If you work in marketing ops, you have probably used at least one of these three platforms. Make (formerly Integromat), Zapier, and n8n are the most popular workflow automation tools for connecting the apps in your marketing stack. But they are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one for your team can mean either outgrowing it in six months or paying for complexity you do not need.
This comparison breaks down each platform across the dimensions that matter for B2B marketing teams: pricing, integration depth, ease of use, data handling, and scalability. We have used all three in production workflows at Supernodes, and each has a clear best-use case.
Zapier: Best for simple, linear integrations
Zapier is the easiest to get started with. Its trigger-action model is intuitive: when something happens in app A, do something in app B. With over 7,000 app integrations, it almost certainly connects the tools you already use. Zapier's strength is accessibility -- anyone on the marketing team can build a zap without reading documentation.
The trade-off shows in complex workflows. Zapier struggles with conditional branching, data transformation, and multi-step logic. If you need to look up a lead score, decide on a discount threshold, and then route to different email sequences, you will hit Zapier's limits quickly. Plans start at $29.99 per month for 2,000 tasks, which sounds reasonable until you realize that a single workflow might consume 5-10 tasks per run.
Make: Best for complex marketing workflows
Make (formerly Integromat) occupies the sweet spot between power and usability. Its visual editor shows the entire workflow as a connected diagram, which makes debugging and extending scenarios far easier than Zapier's linear interface. Make handles conditional routing, data arrays, aggregation, and multi-branch logic natively.
For marketing teams running multi-step automation -- pulling Google Ads data, normalising it against CRM records, writing to a sheet, and triggering Slack alerts -- Make is the natural choice. It has native connectors for unified ad reporting, HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Sheets, Meta Ads, and most tools a B2B team uses. Pricing starts at $10.59 per month for 10,000 operations, roughly a third of Zapier's entry cost for five times the capacity.
n8n: Best for teams that need full control
n8n is the open-source option. You host it yourself (or pay for their cloud tier at $20 per month), which means your data never touches a third-party server. For teams in regulated industries or handling sensitive customer data, this alone can decide the choice. n8n's node-based workflow editor is similar to Make's but with deeper technical flexibility -- you can write custom JavaScript nodes, call any REST API directly, and run workflows on your own infrastructure with no operation limits.
The catch is the learning curve. n8n assumes you are comfortable with JSON, API authentication, and basic scripting. A marketing ops lead with no development background will find Make or Zapier faster to be productive in. But if you have someone technical on the team who can set it up, n8n gives you unlimited workflows for a one-time infrastructure cost.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Zapier | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $29.99/mo | $10.59/mo | Free (self-hosted) |
| Task/operation limit | 2,000/mo | 10,000/mo | Unlimited |
| App integrations | 7,000+ | 2,000+ | 400+ (any API) |
| Conditional logic | Basic paths | Advanced routing | Full control + JS |
| Self-hosted option | No | Enterprise only | Yes |
| Non-technical friendly | Excellent | Good | Low |
What we recommend and why
For most B2B marketing teams, Make is the right default. It handles the complex workflows that modern marketing automation requires, costs less than Zapier for comparable volume, and does not require a developer to maintain. The visual editor makes it easy to audit and adjust workflows when your campaigns change, which they will.
Choose Zapier if your team is small, non-technical, and your workflows are simple linear connections. Choose n8n if you are in a regulated industry, need unlimited operations, or have a technical lead who can own the infrastructure. And if you are already using n8n for other parts of your stack, standardising on it makes sense even for the simpler workflows.
For a deeper look at how these platforms handle specific marketing use cases, check out our guide to the 10-layer AI agent stack, which covers where automation platforms fit in a broader agent architecture.
Frequently asked questions
Which platform is best for non-technical marketing teams?
Zapier is the most accessible with its simple trigger-action model and massive app library of over 7,000 apps. It excels at straightforward integrations but struggles with complex multi-step workflows.
Which platform is best for complex marketing workflows?
Make offers the best balance of power and usability. Its visual editor handles conditional logic, data transformation, and multi-branch workflows that Zapier cannot manage natively.
When should I choose n8n over Make or Zapier?
Choose n8n when you need self-hosting for compliance, unlimited operations without per-task pricing, or full control over data processing. It has a steeper learning curve but zero recurring costs on your own infrastructure.
How much does each platform cost for a marketing team?
Zapier starts at $29.99 per month for 2,000 tasks. Make starts at $10.59 per month for 10,000 operations. n8n is free when self-hosted, or $20 per month for their cloud plan. For a small team, Make offers the best value.
This is something we think about a lot at Supernodes. Most of our clients already have at least one of these platforms running, and the question is always what to build on top of them. If you would like to talk through which platform fits your stack, speak with us.