Automating Business Processes: Zapier vs. Make vs. n8n

The things we spend the most time on at work are usually repetitive tasks. Reading emails, moving data from one system to another, compiling reports, managing notifications... Most of these tasks can be automated, and you no longer need to be a programmer to do it.

I've been working with different automation tools for the past two years, and three main platforms stand out: Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat) and n8n. I've used all three on real projects and seen the strengths and weaknesses of each up close. Now I'll share those experiences with you.

Why Do You Need Automation?

Let's start with a concrete example. You run a small e-commerce business. Every day you do the following:

Check new orders
Enter order details into Excel
Send a confirmation email to the customer
Update stock status
Pass the invoice details to the accountant

These tasks take you two hours a day in total. That's 40 hours a month, 480 hours a year. By setting up an automation, you can automate 90 percent of these tasks. That means you save about 430 hours a year. You can spend that time growing your business, developing new products or taking a vacation.

Zapier: The King of Ease

Zapier is the best-known name in the automation world. It offers integrations with more than 7,000 apps, and setup is incredibly easy.

I first used Zapier for a blog project. My goal was simple: when a new blog post is published, it should automatically be shared on social media accounts. When a new post was published on WordPress, Zapier would detect it, grab the title and link, post it on Twitter, send it to LinkedIn and send a notification to a Slack channel. Setup took exactly ten minutes.

Zapier's Strengths

Ease of use is undisputedly number one. Even if you have zero technical knowledge, the interface is understandable. The "When this happens, do that" logic is an approach everyone can grasp. It has the widest range of apps. It integrates with most of the tools commonly used in Turkey. With multi-step Zaps, you can perform multiple actions after a single trigger.

Zapier's Weaknesses

Pricing is very expensive. The free plan includes only 100 tasks, which would be used up in a day under serious use. The Professional plan starts at $29.99 per month and rises quickly for complex automations. There is no visual workflow design. In Zapier, you can't visually design your workflow with branching and loops. It's limited for decision trees and parallel operations. Data transformation features are restricted. It's more limited than Make and n8n when it comes to processing and transforming data.

A Real Use Case

I set up the following automation for a client: when a new lead is created in HubSpot, Zapier takes the lead's details, adds them to a Google Sheets table, sends a notification to the sales team on Slack, and three days later sends an automatic introductory email. Setup time: 25 minutes. This process used to be done manually, and sometimes leads went days without follow-up.

Make: Powerful and Visual

Make (formerly Integromat) is the best tool for visual workflow design. You design your workflows visually, like a diagram, which makes complex automations easier to understand.

When I first used Make, I said WOW. The interface is like a mind map. You drag and drop modules, connect them to each other and see the data flow in real time. This visual quality is a lifesaver especially in complex workflows.

Make's Strengths

The visual designer is incredible. You can build branching, loops, error handling and parallel operations visually. It has the best price-to-performance ratio. The free plan offers 1,000 operations, and the paid plans cost about half of Zapier's price. Data transformation is very powerful. It is very flexible when it comes to converting between JSON, XML and CSV, and filtering and processing data. API integration is easy with the HTTP module. You can connect even to services without an official integration through HTTP requests.

Make's Weaknesses

The learning curve is steeper than Zapier's. The interface can feel intimidating at first. Debugging can sometimes be hard in complex scenarios. The number of integrations is smaller than Zapier's, at about 1,500 apps.

A Real Use Case

I set up the following system for an e-commerce client: when an order came in from Shopify, Make would take the order, send notifications to different warehouses depending on the product category, automatically create a shipment with the carrier, email the customer the shipping tracking number and record all the details in Airtable. This workflow had 12 different modules and included branching logic. A flow this complex would either be impossible or very expensive to build in Zapier.

n8n: The Power of Open Source

n8n is an open-source automation platform. You can host it on your own server or use the cloud version. It's the most flexible option for users with technical knowledge.

I discovered n8n on the recommendation of a developer friend. My first impression was mixed, because the setup process wasn't as easy as Make or Zapier. But once I got it set up, the flexibility it offers impressed me.

n8n's Strengths

It's open source and free. It can run on your own server, with no limit on the number of operations. You can write custom code. You can add custom operations with JavaScript and Python. This lets you build complex logic that isn't possible in other tools. Data privacy. Your data stays on your own server and doesn't go to third-party services. With the self-hosted option, you have full control. API flexibility is very high.

n8n's Weaknesses

It requires technical knowledge. You need technical skills for setup, maintenance and troubleshooting. The number of available apps is smaller than the other two. Community support isn't as fast as the professional support from Make and Zapier.

A Real Use Case

We use n8n for our own project. We built a workflow that automatically announces new tools added to the ToolHunters site on social media, adds them to the newsletter list and suggests internal links to related blog posts. We run it on our own server and pay zero additional cost.

Comparison

If we compare the three tools on the key criteria:

Ease of Use

Zapier: The easiest, anyone can use it
Make: Medium, the visual interface helps but there's a learning curve
n8n: Hard, technical knowledge is a must

Pricing

Zapier: The most expensive (starts at $29.99 per month)
Make: Affordable (starts at $10.59 per month)
n8n: Free (self-hosted) or $24 per month (cloud)

Number of Integrations

Zapier: The widest, with 7,000 apps
Make: Medium, with 1,500 apps
n8n: 400 apps plus custom integrations

Flexibility

Zapier: Limited, ideal for simple workflows
Make: High, visual branching and loops
n8n: The highest, with the ability to write code and self-host

Error Handling

Zapier: Basic error notifications
Make: Detailed error routes and retries
n8n: Advanced error handling and logging

Which One Should You Choose?

Based on my experience, here are my recommendations:

Choose Zapier if: You have little technical knowledge, want to get started quickly and budget isn't an issue. It's ideal especially for marketing, sales and customer relations automations.

Choose Make if: You have some technical knowledge, want visual workflow design and are watching your budget. It's the best option for complex workflows and data processing.

Choose n8n if: You have a developer or a technical team, data privacy matters and you're aiming to minimize costs. It's for those who want custom solutions and full control.

The Strategy of Using Them Together

In fact, these tools don't have to exclude one another. In my own workflows, I use Make and n8n together. I use Make for standard integrations because it's quick to set up. I use n8n for custom and sensitive data processing because it runs on my own server.

A friend of mine, on the other hand, started with Zapier, saw the value of automation, and then moved high-volume jobs to Make for cost optimization. This gradual transition strategy makes a lot of sense.

Conclusion

Automation is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity. Every hour you spend on repetitive tasks each day is an hour you lose growing your business. Zapier is the best choice for an easy start, Make for balanced performance and n8n for maximum flexibility.

My advice: try all three tools with their free plans. Start with a small automation, something simple like an email notification when a new form is submitted. Once you see the value of automation, you'll move on to more complex workflows.

Remember, the best automation tool is the one you actually use. Instead of wasting time searching for the perfect tool, picking one and getting started is far more valuable.