n8n is an open-source automation builder where business processes are assembled from blocks on screen: a lead comes in from the website, lands in the CRM, the manager gets a Telegram message, and none of it needs a single line of code, which is no-code automation in its purest form. What sets it apart from Zapier and Make is that you can run it on your own server for a few dollars a month and stop paying for every operation. This article covers how n8n is put together, how it compares with the competition, which eight scenarios genuinely save time for a small business and which risks to weigh before handing anything important over to automation.
All three services do the same thing: they connect applications by the rule "if A happens, do B". The difference lies in the pricing model, in where your data lives and in the entry threshold. Zapier is the simplest and the priciest: thousands of ready-made integrations, every step of a scenario costs a "task", and the bill grows with volume. Make (formerly Integromat) is more flexible, with a visual editor and cheaper operations, but it is also cloud-only and also counts every action. n8n can be used in the vendor's cloud or deployed on your own server: in the second case you pay only for the server, and the number of workflows and operations is unlimited.
| Criterion | n8n | Zapier | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (approx.) | Self-hosted 0, cloud from ~€20 | From ~$20, free tier | From ~$10, free tier |
| What limits count | Workflow runs | Every step | Every operation |
| Hosting | Own server or cloud | Cloud only | Cloud only |
| Where data lives | With you (self-hosted) | Zapier servers | Make servers |
| Ready integrations | Hundreds + any API | Over 7,000 | Over 2,000 |
| Learning curve | Medium | Lowest | Medium |
| Best for | Dozens of flows, sensitive data | Quick idea checks | Complex logic without a server |
An honest note: n8n is not "free Zapier". It needs someone to install it, update it and fix it when a workflow stops in the middle of the night. For three simple connections Zapier may work out cheaper once you count a person's time.
A scenario in n8n is called a workflow, and it consists of nodes joined by arrows. The first node is always a trigger: the event that starts the chain. It can be a form on the website (through a webhook, which is an address the site sends data to), a new row in Google Sheets, an incoming email, a schedule such as "every day at 8:00" or a message to a Telegram bot.
Then come the action nodes: "create a deal in the CRM", "send a message", "write to the spreadsheet". Between them you can place conditions: if the amount in the request is above a certain threshold, notify the head of sales, otherwise a regular manager. There are nodes for transforming data: split first and last name, normalize a phone number, calculate a total. And there is the universal HTTP node that talks to any service with an API, even when no ready-made integration exists for it.
After a run, every node shows what data it received and what it passed on. That is the main advantage over a "black box": when something breaks, you can see at which step and why.
Do not start with price list synchronization. Start with what hurts every day and where a mistake costs no money. At Query we usually suggest this sequence.
Every workflow runs "in the shadow" for a week after launch, in parallel with the old manual process. Only when the results match do you switch the manual process off.
Business automation through any builder has four weak spots, and it is better to know about them before the start rather than after.
Access. n8n stores keys to your CRM, email, bank statements, ad accounts. A self-hosted instance must sit behind HTTPS, with two-factor authentication and a separate user for every person who logs in. Service keys should be issued with minimal rights: if a workflow only reads a spreadsheet, the key should not be able to delete it.
Data. In cloud-based Zapier or Make, customers' personal data passes through third-party servers. For many businesses that is fine; for healthcare, finance or public tenders it can be a problem. Self-hosted n8n keeps everything with you, but then backups and server security are yours too.
Broken workflows. An API changed, a token expired, the supplier restructured the file. The workflow stops silently, and you find out when leads "somehow stop coming" for three days. So every production workflow needs an error-handling node that notifies the responsible person, plus a separate workflow that checks each morning that the others are alive.
Who maintains it. The nastiest risk: one employee built the workflows, then left, and nobody knows how it all works. So every workflow gets a plain-language name, a short description in the notes and an owner. If nobody on the team can own this permanently, it is more honest to outsource the upkeep: we handle such things as part of website technical improvements, and integration scenarios are discussed through our contacts page like any other website task.
n8n itself, in the Community edition, is free for internal business use under the Sustainable Use License (the restrictions concern reselling it as a service). The costs come in three parts.
Self-hosted n8n has an almost flat cost that does not grow with the business, but with setup as the entry fee.
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