns the lock-in, and when a monthly cycle wins. Listed plan prices quoted. A price under each billing control is not printed. Not a ranking.
Guide
Switching from n8n to Zapier — when the rebuild is worth it
Already on n8n and weighing Zapier. Cloud and self-host stay separate. When the rebuild is worth it, what workflows, logins, and webhooks do not become Zaps, and the period when both stay on. Not a ranking.
Guide
Switching from Make to Zapier — when the rebuild is worth it
Already on Make and weighing Zapier. When the rebuild is worth it, what scenarios, logins, webhooks, data stores, and schedules do not become Zaps, and the period when both stay on. Not a ranking.
Guide
Switching from Make to n8n — when the rebuild is worth it
Already on Make and weighing n8n. Cloud and self-host stay separate. When the rebuild is worth it, what scenarios, logins, webhooks, data stores, and schedules do not become workflows, and the period when both stay on. Not a ranking.
Guide
Switching from Zapier to n8n — when the rebuild is worth it
Already on Zapier and weighing n8n. Cloud and self-host stay separate. When the rebuild is worth it, what logins, webhooks, and Zaps do not become workflows, and the period when both stay on. Not a ranking.
Guide
n8n Business vs Enterprise — when hosted by n8n earns the step
Already on n8n Business, or choosing Business or a sales conversation. Business is self-hosted only. Enterprise can be hosted by n8n or self-hosted. Annual Business card price quoted. Enterprise euros left as an em dash. Not a ranking.
Guide
Zapier Team vs Enterprise — when the sales conversation earns it
Already on Zapier Team, or choosing Team or a sales conversation. What Team already includes, and which rows stay off Team. The Team listed price is quoted. Enterprise prints Contact for pricing. Not a ranking.
Guide
n8n Pro vs Business — when the self-hosted step earns it
Already on n8n Cloud Pro. What Business adds over Pro, and that the Business card says Self-hosted only. Annual card prices quoted in euros. Enterprise left as Contact Sales. Not a ranking.
Guide
n8n Starter vs Pro — when Pro earns the step
Already on n8n Cloud. What Pro adds over Starter, and when one shared project is still enough. Annual card prices quoted in euros. Other execution steps left as an em dash. Not a ranking.
Guide
Zapier Professional vs Team — when Team earns the step
Already on Zapier. What Team adds over Professional, and when one seat is still enough. Listed prices quoted. Other task tiers are not printed. Not a ranking.
Guide
Zapier Free vs Professional — when Professional earns the upgrade
Already on Zapier. What Free gives, what Professional unlocks, and the signs the free plan is too small. Listed prices quoted. Other task tiers are not printed. Not a ranking.
Guide
n8n pricing explained — how plans and executions fit
How n8n’s plan column and execution meter fit. What an execution counts, what it does not, and what happens when the cap is hit. Annual card prices quoted in euros. A US dollar on that read left blank. Not a ranking.
Guide
Zapier pricing explained — how plans and tasks fit
How Zapier’s plan column and task meter fit. What a task counts, what it does not, and what happens when the meter runs out. Listed plan prices quoted. Other tier prices are not printed. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make annual vs monthly — when the year up front earns it
Already leaning Make. When paying the year up front earns the lock-in, and when a monthly cycle wins. Card dollars on the 2026-10-04 text read left blank. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make pricing explained — how plans and credits fit
Commercial map: the plan column, the credit volume, and the five public rungs. Slider dollars on the 2026-10-03 text read left blank. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make Teams vs Enterprise — when the sales conversation earns it
Already leaning Make. When Teams is enough, and when SSO, audit logs, and the printed limits earn a sales conversation. The Teams listed price is quoted. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make Free vs Core — when Core earns the upgrade
Already leaning Make. When Free is enough, and when Core earns the step: scenarios, schedule, files, logs, the Make API, and the Free and Core listed prices. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make Pro vs Teams — when the org step earns it
Already leaning Make. One team versus teams and roles, file size, API rate, and the Pro and Teams listed prices. The annual credit package is already on Pro. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make Core vs Pro — which limits change
Already leaning Make. File size, API rate, priority, annual credits, and the Core and Pro listed prices. Not a ranking.
Guide
Make credits and operations — what each word counts
Make-only lexicon: credits are what you pay, operations are the module runs, and 1 operation is not always 1 credit. Units only. Not a ranking.
Guide
Switching from n8n Cloud to Make — when the rebuild is worth it
Already on n8n Cloud and weighing Make. When the rebuild is worth it, what credentials and workflows do not become scenarios, and the period when both stay on. Not a ranking.
Guide
Switching from Zapier to Make — when the rebuild is worth it
Already on Zapier and weighing Make. When the rebuild is worth it, what logins and Zaps do not become scenarios, and the period when both stay on. Not a ranking.
Guide
Tasks vs credits vs executions — what each word counts
Plain dictionary: what a Zapier task, a Make credit, and an n8n execution count, what they do not count, and why 1 is not 1. Units only. Not a ranking.
Guide
When free isn’t enough — trial, free plan, or first paid plan
What Zapier Free, Make Free, the n8n Cloud trial, and n8n self-host unlock versus the first paid plan. Units and plan limits only. Not a ranking.
Guide
When you hit the meter — hold, overage, or upgrade
What happens at the Zapier, Make, or n8n ceiling: hold, extra credits, fail, or upgrade. Units and vendor policy only. Not a ranking.
Guide
How AI steps change the meter — tasks, credits, executions
How AI and agent steps change Zapier tasks, Make credits, and n8n executions. Units only. Not a ranking.
Guide
Coda is now Superhuman Docs — stay, or move to Airtable / Notion?
Rename on 8 Jul 2026. Stay if the doc-as-app still fits. Move to Airtable or Notion by job. Not a ranking.
Guide
Error handling across Make, n8n, and Zapier
What success means, retries and handlers, who reconnects, who gets notified. Product-lane honesty — not a second scorecard and not a second taxonomy.
Guide
Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda) alternatives for small-team docs and ops
Stay on Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda), or consider Notion or Airtable by the job. Dated list prices.
Guide
Airtable alternatives for small-team ops
Stay on Airtable if the daily object is still a base, table, or interface, or consider Notion or Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda). Dated list prices.
Guide
Notion Plus vs Business — when Business earns the step
The Plus to Business step. What Plus limits, what Business unlocks, and the signs a team has outgrown Plus. Free and Enterprise prices stay off this page. Not a ranking.
Guide
Notion Free vs Plus — when Plus earns the upgrade
The Free to Plus step. Dated Free limits and what Plus unlocks. Later plans stay on the pricing map. Not a ranking.
Guide
Notion pricing explained — how plans and members fit
Named plans, who is billed, and the limits that usually force the next plan. Dated list prices. Not a ranking.
Guide
Airtable Team vs Business — when Business earns the step
The Team to Business step. What Team still covers, what Business unlocks, and the signs a team has outgrown Team. Enterprise and add-on prices stay off this page. Not a ranking.
Guide
Airtable Free vs Team — when Team earns the upgrade
The Free to Team step. Dated Free limits and what Team unlocks. Later plans stay on the pricing map. Not a ranking.
Guide
Airtable pricing explained — how plans and seats fit
Named plans, who is billed, and the limits that usually force the next plan. Dated list prices. Not a ranking.
Guide
Coda pricing explained — how plans and Doc Makers fit
Named plans, who is billed, and the limits that usually force the next plan. Dated list prices. Not a ranking.
Guide
Notion alternatives for small-team ops
Stay on Notion if the wiki still holds the work, or consider Airtable or Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda). Dated list prices.
Guide
Name one system of record for small-team ops
Name one hub and one write path before you wire Make, n8n, or Zapier. Notion, Airtable, or Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda). Not a ranking.
Guide
Airtable vs Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda) for small-team ops hubs
Job-fit tables for small-team ops hubs. Structured data and views vs docs-bound Packs. Same trio card — not a second scorecard.
Guide
Notion vs Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda) for small-team wikis and docs
Pick by job — a workspace of pages vs one living doc. Dated list prices. Same workspace card.
At a glance and choose-if
At a glance
Choose if
Not ranked yetHow scoring works1–5 × weight · max 500
Workspace tools · In progress · separate criteria
Notion vs Superhuman Docs (formerly Coda) vs Airtable
Scoring in progress — 30 of 33 criteria published. Different criteria from the automation scorecard.
FAQ
What does the automation progress line mean?
Each tool is rated 1–5 on named criteria. Each criterion has a weight; the weights add up to 100. A perfect score is 500. Scoring in progress — 0 of 28 criteria published. A total is shown only when every criterion score is published.
Does Make lead n8n and Zapier?
No. There is no published total, so there is no lead.
Is n8n Self-hosted ranked with the cloud products?
n8n Self-hosted is on the same scorecard. You own uptime, upgrades, and backups. No rank is published.
What do published scores mean?
Missing scores stay blank. We do not guess a missing score. This is not a final “best of 2026.”
Is there a separate Make vs Zapier or Make vs n8n scorecard?
No. Those compares use this scorecard. Totals are not published yet.
Trust signals you can inspect
Published methodology
Criteria, weights, and what we will not score are on one page. See Methodology.
Affiliate disclosure
Make Partner is live (pc=stackscorecard). We may earn a commission. Affiliate disclosure.
How we label scores
Automation totals are not published yet. Workspace tools — Notion, Airtable, and Coda — sit on a separate sheet. Different criteria, not comparable.
Original tables
Named criteria and weighted totals. No invented testimonials.
Not for
- Enterprise RFP theatre or “AI tools of the week” listicles.
- Anyone looking for a hidden ranking we have not published. There isn’t one.
- Vendors hoping a commission will move a score. It will not.