Guide · four-question picker
Which automation tool for small teams
Totals are not published yet. Self-hosted is a separate lane. This page does not add new scores.
Pick Make, n8n, or Zapier
Pick · Not scored yet
Pick Make if…
Someone will map modules on a visual canvas, volume fits a credit meter, and you will not run a box. Make publishes 3,000+ integrations. A score is not a crown. Longer read: When Make is the right pick.
Skip Make if…
- Volume does not fit a credit meter. Every module action in a run uses credits, so one run of a multi-step scenario uses several, and scenarios stop when credits run out until more are added. Make credits help · Make pricing · accessed 2026-09-17.
- Your team won’t build on a visual canvas. Make’s unit of work is a scenario made of modules. If the people who will own it will not map that canvas, skip Make. Make scenario help · accessed 2026-09-17.
Pick · Not scored yet
Pick n8n Cloud if…
A technical owner wants n8n’s editor, or you want one execution per full run, and the vendor hosts it. Same editor family as self-host. You do not own uptime.
Pick · Not scored yet
Pick Zapier if…
You need a Zap this week, a wide directory, or a no-code owner. Zapier help publishes 9,000+ apps. Still the pick when the catalog is the job. Longer read: When Zapier is still the right pick.
Callout · Not scored yet
Self-host only if you will own uptime
It is not a fourth cloud seat. n8n recommends self-host for expert users. If nobody will own the box, pick n8n Cloud, Make, or Zapier. Longer read: When n8n self-host is worth it.
A pick for a small-team job.
- You want four questions — who builds, volume, self-host, catalog.
- You will land on Make, n8n Cloud, Zapier, or n8n Self-host.
- You want dated list prices, and you will not treat the pick as a new rank.
Read more
What this page tells you. Answer four questions — who builds, volume shape, self-host willingness, catalog need — and land on Make, n8n Cloud, Zapier, or n8n Self-host. A static flowchart of those four is drawn above the picker. Dated list prices come from the official pages. Rules: How scoring works. This page does not add new scores.
GuideSome scores not shown yetVendor pages accessed 2026-09-17Four-question flowchartLive scorecard
Four-question flowchart
The same four questions — who builds, volume shape, self-host willingness, catalog need — on one page. It is not a replacement for the picker. Answer them in the form below if you want a reveal.
The same four questions as the picker. Without scripting, every question and every published pick stays visible. This chart does not crown a tool.
1Who builds
2Volume shape
3Self-host willingness
4Catalog need
Then a pick. All four picks stay visible. Totals are not published yet.
Not scored yetMakeNot scored yet
Not scored yetZapierNot scored yet
Not scored yetn8n CloudNot scored yet- Separate lanen8n Self-hostNot scored yet
Same picker routes
Same routes as the four questions — not a second ranking and not a replacement. Full prose: How answers map to a job fit.
- Self-host plus a technical owner, or HTTP / code nodes→ n8n Self-host Not scored yet — you own uptime, upgrades, and backups
- Self-host willingness without a technical owner→ Make Not scored yet — vendor cloud, no box to run
- Catalog need is a wide directory→ Zapier Not scored yet — a wide directory is the job
- Technical owner, HTTP / code, or one execution per run — vendor cloud→ n8n Cloud Not scored yet — same editor family, you do not own uptime
- No-code operators and a low-volume shape→ Zapier Not scored yet — a first Zap this week
- Visual canvas, a common-app catalog, or leftover paths→ Make Not scored yet — a visual canvas is the job
Answer the same four in the picker · Skip to all four published picks
Four questions
Answer each one. The reveal cites the live scorecard. Totals are not published yet. Without scripting, every pick stays visible below. Honest cases: When Make is the right pick · When Zapier is still the right pick · When n8n self-host is worth it. Ownership and ops — not this flowchart —: Who should own your automations.
What the four answers pick
Each card cites the live scorecard. Totals are not published yet. n8n Self-host is a separate lane. Ops-burden read: When n8n self-host is worth it. Lane: self-host on the live scorecard.
Not scored yet
Pick: Make
Not scored yetVisual scenario builder in vendor cloud. Cited, not a second ranking.
When Make is the right pick · When to pick each · Tasks vs credits vs executions
Not scored yet
Pick: Zapier
Not scored yetNo-code editor, wide catalog, existing Zaps. Still the pick when the catalog is the job.
When Zapier is still the right pick · Make vs Zapier · Tasks vs credits vs executions
Not scored yet
Pick: n8n Cloud
Not scored yetSame editor family as self-host, vendor-hosted. You do not own uptime.
n8n Cloud on the live scorecard · Make vs n8n · n8n vs Zapier
Separate lane
Pick: n8n Self-host
Not scored yetYou own uptime, upgrades, and backups.
When n8n self-host is worth it · n8n Self-host lane (Scoring in progress — 0 of 28 criteria published.) · Make vs n8n
Other published picks
Open if you want the other three cards after a reveal. Totals are not published yet. Still not a ranking.
How answers map to a job fit
The picker does not invent a score. It routes to the same numbers on Make vs n8n vs Zapier.
- Self-host plus a technical owner, or HTTP / code nodes. n8n’s Docker Compose host guide is for expert users; mistakes can mean data loss, security issues, and downtime. Ops-burden read: When n8n self-host is worth it. Lane: n8n Self-host.
- Self-host willingness without a technical owner. Make is vendor cloud, with no box to run. That is the case on When Make is the right pick.
- Catalog need is a wide directory. Zapier help publishes 9,000+ apps. Still the pick when the connector is only listed there. Cases: When Zapier is still the right pick.
- Who builds is technical, catalog is HTTP / code, or volume is one execution per run — vendor cloud. Same editor family, you do not own uptime. Lane: n8n Cloud. Two-tool pages: Make vs n8n · n8n vs Zapier.
- No-code operators and a low-volume shape. A Zap is a trigger plus actions; Zapier’s quick start is “without code.”
- Visual canvas, a common-app catalog, or the leftover paths. Make publishes 3,000+ integrations. Full read: When Make is the right pick. Units: Tasks vs credits vs executions. This page does not invent an overage dollar.
Source: Make — what’s a scenario · Zapier — Zap workflows quick start guide · Zapier — how task usage is measured · n8n pricing · n8n — use Docker Compose · n8n — choose how to use n8n · Zapier — introduction to apps · Make App Integrations · accessed 2026-09-17
List prices (dated)
Official list pages only: Make pricing · n8n pricing · Zapier pricing, accessed 2026-09-17. n8n plan prices vary by region, so the n8n rows point to n8n pricing for the current figure. Zapier dollars below are the published entry task tiers. 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. There is no free-forever path without infra time. 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.
Scoring status
Scoring status
The live card is Make vs n8n vs Zapier. Totals are not published yet.
Criterion scores are not published yet. The /500 total is not published yet. Nothing on this page adds a score. Rules: How scoring works.
Try Make
Sources
Primary vendor pages. Access date for every citation on this page: 2026-09-17. List prices stay as published. We do not invent search volumes, testimonials, or a converted list.
- Make — what’s a scenario · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — credits · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — Zap workflows quick start guide · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — how task usage is measured · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n pricing · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — use Docker Compose · accessed 2026-09-17
- n8n — choose how to use n8n · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier — introduction to apps · accessed 2026-09-17
- Zapier App Directory · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make App Integrations · accessed 2026-09-17
- Make — introduction to apps · accessed 2026-09-17
FAQ
Which automation tool should a small team pick?
It depends on the job. Answer four questions — who builds, volume shape, self-host willingness, and catalog need. The flowchart is the same four on one page. This picker maps those answers to a job fit. Then read the live scorecard. Totals are not published yet.
Is the four-question flowchart a ranking?
No. The flowchart is the same four questions — who builds, volume shape, self-host willingness, and catalog need. It does not crown a 2026 winner. All four picks stay visible. The picker uses the same routes.
Does this picker change the Make vs n8n vs Zapier scores?
No. Totals are not published yet. This page does not add new scores and is not a second ranking. Rules live on Methodology.
Why isn’t there an overall 2026 winner?
A score is not a reason to pick a tool for every job. Zapier can still fit a first Zap or a wide catalog. n8n Cloud fits if you want that editor hosted. Self-host is a different job. It is not a fourth cloud seat.
When is n8n self-host the pick?
Only if a named owner will run the box — uptime, upgrades, backups, and the 2am page. n8n recommends self-host for expert users. n8n Cloud fits if you want the same editor hosted. Longer read: When n8n self-host is worth it. Two-tool pages: Make vs n8n and n8n vs Zapier.
How do I compare cost after I get a pick?
Compare the same job in each vendor’s own unit. A Zapier task is a successful action step. A Make credit is usually one module action. An n8n execution is one full workflow run. Dated list prices are on this page. See Tasks vs credits vs executions, then the 5-step worked example on Same job, three meters. Do not treat one task as one credit as one execution. This page does not invent an overage dollar and does not claim you will save.
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. 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. Zapier has no Stack affiliate. Rankings are not sold. Policy: Affiliate disclosure · Disclosures.