n8n vs Make: credits vs executions, and which one costs less

By the serverserv team · 7 min read · Updated 22 October 2026

Make and n8n are both visual automation tools, and both are cheaper than Zapier for most workloads. The big difference is billing. Make charges a credit for almost every module that runs in a scenario, while n8n Cloud charges one execution per workflow run, and self-hosted n8n has no per-run charge at all. Make is cloud-only and very approachable. n8n can run on your own server and goes further with code and AI agents. Here is how they compare on cost, features and setup.

The short answer

	Make	n8n
What you pay for	Credits: most modules use one each time they run	Executions: one per workflow run (cloud), or nothing per run (self-hosted)
Free option	1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios, 15-minute minimum interval	Community Edition is free to self-host; you pay for the server
Entry paid plan	Core from about $12 a month billed yearly, 10,000 credits	Cloud Starter about $24 a month, 2,500 executions; self-hosted from about $10 to $15 a month for the server
Where it runs	Make's cloud only	n8n's cloud or your own server
Code	Limited; mostly built-in functions	Full JavaScript and Python code nodes
AI agents	AI modules and agents	AI agent, memory and tool nodes; bring any model key

Prices are as published in October 2026 and can change. Make shows its lowest prices for yearly billing.

How Make and n8n bill you

Make counts credits. Reading, searching, creating, updating or deleting data each use a credit, and so do built-in tools that transform, aggregate or iterate data. Router and error-handler modules are free. A single scenario run can use anything from two credits to thousands, depending on how many modules run and how many items each module processes. Unused credits expire at the end of the month on monthly plans.

n8n Cloud counts executions. One execution is one full run of a workflow, however many nodes it has and however many items pass through. Starter includes 2,500 executions a month and Pro includes 10,000.

Self-hosted n8n counts nothing. The free Community Edition runs on your own server with unlimited workflows and executions. The only bill is the server.

The same workflow on both

Say a scenario watches a mailbox, sends each new email to an AI model to sort it, looks up the sender in your CRM, adds a note and posts a summary to Slack. That is five modules, and if it runs on 20 emails a day it handles about 600 emails a month.

	Make	n8n Cloud	Self-hosted n8n
Units per email	About 5 credits	1 execution	None
600 emails a month	About 3,000 credits	600 executions	No per-run cost
6,000 emails a month	About 30,000 credits	6,000 executions	No per-run cost

At low volume Make's Core plan is very good value: 3,000 credits fits easily inside 10,000. At ten times the volume the same scenario needs about 30,000 credits a month on Make, while n8n Cloud Pro or a self-hosted server covers it. Workflows that loop over many items, such as rows in a sheet, raise Make's credit count fastest, because each item processed by each module counts.

Features compared

• Ease of use: Make's scenario canvas is friendly and easy to follow, which is why many non-developers prefer it. n8n is also visual but leans more technical.
• Apps: Make has a large library of ready-made app modules. n8n has fewer dedicated nodes but an HTTP Request node that connects to any API.
• Code: n8n lets you write real JavaScript or Python inside a workflow. Make relies mostly on its built-in functions.
• Hosting and data: Make runs only in Make's cloud. n8n can run on your own server, so your workflow data and credentials stay with you.
• Scheduling: Make's free plan runs scenarios at most every 15 minutes; paid plans go down to one minute. Self-hosted n8n can run as often as your server allows, and webhooks fire instantly.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose Make if you want a polished, no-code canvas, your scenarios run a few thousand credits a month, and you do not want to manage anything.
• Choose n8n Cloud if your workflows have many steps or process lots of items, and you still want a hosted service.
• Choose self-hosted n8n if volume is high or growing, you build AI agents, you need code, or you want data on your own server.

To run n8n on your own server without the setup work, serverserv n8n hosting comes with n8n pre-installed on a KVM VPS from $14.99 a month, or $10.99 a month on a 3-year term, with unlimited executions. Also comparing Zapier? See n8n vs Zapier, or put your own numbers into the automation cost calculator.

Questions

Sources

• Make: Pricing
• Zapier blog: Make.com pricing (May 2026)
• n8n: Plans and pricing

Prices from other companies are as published at the time of writing and can change.