Make alternatives (honest)
Last checked Oct 2026Honest alternatives to Make from our directory. We earn a commission on Make sign-ups and on none of these, which is why this page exists and why payouts don't change it. Order below isn't a ranking.
The main alternatives
| Tool | Price (official) | Our status | Why pick it over Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Community Edition free (self-hosted); Starter 20€/mo and Pro 50€/mo, billed annually (hosted by n8n); Business 667€/mo billed annually (self-hosted) (source) | Community-verified | Open source with code nodes; self-host the Community Edition for free, or pay for hosting by n8n. |
| Zapier | Free; Professional from $19.99/mo (source) | Community-verified | The easiest start and the largest app catalog, per builders in our sources; billed per task. |
n8n prices are in EUR and billed annually, so they're never added to our USD totals. n8n's self-hosted Community Edition is free (n8n docs). Zapier's $19.99 is the annual-billing monthly price for 750 tasks; monthly billing is $29.99 (zapier.com/pricing).
Pick n8n if
- You're technical and happy to self-host: the Community Edition is free with almost the full feature set (n8n docs).
- You prefer per-execution billing: n8n bills one execution per full workflow run, however many steps it has (n8n pricing).
Pick Zapier if
- You want the quickest start with simple two-step automations; Zapier's Free plan is 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps (zapier.com/pricing).
- You need an app only Zapier connects to. Zapier says it connects 9,000+ apps (zapier.com).
Pick Make if
- You want a visual builder, a free plan with 1,000 credits a month and no servers to run (make.com). It's the only automation tool here we've tested hands-on (our hands-on test).
If you'd rather write code
Agent frameworks in our directory, for developers who don't want a visual builder:
- LangGraph: Free open-source library (MIT); LangSmith Plus $39/seat/mo (source)
- OpenAI Agents SDK: Free open-source SDK (MIT); model usage billed separately (source)
- Mastra: Free open-source framework; Mastra Cloud Teams $250/mo (source)
- CrewAI: Basic plan free; Enterprise custom (source)
Side by side: n8n vs Make · Make vs Zapier.
FAQ
What are the best alternatives to Make?
n8n (open source, free to self-host) and Zapier (easiest start, largest app catalog) are the two automation platforms in our directory. Developers can also use code frameworks like LangGraph.
Is n8n cheaper than Make?
They aren't directly comparable: n8n's hosted plans start at 20€/mo billed annually and bill per execution (n8n); Make's Core starts at $9/mo for 10,000 credits (make.com). Self-hosted n8n Community Edition is free.
Is Zapier easier than Make?
Builders in our sources say Zapier is the easiest start; Make is the visual middle ground with more control.