n8n vs Make (Integromat): 2026 Verdict
Compare n8n and Make on visual UX, pricing, AI agents, error handling, and developer extensibility. Decide in 10 minutes.
Key takeaways
- Make has the prettier canvas; n8n has more node power and a real Code node.
- Make is operations-priced; n8n self-hosted is unlimited.
- n8n's AI agent stack is more mature in 2026.
- Pick Make for visually intricate one-off scenarios; pick n8n for production systems and AI agents.
Make (formerly Integromat) is the closest aesthetic cousin to n8n — both are node-graph visual builders that go deeper than Zapier. The real decision comes down to extensibility and self-hosting. Make is a polished SaaS; n8n is a polished SaaS plus an open-source runtime you control.
Canvas and developer experience
Make's canvas remains the most beautiful in the category — circular module icons, animated bundle counters, deep inspector. n8n's canvas is squarer and more dense but exposes more power per square inch: pinned data for testing, sub-workflows as first-class citizens, JSON expressions previewed inline.
Pricing model
Make charges per Operation — roughly equivalent to a Zapier task. n8n Cloud charges per workflow execution regardless of node count. Self-hosted n8n charges nothing per run. At 100k operations/month, Make typically costs 3–8x what equivalent n8n Cloud usage does.
AI and agents
Make ships OpenAI and Anthropic modules and a Make AI Agents beta. n8n shipped GA AI Agent, Tool, and Vector Store nodes in 2024 and has hardened them since. For tool-using agents with memory and RAG, n8n is the safer 2026 bet.
Extensibility
n8n has a Code node (JavaScript and Python), HTTP Request node with full auth helpers, and lets you publish custom nodes as npm packages. Make exposes a JSON-based custom apps SDK but no in-flow code block. Engineers reach for n8n.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Make easier than n8n?
- For a first 10-minute demo, marginally yes. For a real production workflow, the gap disappears and n8n's debugging UX pulls ahead.
- Can I run Make on my own server?
- No. Make is SaaS-only. n8n is the leading self-hostable alternative.