Zapier, Make or n8n: which automation tool is right for you?

Do you retype the same details from your inbox into a spreadsheet every week? With Zapier, Make or n8n you can have that kind of chore done automatically, and when you connect them to AI, they get smart too. In this article you will read what these three automation tools do, how they differ, which one suits you and how to build your first automation with ChatGPT or Claude.

What do Zapier, Make and n8n actually do?

Zapier, Make and n8n connect apps to each other, so that something happening in one app automatically starts an action in another app. You build these rules yourself with blocks on your screen, without code.

The principle is always the same: if this happens, do that. Does a new email arrive? Then save the attachment to your OneDrive. Does someone fill in your contact form? Then create a new row in Google Sheets and send yourself a notification.

This way of working is also known as no-code or low-code automation: you click a workflow together instead of programming it. Examples of tasks people often automate:

• Automatically putting new leads from a web form into your CRM (customer database).
• Saving invoices from your inbox in a fixed folder.
• Sending your team an overview of your appointments every Monday.
• Having AI summarise and sort customer questions.

That last one makes these tools far more powerful. In the past, an automation could mostly just move data around. Now an AI step can read, summarise and rewrite text. Want to know where this is heading? Then also read our article on AI agents that carry out tasks for you on their own.

Zapier, Make or n8n: what is the difference?

The biggest difference is ease versus control: Zapier is the quickest to learn, Make gives you a visual overview for more complicated flows, and n8n gives you the most freedom, including the option to host the software yourself. You can connect all three to ChatGPT and Claude.

Zapier comes from the United States and is known for its huge number of ready-made connections: thousands of apps. Make (formerly Integromat, originally from Prague) lets you build workflows like a flowchart and says on its own site that it supports more than 3,000 apps. The German n8n is, according to its own project page, a fair-code platform that you run in the cloud or on your own server, and in which you can combine visual building with your own code.

Feature	Zapier	Make	n8n
Ease for beginners	Very easy	Medium	Slightly more technical
How you build	Steps one below the other	Visual diagram with blocks	Visual diagram, with an option for your own code
Name of an automation	Zap	Scenario	Workflow
Number of integrations	Very large	Large	Large, plus custom connections via code
Where it runs	Zapier’s cloud	Make’s cloud	n8n’s cloud or your own server
How usage is counted	Per successful action (task)	In credits, roughly per module run	In the cloud, per complete execution
Connection with ChatGPT and Claude	Yes	Yes	Yes

Prices change regularly and depend on how many automations you run. All three have a way to start for free or to try them out. Always check the current price and limits on the provider’s website before you choose.

Pay particular attention to how usage is counted. With Zapier, every successful action counts as a task, and with Make, every module that runs costs credits. An automation with five steps that runs a hundred times a day adds up faster than you might think. With the cloud version of n8n, the whole execution counts as one, however many steps it contains.

Which automation tool is right for you?

Choose Zapier if you want quick results, Make if you want more steps and choices in an automation, and n8n if you are technically curious or prefer to keep your data in your own hands.

• Zapier suits you if you are short on time, use lots of different apps and simply want it to work. Ideal for a first introduction to automation.
• Make suits you if you think visually and want automations with branches, such as: is the customer new, then do A, otherwise B. You can see at a glance how your data flows.
• n8n suits you if you (or someone on your team) are not afraid of a bit of technology, if you want to build a lot with AI agents or if you want to run the software on your own server. Keep in mind that self-hosting requires maintenance: updates, backups and security.

Do you mainly work in Microsoft 365? Then you may already have access to Microsoft’s own AI features. Read, for example, how Copilot in SharePoint and OneDrive organises your files. For connections between apps from different providers, Zapier, Make and n8n are often handier.

A tip few beginners know: build your first automation in two tools at the same time, using the same example. Within an hour you will feel which way of working you like best. That tells you more than any comparison table.

How do you connect ChatGPT or Claude to your automation?

You add an AI step to your automation and connect it to your account with OpenAI (ChatGPT) or Anthropic (Claude) using an API key. Then you give that step a prompt, and the AI’s answer goes on to the next step.

Important to know: a paid ChatGPT or Claude subscription is not the same as API access. You pay separately for the API, per use. You create an account for this on OpenAI’s or Anthropic’s developer platform. Zapier and Make also offer their own built-in AI features. These work without your own key, but count towards your usage in a different way. So check carefully what you are actually using.

1. Create an account on the OpenAI or Anthropic developer platform and create an API key.
2. Set a spending limit or budget straight away, or work with prepaid credit without automatic top-ups. That way, a mistake in your automation will not quietly cost you a lot of money.
3. In your tool, add the ChatGPT or Claude app as a step. Zapier explains this in its guide to ChatGPT on Zapier, and Make has its own OpenAI integration and also a Claude integration. In n8n you add an OpenAI or Anthropic node.
4. Paste your API key when you create the connection.
5. Write your prompt and insert the data from the previous step, such as the text of an email.
6. Test the step with sample data and look at the answer.

Extra tip: ask the AI to always answer in a fixed format, for example with the lines Urgency, Subject and Summary. Then the next step can neatly put those pieces into separate columns. Without a fixed format, you get a slightly different answer every time, and that can make your automation get stuck.

A first automation with AI: automatically summarising quote requests

A good first automation is small, useful and easy to check: let AI summarise every new quote request and put it in a spreadsheet. That way you can see at a glance which requests take priority.

Say you are a freelancer or work in a small team, and quote requests come in by email. Here is how you build it:

1. Trigger: choose a new email in Gmail or Outlook in a specific folder or with a label, for example Quotes. Set up a rule in your email program that automatically puts those emails there.
2. Filter: only let through emails that really come from outside. This avoids unnecessary steps and API costs.
3. AI step: send the text of the email to ChatGPT or Claude with the prompt below.
4. Action: add the answer as a new row in Google Sheets or Excel, with columns for date, sender, urgency and summary.
5. Optional: send yourself a notification in Teams or Slack if the urgency is high.
6. Testing: send yourself a few fake emails with different questions and check whether the result is right.
7. Switch on and monitor: turn the automation on and check it every day for the first week.

In Zapier you build this as a Zap with steps one below the other. In Make you put the same steps in as modules in a scenario. In n8n the blocks are called nodes and you connect them in a workflow. The idea is the same everywhere.

Want to go a step further and have replies prepared too? Then read how to use AI for customer service as a freelancer or small business owner. At the start, let AI only create drafts and do not send anything automatically to customers.

What should you watch out for when automating with AI?

The three biggest points of attention are privacy, AI mistakes and unexpected costs. With a few simple ground rules you can keep those risks small.

• Privacy and GDPR: if you send customer emails through an automation, personal data goes to the automation tool and to the AI provider, sometimes outside the EU. Check whether you can sign a data processing agreement and what the provider does with your data. Do not send sensitive data such as national ID numbers (BSN in the Netherlands) or medical information. In doubt? Ask a privacy expert for advice.
• Mistakes: AI can get things wrong or make things up. Check the results, especially in the first few weeks, and always leave important decisions to a person.
• Costs: you have two meters running, that of the automation tool and that of the AI provider. A mistake such as an automation that keeps restarting itself can quickly add up. Set limits.
• Maintenance: if an app changes something, your automation may stop. Turn on error alerts by email so that you notice quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need programming knowledge for Zapier, Make or n8n?

No. With Zapier and Make you build automations by clicking blocks. With n8n it is also possible without code, but a little technical knowledge helps, especially if you host it yourself.

Which tool is the easiest for beginners?

Zapier is the easiest for most beginners, because you are guided through the building process step by step. Make is slightly harder but gives you more overview for larger automations.

Can I use my ChatGPT Plus subscription in Zapier or Make?

No. For your own connection you use the API from OpenAI or Anthropic, and you pay for that separately from a regular subscription. Check the current rates with the provider and set a spending limit.

Is n8n free to use?

You can install n8n’s software yourself on your own server. n8n falls under its own licence (the Sustainable Use License), so read the terms, especially for business use. You then pay for the server and spend time on maintenance. If you do not want that, you can use the paid cloud version of n8n.

Which tool is best for privacy?

With a self-hosted n8n, your workflows stay on your own server. But as soon as you use ChatGPT or Claude, the data you send along does go to that AI provider. So only send what is really needed.

Want more? Combine your automation with a smart helper that knows your style and way of working. In our step-by-step guide you can read how to make your own AI assistant without programming.