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n8n, Make and Power Automate

Three automation tools, measured on the same three workflows.

Author: Robert Schröder · Last reviewed: September 2026 · Source: SAITS-Eigentext · Herstellerangaben n8n, Make, Microsoft Learn, Stand 09.2026

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Three automation tools, measured on the same three workflows.

01 In short

n8n vs Make vs Power Automate: all three connect systems and automate the steps in between. The differences are not in whether they can do that, but in where they run, how they bill and how well they reach systems outside their core territory. Power Automate is strong when almost everything lives in Microsoft 365. Make is a pure cloud service with a quick interface for manageable workflows. n8n can be self-hosted, including in Switzerland, and reaches furthest when ERP, specialist software and AI steps come together. Zapier, the fourth name that often comes up, runs only in the cloud and by its own account stores data in the US. We usually build with n8n. Where Power Automate fits better, we say so.

02 Disclosure first

Robert Schröder is n8n Ambassador Switzerland and has developed n8n community nodes, including one for Abacus ERP. The comparison is therefore not neutral in its conclusion, but open in its criteria. All vendor details are listed with sources at the end, as of 09.2026.

03 The three tools in one sentence each

  • n8n is a workflow tool from n8n GmbH in Berlin that runs as a cloud service or self-hosted, with visible code where you need it.
  • Make, formerly Integromat, belongs to Celonis and is a cloud service with a visual editor and many ready-made app connections.
  • Power Automate is part of the Microsoft Power Platform and runs in the environment of your Microsoft tenant.

04 Workflow 1: incoming invoice by e-mail through to booking

The invoice arrives in the inbox, is read, matched to the project, put forward for approval, prepared in the ERP and filed.

  • Power Automate reads Outlook and SharePoint with standard connectors. Connecting an ERP without a Microsoft connector needs a premium or custom connector, and therefore a premium licence.
  • Make reads the inbox and files documents just as well. It reaches an ERP in your own network through an on-premise agent, which Make only offers on its Enterprise plan; otherwise the ERP has to be reachable from the internet.
  • n8n reads the inbox too. Self-hosted, it sits in the same network as the ERP. For Abacus there is a ready-made community node.

Our result: with a Microsoft ERP and Microsoft storage, Power Automate is level. With a Swiss ERP in your own network, n8n is the shorter route.

05 Workflow 2: sort and answer a tenant enquiry

An informal e-mail is sorted, matched to the property and put in front of the property manager with a draft reply.

  • All three can call a language model at this point. Make has apps for OpenAI, Anthropic Claude and Gemini. Power Automate brings AI Builder and Copilot. n8n has its own AI building blocks and talks to any model with an API, including a self-hosted one.
  • The difference is in control: which model, in which region, with which data. With n8n that is free to choose. With Power Automate, Microsoft's own AI features are the easiest; other models go through connectors.

Our result: all three get there. If you want to decide the model and its location yourself, n8n gives you the most freedom. Where the AI sits in the workflow is covered in Where the AI sits in a workflow — and where it does not.

06 Workflow 3: weekly report from five systems

Costs from the ERP, dates from the project software, status from the CRM, open items from minutes: brought together, deviations flagged, put forward as a draft.

  • Power Automate is strong as long as the sources are Microsoft services or widespread cloud systems. Every further source without a standard connector raises the licence requirement.
  • Make bills in credits, normally one credit per operation. A report that reads many records from several systems uses correspondingly many.
  • n8n bills in the cloud per execution of a whole workflow, not per individual step. Self-hosted, the Community Edition has no licence cost per execution.

Our result: for workflows with many steps and records, n8n's billing model is easier to predict.

07 n8n vs Make vs Power Automate: the table

Criterion n8n Make Power Automate
Provider n8n GmbH, Berlin Make, part of Celonis Microsoft, USA
Operation Cloud or self-hosted Cloud only Cloud, in the tenant's environment
Data residency Cloud: Azure in the EU. Self-hosted: your choice, including Switzerland Separate zones for the EU and the US Region of the Power Platform environment, Switzerland available
Systems in your own network Directly, when self-hosted On-premise agent, Enterprise only On-premises data gateway, premium licence
Billing Cloud: per workflow execution Credits, mostly one per operation Per user or per flow
AI step Any model, including self-hosted Apps for common models AI Builder, Copilot, others via connectors
Custom code JavaScript and Python in the Code node JavaScript and Python via the Make Code app, on paid plans Expressions in the flow, desktop flows for user interfaces
Fits best when ERP, specialist software and data residency matter Small teams, pure cloud systems Almost everything lives in Microsoft 365

08 And Zapier?

Zapier is the best-known name in this field and is often compared with n8n. We did not measure it on the same three workflows, because it is rarely an option for our clients. The facts, as of 09.2026:

  • Provider and operation: Zapier Inc., USA. Cloud service only, with no way to self-host.
  • Data residency: Zapier states that it hosts data on Amazon Web Services servers in the United States, including personal data it processes on behalf of customers.
  • Billing: in tasks. Every successfully run action counts as one task.
  • Strength: a very large number of ready-made app connections and a quick start.

Anyone looking for a Zapier alternative with data residency in Switzerland or Europe ends up with n8n, self-hosted, or with Make in an EU zone. What data protection law requires is covered in Using AI under Swiss data protection law.

09 When we recommend Power Automate

When your business works in Microsoft 365, the workflows stay between Outlook, Teams and SharePoint, and your IT wants to manage everything in its own tenant. Then a second tool is hard to justify. How Copilot fits into the same environment is covered in Microsoft 365 Copilot in real estate and construction.

10 When Make is enough

When a few manageable workflows run between widespread cloud services, nobody should have to look after a server and your own network plays no part.

11 Why we usually build with n8n

Because the businesses we work for almost always have an ERP or specialist software that does not come from Microsoft, often in their own network. Because many require data residency in Switzerland or Europe. And because with n8n the workflow stays visible and checkable, step by step. More in What is n8n; on hosting in Run AI locally or through an API?.

12 What stays the same in all three cases

The tool replaces neither a description of the workflow nor an approval. In all three cases: the workflow prepares, a person approves. Which workflows we build in your industry is under Industries.

13 Frequently asked questions

We already use Power Automate. Do we have to switch?

No. If your workflows run well there, we only build alongside what Power Automate reaches poorly, or nothing at all.

Is n8n a Zapier alternative with data protection?

Yes, when it is self-hosted: workflows and data then run on a server of your choice, including in Switzerland. n8n Cloud sits on Microsoft Azure in the EU. Zapier, by its own account, stores data in the US.

Is n8n open source?

The source code is public, but the licence is not a classic open-source licence. The Sustainable Use License allows use for internal business purposes. Anyone who wants to resell n8n as a service to third parties needs a different licence.

Which tool is cheapest?

That depends on the number of workflows, steps and users. We do not quote licence prices here because they change often. The bigger cost block is describing the workflow properly and looking after it — see What a workflow costs and what it saves.

Sources

Describe a process. We will tell you whether automating it pays — even when the answer is no.

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