—n8nMake / ZapierCustom code
Best forComplex flows, AI steps, sensitive dataQuick links between SaaS appsHigh volume or unusual logic
HostingCloud or self-hosted on your EU serverVendor cloudYour infrastructure or ours
Who can maintain itA technical adminA trained business userA developer
Running costsServer or plan, plus AI API usagePlan based on operations, plus AI API usageHosting plus AI API usage
Most projects combine them: n8n or Make for orchestration, an AI model (OpenAI, Anthropic or Azure OpenAI) for reading and writing, and your systems' APIs.