Guide · alternatives
Make alternatives for small teams
You already run Make. This page sorts stay vs leave that credit meter — not a ranked list of eight tools. Totals are not published yet. See the live scorecard. This page does not add new scores.
Stay on Make, or consider Zapier or n8n
Stay · Not scored yet
Pick Make if…
You will keep drawing the flow on a canvas — routers, branching, a sheet row then Slack — and count credits per module. Or you already run Make scenarios that write the right rows. A score is not a reason to rebuild them.
Consider · Not scored yet
Pick Zapier if…
You need a working Zap this week without mapping a canvas, the app only Zapier lists, or the people who will own it will not map modules. You will count successful action steps, not Make credits. Longer compare: Make vs Zapier for small teams (2026).
Consider · Not scored yet
Pick n8n if…
You will use the n8n editor and count one execution per full run — Cloud if you do not want to run a box, or Community / Business self-host if you will own uptime, upgrades, and backups. It is not a fourth cloud seat. Longer compare: Make vs n8n for small teams (2026).
A pick for a small-team job.
- You already run Make scenarios and want to know whether to stay, try Zapier, or try n8n.
- You want Make credits compared with Zapier tasks and n8n executions.
- You need dated list prices and an honest n8n Cloud vs self-host note.
Read more
What this page tells you. You already pay Make credits. Zapier bills tasks. n8n bills executions. Those are different units, plus dated list prices from the official pages. n8n Cloud and n8n self-host are not the same job. When to pick each is also on Make vs n8n vs Zapier — when to pick each.
GuideSome scores not shown yetVendor pages accessed 2026-09-17Live scorecard
You already pay Make credits
Most “Make alternatives” lists dump eight names. This page starts from the unit you already pay. A Make credit is usually one module action; a trigger check still uses a credit. Zapier and n8n do not bill that unit. Units for one 5-step job live on Same job, three meters.
Stay
You already count credits per module
A Make credit is usually one module action. A trigger check still uses a credit. Stay if the canvas writes the right rows and the team will keep mapping modules.
Different unit
Zapier counts successful action steps
A Zapier task is a successful action step. Triggers, Filters, Paths, and Formatter do not count. One Make credit is not one Zapier task.
Different unit
n8n counts one execution per full run
One full n8n run is one execution — Cloud if you do not want to run a box, or self-host if you will own uptime. One Make credit is not one n8n execution.
Do not treat one Make credit as one Zapier task as one n8n execution. Deeper unit definitions: Tasks vs credits vs executions. Honest stay cases: When Make is the right pick (and when it is not).
List prices (dated)
Official list pages only: Make pricing · Zapier pricing · n8n pricing, accessed 2026-09-17. Zapier dollars below are the published entry task tiers. n8n plan prices vary by region, so the n8n rows point to n8n pricing for the current figure. Make’s page lists Free, Core, Pro, Teams, and Enterprise with monthly and annual billing and a credit slider — it does not publish a single fixed monthly or annual dollar on the page we could read, so those $ figures are omitted. This page does not claim you will save.
Swipe sideways on a narrow screen.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Seat / ops model | Free-plan limits | Meter | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make Free | Free | Free | Credits. Not a published per-seat price. | 1,000 credits / month; 2 active scenarios; 15-minute minimum interval | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Core | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Credits. Unlimited active scenarios. Not a published per-seat price. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Pro | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Credits. Priority execution. Not a published per-seat price. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Teams | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Not a fixed $ on the list page (credit slider) | Credits. Team roles. Not a published per-seat price. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| Make Enterprise | Custom — talk to sales | Custom — talk to sales | Credits. Custom enterprise features. | See Make Free | Credits | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Cloud Starter | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Unlimited users. 2.5k workflow executions. Hosted by n8n. | Cloud trial: 1,000 executions; 5 concurrent; no credit card. No ongoing free Cloud plan on the list page. | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Cloud Pro | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Unlimited users. 10k workflow executions. Hosted by n8n. | See n8n Cloud Starter trial | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Business | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Varies by region (see n8n pricing) | Unlimited users. 40k workflow executions. Marked Self-hosted on the list page. | See n8n Cloud Starter trial | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Enterprise | Custom — contact sales | Custom — contact sales | Custom number of workflow executions. Contact sales. | See n8n Cloud Starter trial | Executions | 2026-09-17 |
| n8n Community Edition | Free | Free | Self-host on GitHub. You own the box. Not a published per-seat price. | Standard self-hosted edition. No Cloud host. | Self-host (you run it) | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Free | Free | Free | 1 seat. Tasks reset monthly. | 100 tasks / month; two-step Zaps; 1 seat | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Professional | $29.99 / month at 750 tasks | $19.99 / month billed annually at 750 tasks | 1 seat. Tasks reset monthly. | See Zapier Free | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Team | $103.50 / month at 2,000 tasks | $69.00 / month billed annually at 2,000 tasks | 25 seats. Tasks reset monthly. | See Zapier Free | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
| Zapier Enterprise | Custom — contact sales | Custom — contact sales | Unlimited seats on the list page. Annual task limits. | See Zapier Free | Tasks | 2026-09-17 |
n8n Starter and Pro cards say Hosted by n8n. Business is marked Self-hosted. Community Edition is the free self-host path on GitHub. Zapier Professional and Team figures are the entry task tiers on zapier.com/pricing (750 tasks and 2,000 tasks). Higher task tiers exist on that page and are not copied here. Make extra-credit dollars are not listed as a fixed figure on the primary pricing page.
A blueprint is not a Zap
Make export is a blueprint JSON. Zapier export is Zapier JSON. n8n export is workflow JSON. Those formats are not interchangeable. There is no one-click Make → Zapier or Make → n8n import. Imports on Make must stay below 2 MB, and you recreate connections after import. Keep the source scenario on, rebuild one critical job, compare outcomes, then cut over.
What does not travel: What does not migrate between Zapier, Make, and n8n. Cutover checklist: Parallel-run before you switch.
n8n Cloud vs a box you run
After Make, n8n is two jobs in one editor family — not two vendors, and not two cloud seats. n8n’s choose-how page splits them: Cloud if you want instant access or do not want to manage infrastructure, versus self-host if you control the environment.
Hosted
n8n Cloud
One execution per full run. You do not own the box. Start here if nobody will run Docker or a VPS. n8n pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
You own the box
n8n Self-host
Docker or a VPS, backups, and who owns 2am. It is not a fourth cloud seat. That is not a cheaper Make. Ops-burden read: When n8n self-host is worth it (and when it is not).
If nobody will own 2am, stay on Make, Zapier, or n8n Cloud. Source: n8n — choose how to use n8n · accessed 2026-09-17
Names that are not Make alternatives
These names show up next to Make in eight-tool dumps. They are different jobs, not the same kind of small-team automation tool. This page publishes no /500 totals for them.
Microsoft Power Automate
Power Automate ships beside Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Entra. It is a Microsoft 365 / Power Platform job — not a Make, Zapier, or n8n Cloud seat. We have not scored it. There is no Power Automate /500 total on this site. Microsoft Power Automate · official page · no affiliate ID · accessed 2026-09-17
Activepieces
Activepieces is an open-source, self-host-friendly automation builder. It is not a lane on Make vs n8n vs Zapier. We have not scored it. Treating it as a fourth cloud seat would invent a ranking. Activepieces · official page · no affiliate ID · accessed 2026-09-17
Workato
Workato is enterprise iPaaS. The buyer, implementation, and contract are a different job from a two-to-ten-person shop picking Make, n8n, or Zapier. We have not scored it. Workato · official page · no affiliate ID · accessed 2026-09-17
Scoring status
Scoring status
The live card is Make vs n8n vs Zapier. Totals are not published yet. Self-hosted is a separate lane. This page does not add new scores.
Criterion scores are not published yet. The /500 total is not published yet. Rules: How scoring works.
Two-tool pages: Make vs Zapier for small teams (2026) · Make vs n8n for small teams (2026) · n8n vs Zapier for small teams (2026). When to pick each: Make vs n8n vs Zapier — when to pick each.
Try Make
Affiliate
Make
Partner signup. We may earn a commission. Rankings are not sold.
Try Make Affiliate. We may earn a commission. Affiliate disclosure
Official
Zapier
Official site: Zapier · no affiliate ID · not a partner mark
Official
n8n
Official site: n8n · no affiliate ID · not a partner mark
Sources
Primary vendor pages. Access date for every citation on this page: 2026-09-17. List prices stay as published.
- Make pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — credits · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — what’s a scenario · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — blueprints · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — how task usage is measured · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — Zap workflows quick start guide · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — introduction to apps · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — choose how to use n8n · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — understand executions · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — use Docker Compose · accessed 2026-09-17
- Microsoft Power Automate · accessed 2026-09-17
- Activepieces · accessed 2026-09-17
- Workato · accessed 2026-09-17
FAQ
What are the Make alternatives for a small team?
On this site the published tools next to Make are Zapier and n8n Cloud. It is not a fourth cloud seat. Stay if the canvas or the credit meter still fits. Consider Zapier if you will count successful action steps. Consider n8n Cloud if you want one execution per full run without running a box. Self-host only if someone will own 2am.
Is this a new Make-alternatives ranking?
No. Totals are not published yet. Rules live on Methodology.
Should I leave Make because Zapier or n8n exists?
No. A score is not a reason to rip out scenarios that still write the right rows. Leave when the meter or the editor is the constraint — tasks on a catalog, one execution per full run, or a box you will own. Stay when the canvas, the credit meter, or the estate is the job. Honest cases: When Make is the right pick.
Why aren’t Power Automate and Activepieces scored here?
They are different jobs. Power Automate sits in Microsoft 365 / Power Platform. Activepieces is an open-source builder that is not a lane on Make vs n8n vs Zapier. Workato is enterprise iPaaS. This page publishes no /500 totals for them.
Is n8n Cloud the same job as n8n self-host?
No. Same editor family. Not the same job. n8n Cloud is hosted, and you do not own uptime. It is not a fourth cloud seat. Self-host only if a named owner will run Docker or a VPS, take backups, and page at 2am. If nobody will, stay on Make, Zapier, or n8n Cloud. Honest cases: When n8n self-host is worth it.
Can I import a Make blueprint into Zapier or n8n?
No. Make export is a blueprint JSON. Zapier export is Zapier JSON. n8n export is workflow JSON. Those formats are not interchangeable. There is no one-click Make → Zapier or Make → n8n import. Rebuild one critical job, compare outcomes, then cut over. See What does not migrate and Parallel-run one job before you switch.
Does this page invent monthly prices or a 2026 winner?
No. Dated list prices come from the official Make, Zapier, and n8n pricing pages. Make $ is omitted where the list page did not show a fixed figure. This page does not claim you will save. Compare the same job in each vendor’s own unit on Same job, three meters. Commissions do not move a score.
Affiliate disclosure
Make is a live partner signup (pc=stackscorecard) and is marked affiliate; we may earn a commission. n8n and Zapier stay official-site URLs with UTM only — no invented IDs. Power Automate, Activepieces, and Workato are official pages with no affiliate ID. Rankings are not sold. Policy: Affiliate disclosure · Disclosures. Contact editor@stackscorecard.com.