Make, Zapier and n8n are the three dominant workflow automation platforms used by UK businesses in 2026. Make costs from around £9 per month and suits visual-thinkers who want power without coding. Zapier starts at roughly £20 per month and is the simplest option for businesses already embedded in its ecosystem. n8n is free to self-host and is best for enterprises with sensitive data or developer resource.
Last updated: 18 May 2026
Make connects apps and automates workflows through a visual drag-and-drop canvas. Zapier links over 6,000 apps through a simple if-this-then-that interface accessible to any business user. n8n is an open-source automation engine that runs on your own servers or in the cloud, giving developers full control over every workflow step.
We use all three platforms in our business process automation work in London, and the choice depends almost entirely on the client's team, budget, data sensitivity, and the number of operations they need to run each month. Understanding how each platform was built and who it was built for saves you from paying for the wrong tool for the next 12 months.
Make was founded in 2012 as Integromat in Prague and rebranded to Make in 2022. It is built around a visual scenario editor that shows every step of a workflow as a connected module on a canvas. This means you can see at a glance whether data flows correctly, which is why we recommend it for most UK SME builds. Make uses an operations-based pricing model: you pay for the number of operations (individual steps) your workflows execute each month, not the number of tasks or the number of workflows. It offers over 1,500 app integrations and data can be processed in EU regions, which is important for UK businesses handling personal data under the UK GDPR.
Zapier launched in 2011 in the United States and has grown to connect over 6,000 apps. Its interface is the simplest of the three: you pick a trigger app, choose a trigger event, pick an action app, and map the fields. A non-technical business owner can build a working Zap in under 10 minutes. Zapier uses task-based pricing: every time a Zap runs successfully, it consumes one task. At low volumes this is affordable, but at 10,000 or more tasks per month the cost rises significantly faster than Make or n8n. Zapier is used by roughly 99 percent of UK businesses who have already adopted workflow automation, which means it integrates with almost every SaaS tool your team is likely to use.
n8n (pronounced n-eight-n) was founded in 2019 in Berlin and is fully open source under a fair-code licence. It offers over 350 native integrations and can connect to any service with an API using its HTTP request node. The self-hosted version is free: you run it on your own server, which means all data stays within your infrastructure. This makes n8n the default recommendation for UK enterprise clients handling sensitive personal data, healthcare records, or financial information. n8n Cloud is available from around £20 per month for those who prefer a managed environment. The learning curve is steeper than Make and significantly steeper than Zapier.
| Feature | Make | Zapier | n8n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 (as Integromat) | 2011 | 2019 |
| Pricing model | Operations-based | Task-based | Execution-based (free self-hosted) |
| Integrations count | 1,500+ | 6,000+ | 350+ native (unlimited via HTTP) |
| Self-hosted option | No | No | Yes (free) |
| Visual editor | Yes (canvas-based) | Yes (linear step-by-step) | Yes (node-based) |
| Best for | UK SMEs wanting visual power | Non-technical teams, 6,000+ app needs | Enterprises, sensitive data, developers |
The right starting point is matching each platform to the team that will manage it. Move to the next section to understand how pricing differences compound over a full year of UK business usage.
Make costs from approximately £9 per month for 10,000 operations on the Core plan. Zapier's Starter plan costs around £20 per month for 750 tasks, rising to around £69 per month for 2,000 tasks. n8n self-hosted is free, with n8n Cloud starting at around £20 per month for up to 2,500 executions.
Pricing comparisons between these three platforms are frequently misleading online because each uses a different unit of measurement. Make counts operations (each individual step in a workflow). Zapier counts tasks (each time a Zap runs to completion). n8n self-hosted has no usage limit; n8n Cloud counts workflow executions. A single Zapier task might involve three Make operations, so direct per-unit comparison requires knowing your actual workflow complexity.
From our experience building automations for UK SMEs at Softomate, the typical business running 10 to 20 active workflows processes between 5,000 and 15,000 operations per month on Make, which falls well within the Core plan at approximately £9 per month. The equivalent on Zapier would cost between £40 and £120 per month depending on task count and team seat requirements.
UK prices below are approximations based on publicly available pricing at May 2026 and converted from USD at the prevailing rate. Exact pricing in GBP may vary. Always check Make's pricing page and Zapier's pricing page for current rates.
| Scenario | Make cost (est.) | Zapier cost (est.) | n8n cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small e-commerce store - 1,000 operations/tasks per month (order notifications, stock alerts, CRM updates) | ~£9/month (Core) | ~£20/month (Starter) | Free (self-hosted) or ~£20/month (Cloud) |
| Growing agency - 10,000 operations/tasks per month (lead routing, client reports, invoice automation) | ~£16/month (Core) | ~£50-69/month (Professional) | Free (self-hosted) or ~£20/month (Cloud) |
| Multi-location retailer - 50,000 operations/tasks per month (POS sync, loyalty, email, reporting) | ~£29/month (Pro) | ~£150-250/month (Business) | Free (self-hosted) or custom Cloud pricing |
| Enterprise with sensitive data - unlimited operations, on-premise required | Not available | Not available | Free (self-hosted infrastructure cost only) |
The cost gap widens sharply above 10,000 monthly tasks. A UK professional services firm running 50,000 tasks per month on Zapier would pay roughly £150 to £250 per month versus approximately £29 per month on Make or near zero on self-hosted n8n. Over 12 months, that difference is £1,440 to £2,652 saved on Make alone, before any infrastructure costs for n8n.
For UK businesses currently on evaluating automation costs, Make delivers the best cost-to-capability ratio at SME scale. Zapier is worth paying for only when your team cannot afford any learning curve and the app coverage difference matters. n8n becomes cost-effective when monthly spend would exceed approximately £50 on Make or £100 on Zapier, and when the team can maintain a server or cloud container.
Understanding pricing unlocks the next question: which platform your team will actually use without abandoning it after three months.
Zapier is the easiest platform for non-technical UK business owners, with a linear step-by-step interface that most users can navigate without training in under 30 minutes. Make requires roughly 2 to 4 hours of learning time for a non-technical user to build their first multi-step workflow. n8n requires programming knowledge or significant self-study and is not recommended for non-technical teams without developer support.
Ease of use is not just about the interface. It also covers how reliably a platform runs without supervision, how clearly error messages explain what went wrong, and how quickly a non-technical person can diagnose and fix a broken automation. On all three dimensions, Zapier leads for non-technical users, Make is close behind, and n8n requires dedicated technical resource to maintain.
Zapier guides users through a wizard-style setup for every Zap. The interface labels fields clearly, pre-fills common mappings, and presents each step as a simple question. Error messages use plain English and link directly to the broken step. For a UK business owner whose main job is not automation, Zapier requires the least mental overhead. The trade-off is cost at scale and limited logic branching compared to Make.
Make's canvas shows the full workflow visually, which is a significant advantage for complex automations. However, first-time users often find the interface unfamiliar compared to linear tools. Make supports advanced logic including routers, iterators, aggregators, and custom functions that Zapier does not offer at the same price point. Once a non-technical user has spent 3 to 4 hours learning Make's core concepts, most find it more intuitive than Zapier for workflows with more than five steps. We provide a guided setup session as part of every Make build at Softomate, which removes this initial friction for UK SME clients.
n8n's node editor is powerful but demands a level of comfort with technical concepts including HTTP requests, JSON data structures, and JavaScript expressions. Non-technical business owners will typically need to call in a developer to modify or debug n8n workflows. This is not a barrier for enterprise clients who have internal IT resource, but it rules n8n out entirely for sole traders and small teams without technical support.
Ease of use determines adoption. But the next question often makes the decision for UK businesses handling customer data: which platform keeps personal data in the right place under UK law.
Make allows EU data region selection so personal data never leaves European infrastructure, which satisfies UK GDPR adequacy requirements. Zapier processes data on US servers by default, which requires a valid transfer mechanism such as Standard Contractual Clauses under the UK GDPR. n8n self-hosted keeps all data on your own servers or within your chosen cloud region, giving full data residency control with no transfer issues.
UK businesses processing personal data through automation platforms must comply with the UK GDPR as enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office. The ICO's guidance on international data transfers is clear: personal data transferred to a country without UK adequacy status requires an appropriate safeguard, most commonly Standard Contractual Clauses or an International Data Transfer Agreement.
Make operates its infrastructure through AWS and allows customers to select an EU processing region (typically EU West). Data stored in the EU falls within the UK-EU adequacy decision, meaning no additional transfer mechanism is required. For UK businesses processing names, email addresses, financial data, or any other personal data through Make workflows, selecting the EU region at account setup eliminates the data transfer compliance risk. Make's Data Processing Agreement is available for download from their compliance portal and is required for any business processing personal data.
Zapier processes task data on servers in the United States. Zapier offers a Data Processing Agreement that incorporates Standard Contractual Clauses, which is the mechanism UK businesses must rely on when transferring personal data to Zapier. The SCC mechanism is valid but requires active documentation: the UK business must record the legal basis for the transfer, keep a copy of the signed DPA, and be able to demonstrate the transfer is necessary for a legitimate purpose if challenged by the ICO. For low-risk data such as internal team notifications or non-personal operational data, this is manageable. For businesses processing large volumes of customer personal data, Make's EU region option is simpler from a compliance perspective.
Self-hosted n8n running on UK or EU infrastructure creates zero cross-border transfer risk. All data stays within your servers. This makes n8n the strongest option for healthcare providers, legal firms, financial services businesses, and any organisation processing special category data under UK GDPR Article 9. For these sectors, the additional technical overhead of self-hosting n8n is justified by the elimination of transfer compliance risk and the ability to produce a data map that shows regulators exactly where personal data is processed.
With compliance requirements understood, the final question is which platform matches each UK business size and budget.
Small UK businesses under 20 staff with limited budgets should start with Make on the Core plan at approximately £9 per month. Medium businesses processing over 20,000 operations monthly should evaluate Make Pro or n8n Cloud. Enterprise organisations handling sensitive data or requiring on-premise deployment should use n8n self-hosted. Zapier is the right choice only when a team already uses it and the cost remains under £40 per month.
At Softomate we have built automation workflows for UK businesses ranging from sole traders in East London to multi-site operations across England. The pattern we see consistently is that businesses which choose based on brand familiarity rather than operations volume overspend by between £600 and £3,000 per year. The decision table below maps business type to platform recommendation with the primary reason.
| Business type | Recommended platform | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sole trader or micro business (under 5 staff), under 5,000 operations/month | Make Core | £9/month covers most micro-business automation needs. Visual editor reduces support dependency. |
| Small business (5-20 staff), non-technical team, already on Zapier | Zapier (retain) or migrate to Make | If Zapier monthly cost is under £40 and team is happy, no migration needed. Above £40/month, Make migration pays back in under 3 months. |
| Small business (5-20 staff), non-technical team, no existing tool | Make Core | Best cost-to-capability ratio. Softomate provides guided setup to overcome initial learning curve. |
| Growing business (20-50 staff), 10,000-50,000 operations/month | Make Pro or n8n Cloud | Make Pro at ~£29/month vs Zapier at ~£150-250/month. n8n Cloud at ~£20/month if technical resource available. |
| Agency or consultancy running client automations | Make (team plan) | Make's team plan supports multiple client scenarios. Agency pricing available. Strong ROI on GoHighLevel integrations. |
| Enterprise (50+ staff), sensitive data, on-premise required | n8n self-hosted | No per-task cost. Full data residency. Developer flexibility unlimited. |
| Healthcare, legal or financial services firm | n8n self-hosted | Special category data under UK GDPR Article 9 requires on-premise or private cloud. n8n is the only viable self-hosted option of the three. |
| Business already on GoHighLevel CRM | Make | Make's GoHighLevel integration is more robust and better documented than Zapier's for complex CRM workflow automation. |
Our default recommendation at Softomate for a new UK SME client is Make, because it delivers the visual clarity that reduces ongoing support calls, the operations-based pricing that keeps costs predictable, and the EU region option that simplifies UK GDPR compliance. We switch that recommendation to n8n when the client processes more than approximately 100,000 operations per month, handles special category personal data, or has an in-house developer who can maintain a self-hosted instance.
Zapier remains the right answer in one specific scenario: the client already has 20 or more Zaps built, their team actively uses them, and their monthly Zapier bill is under £40. Migration costs time and introduces risk. Below £40 per month, the case for migrating from Zapier to Make does not stack up financially unless complexity or compliance is the driver.
If you are starting from zero and have no existing automation tool, choose Make. If you are unsure which workflows to automate first, start with three: lead capture to CRM, invoice approval, and client onboarding. These three processes account for the majority of manual administration time in most UK service businesses and deliver measurable ROI within the first 30 days.
There is no direct Zap-to-Make automatic converter tool available in 2026. Migration requires rebuilding each workflow in Make manually. However, most Zaps translate to Make scenarios in 15 to 45 minutes each because the logic is similar even if the interface differs. Softomate migrates UK clients from Zapier to Make as part of our automation audit service, typically completing migrations of 10 to 30 Zaps within 2 to 4 working days. The cost saving at scale usually recovers the migration cost within 3 months.
Self-hosted n8n requires a developer or a technically confident system administrator to install, maintain, and update the platform. n8n Cloud removes the installation burden but still requires comfort with concepts like API keys, JSON data mapping, and conditional logic to build and modify workflows. For non-technical UK businesses, Make or Zapier are more suitable. If a client specifically needs n8n for data residency reasons but lacks internal developers, Softomate provides managed n8n builds and ongoing support as part of our enterprise automation service.
Make is the strongest platform for GoHighLevel CRM automation in 2026. Make's GoHighLevel module supports triggers including new contact, pipeline stage change, and appointment booking, plus actions covering contact creation, tag assignment, and opportunity updates. Zapier also integrates with GoHighLevel but the trigger and action set is more limited and community-reported reliability issues are more frequent. n8n connects to GoHighLevel via its HTTP request node and custom API calls, which requires developer knowledge. For most UK agencies and service businesses on GHL, Make is the recommended automation layer.
Softomate's business process automation builds start from £3,500 per workflow for a scoped, tested, and documented Make integration. This covers discovery, design, build, testing with your live data, handover documentation, and a 30-day support period. More complex workflows with conditional logic, multiple integration points, or bespoke API connections typically range from £5,000 to £12,000. We work with UK SMEs across London and the South East. To discuss your specific workflow, contact us via our automation services page.
All three platforms connect to Odoo, but the method differs. Make offers a native Odoo module supporting standard operations including creating records, updating fields, and triggering on new entries. Zapier connects to Odoo via its native module and also supports Odoo via Webhooks for custom triggers. n8n connects to Odoo using its HTTP Request node or a community-built Odoo node, giving full access to all Odoo API endpoints. For UK businesses running Odoo as their ERP, n8n provides the deepest integration capability for developers, while Make is the most accessible option for operations teams building Odoo automations without coding.
Make, Zapier and n8n each serve a distinct segment of the UK automation market in 2026. Make at approximately £9 to £29 per month delivers the best cost-to-capability ratio for UK SMEs processing up to 50,000 operations monthly, with EU data region support simplifying UK GDPR compliance. Zapier at approximately £20 to £250 per month is justified only when a team is already embedded in its ecosystem and monthly spend remains below £40. n8n self-hosted, free on your own infrastructure, is the only viable choice for UK enterprises handling sensitive personal data who require full data residency without a per-operation cost ceiling. For businesses starting automation from scratch, Make is the default recommendation. Softomate's business process automation service starts from £3,500 per workflow and covers Make, n8n, and GoHighLevel integration builds for UK businesses.
Ready to choose the right automation platform for your business and have it built by specialists? Talk to Softomate about your automation project - we build Make, n8n, and GoHighLevel workflows for UK businesses from £3,500 per workflow, with data residency compliance included.
Written by the Softomate Solutions AI Development Team, Barking, East London. Softomate designs and builds business process automation workflows for UK SMEs and enterprise clients, specialising in Make, n8n, GoHighLevel, and Odoo integrations.More from the blog
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