n8n

n8n is free and open-source but requires technical setup and maintenance you'll need someone comfortable with servers, Docker, and basic DevOps. Cloud hosting is available (around €20/month) but removes the main benefits of self-hosting. Compared to Zapier or Make, n8n is far cheaper at scale but demands technical investment. If you have engineering resources and need control, n8n delivers incredible value. If you're non-technical or just want something that works, stick with Zapier. n8n works best for companies with compliance requirements, high automation volume, or technical teams who want flexibility without recurring SaaS costs. Overkill for small, non-technical teams.

I have used Zapier for eight years, yet n8n has become my preferred platform for heavy automation. Setting up the cloud trial took minutes, and self-hosting in Docker was equally painless. The visual canvas feels like a proper flow-chart: I can run parallel branches, insert code blocks and merge paths without splitting work across several Zaps.

The open-source licence is liberating. I host client workflows on my own VPS, so monthly costs stay flat even when automations run thousands of times. Built-in features such as the form trigger, templates library and AI assistant speed up development. The forum is active and most problems have community answers.

There are rough edges. Some smaller apps lack native nodes, so I rely on manual API calls. Debugging large flows can be fiddly, and the interface is less polished than Zapier’s. Colleagues who are not comfortable with JSON occasionally need guidance. Even so, the control and savings outweigh these quirks. For teams ready to invest a little learning time, n8n delivers enterprise-grade flexibility at a fraction of Zapier’s price.