🌞 Make.com costs alot when you have alot of automations. It charges per operation.
🌞 n8n is cost-effective alternative, with a one-time setup cost of $5/month for self-hosting, compared to make.com’s monthly fees. Unlimited operations!
🌞 I migrated 80% of my make.com workflows to n8n, saving $200/month in the process, and now enjoys a 98% cost reduction.
Why I’m Moving from make.com to n8n (Hint: I’m Cheap)
Money talks. And right now, my wallet is screaming at make.com’s new pricing structure.
I’ve spent 4 months building automation workflows in make.com (formerly Integromat). It’s been great – until the recent price changes hit my monthly bill like a truck. For small business owners like me, every dollar counts. That’s why I’m making the switch to n8n.
Let me show you exactly why I’m switching, how I’m doing it, and how much money I’ll save. By the end, you’ll have a clear picture of whether this move makes sense for your business too.
The Breaking Point with make.com
My monthly make.com bill jumped from $29 to $99 overnight. The new pricing tier forced me to upgrade just to keep my existing workflows running.
Make.com’s new structure puts basic features behind higher tiers:
- Multiple environment testing moved to Business tier
- Advanced functions restricted to higher plans
- Operations limits tightened across all tiers
I tracked my actual usage: 15 active workflows processing about 8,000 operations monthly. Under the old pricing, this cost me $29. Now? $99. That’s a 241% increase.
Enter n8n: The Open-Source Alternative
N8n caught my eye because it’s open-source and self-hosted. Think WordPress, but for automation. You can run it on your own server for as little as $5 a month.
Here’s what grabbed my attention:
- One-time setup cost vs monthly fees
- Full control over my automation infrastructure
- No artificial limits on operations or workflows
I tested n8n on a $5 Digital Ocean droplet. It handled all my workflows without breaking a sweat. The interface feels familiar – if you’ve used make.com, you’ll get it quickly.
Making the Switch
Moving my workflows took planning. Here’s my actual process:
- Listed all active make.com workflows
- Prioritized them by business impact
- Rebuilt each one in n8n
- Tested extensively before switching
The biggest challenge? Learning n8n’s way of handling data transformations. But their documentation is solid, and the community is helpful.
My migration timeline:
- Week 1: Setup and learning
- Week 2-3: Rebuilding workflows
- Week 4: Testing and tweaking
- Week 5: Full switchover
The Real Numbers
Let’s talk money. Here’s my actual cost comparison:
Make.com (monthly):
- Base plan: $99
- Annual cost: $1,188
N8n setup:
- Digital Ocean hosting: $5/month
- One-time setup time: 4 hours
- Annual cost: $60
First-year savings: $1,128
Following years: Even more
The Bottom Line
N8n isn’t perfect. The interface isn’t as polished as make.com, and you’ll need basic technical skills to self-host. But the cost savings are real.
For me, switching to n8n was worth it. I maintain full control of my automations and save over $1,000 yearly. That’s real money back in my business.
Ready to explore n8n? Start with their cloud trial – it’s free and requires no technical setup. Then decide if self-hosting makes sense for your needs.
Want my n8n workflow templates? Drop a comment below, and I’ll share them with you.
