n8n vs Make vs Power Automate: a comparison for SMEs (2026)

The three platforms at a glance

All three connect applications and automate recurring processes through a visual editor. They differ mainly in where they run and how they bill. n8n runs on your own server or in the vendor’s cloud. Make is a pure cloud service; workflows are called scenarios. Power Automate is part of the Microsoft Power Platform and runs in the Microsoft cloud; desktop flows also operate programs without an interface by mouse and keyboard.

Prices and billing, as of October 2026

n8n counts executions: one execution is a complete workflow run, regardless of steps or data volume. Make has moved from operations to credits. Most module actions use one credit; AI features through Make’s own AI provider use more, depending on model and tokens; routers and error handlers are not counted. Power Automate is mostly licensed per user or per bot, with daily action limits instead of a charge per run; usage-based billing (pay-as-you-go) can also be enabled.

A worked example of my own, using the vendors’ counting rules: a process with ten modules that runs 1,000 times a month counts as 1,000 executions in n8n and fits the Starter plan. In Make it uses around 10,000 credits if each module performs one action per run, more if a run processes records one by one. With user or bot licences, Power Automate charges nothing per run while the daily limits suffice and no premium connectors are needed. The more steps, the more the billing model matters.

Licensing: fair code at n8n, subscriptions at Make and Microsoft

n8n uses the Sustainable Use License, which it created in 2022 and calls fair-code. The source code is readable, but according to n8n this is not an open-source licence. Use and modification are permitted only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial and personal use. The licence covers only the self-hosted version; n8n Cloud is a subscription with its own terms. Examples from the n8n licence FAQ:

• Permitted: using n8n in your own business, on several instances if needed, and building automations for clients on your instance as long as they cannot create or edit them.
• Permitted: charging for setup, maintenance, training and consulting, and running n8n behind the scenes of your own product, whose users trigger the automations you built.
• Not permitted: offering n8n as a service in which clients build their own workflows, including through your own interface, the API or an AI agent.
• Not permitted: forking the code for your own automation product, white-labelling n8n by removing its branding, or using Enterprise features without a licence.

Make and Power Automate run as the vendors’ cloud services; neither offers a version you can run entirely on your own servers. Use is governed by the vendor’s contract terms.

Hosting, data location and data protection

Location is only one building block. If a cloud service processes personal data on your behalf, you also need a data processing agreement, a legal basis and rules on which data may enter AI steps. With self-hosted n8n the workflow data stays on your server; a provider with access during maintenance may need an agreement. Details in the guide Using ChatGPT and co. in line with the GDPR.

Self-hosting n8n: what it involves

n8n documents several self-hosting routes, including Docker Compose, a one-line setup script and cloud provider guides; according to n8n, installing via npm is deprecated from version 3.0. Without a licence key, the free Community Edition runs; a Business or Enterprise key unlocks paid features on any number of instances, with their executions added together. The n8n documentation states that installation and configuration need technical knowledge and that maintenance is the operator’s job.

• Collaboration: in the Community Edition, only the instance owner and the person who created a workflow or credential can access it. Sharing, projects, SSO, Git and separate environments belong to Business and Enterprise.
• Operation: updates, backups, the SSL certificate and secure remote access are your job. This is part of maintaining the IT infrastructure n8n runs on.
• Local access with the cloud services: Make offers an on-premise agent for applications on the local network in its Enterprise plan. Power Automate connects local data sources through the on-premises data gateway, which Microsoft 365 licences do not include but Premium and Process do.

AI features according to the documentation

• n8n: the “AI Agent” node connects a chat model to at least one tool and decides which one to call. “Ollama Chat Model” connects local models. Risky tools such as sending messages can require human approval. The Starter and Pro cloud plans include credits for the built-in assistant and AI models without your own API key.
• Make: Make AI Agent is an open beta on all plans, using Make’s own AI provider or, on paid plans, your own provider connection. There are also the AI Toolkit, the AI Content Extractor for documents, images and audio, the Maia assistant and an MCP server. AI calls through Make’s provider use credits by model and token volume.
• Power Automate: Copilot creates cloud flows from a description in natural language. Premium and Process licences include 5,000 AI Builder credits per month, for example for form processing. Your own agents are built in Microsoft Copilot Studio, a separately licensed product.

When an AI step is worth it and where fixed rules are enough is covered in AI automation for SMEs: 6 use cases.

Strengths and weaknesses by criterion

Choosing by starting point

Your business runs on Microsoft 365

First check what your licences cover. Processes between Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Excel Online and OneDrive use standard connectors at no extra cost, limited to 6,000 actions per user per day. A premium connector, a custom interface or the gateway to your own server requires Power Automate Premium or a Process licence for the flow. Clarify in advance whether Copilot requests may run through Sweden and Switzerland.

You have your own server and want to keep the data in-house

Then n8n is the only one of the three you can run entirely yourself. The Community Edition has no licence fee but needs someone for updates, backups and access. For SSO or shared workflows, budget for the Business plan; companies with fewer than 20 employees can apply for n8n’s start-up plan with 50 percent off Business. The licence does not cover clients building their own workflows. With a local model through Ollama, the text in AI steps also stays on your network; the hardware is covered in the cost comparison of local and cloud AI.

You have few IT staff

Then the cloud options are the main candidates: n8n Cloud in Frankfurt, Make with an EU data centre or Power Automate in a European environment. The vendor handles servers and updates; n8n itself recommends its cloud for teams without technical expertise. The billing model then decides: many steps per run favour billing by execution, while for few steps and high volume, compare using your own run numbers.

One platform rarely fits everything. In workflow automation I choose it based on your existing systems, the type of data and the operating effort you want to carry, and with self-hosted n8n I can also look after the server underneath.