Guide · AI
n8n vs Make vs Power Automate: which one fits your business?
If you want to automate a workflow, you quickly run into three names: Microsoft Power Automate, Make and n8n. All three connect apps, all three can bring in AI, and each has its fans. That's why n8n vs Make vs Power Automate is not a question a feature list can answer. What matters is your starting point: which apps you already use, where your data is allowed to live and who will maintain the workflow later. This guide explains the three tools briefly, gives you a decision table and shows when running two tools side by side makes sense.
The three tools at a glance
Power Automate is Microsoft's automation service. Workflows are called flows. Many Microsoft 365 licenses include a basic version of Power Automate: flows with standard connectors, for example for Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and Excel. Premium connectors, custom connectors and the AI features of AI Builder require a Power Automate Premium license for the user, or a Process license for an individual flow. Power Automate is the only one of the three with built-in desktop automation: it can operate Windows applications without an API by mimicking mouse clicks and keystrokes (desktop flows, also called RPA).
Make is a visual builder in the cloud. Workflows are called scenarios and are built by dragging and dropping, without code. Billing is based on credits, which almost every action consumes. When you set up your organization, you choose one of four data zones, two in the US and two in the EU. You can't change it later.
n8n is a workflow tool you can use in n8n's cloud or run on your own servers. The self-hosted Community edition is free for your company's internal business purposes, and there are paid plans with features for larger teams. n8n Cloud bills by execution, meaning one full run of a workflow regardless of how many steps it has. n8n is strong with APIs, custom logic and AI agents, but it takes more technical know-how. If you host it yourself, updates, backups and access control are on you.
n8n vs Make vs Power Automate: the decision table
Your team works in Microsoft 365 and the workflow stays in Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and Excel
Likely fit: Power Automate
Why: Connectors and sign-in are already there, often without an extra license
Approvals should happen with one click in Teams or Outlook
Likely fit: Power Automate
Why: Approvals are built in
An old Windows application without an API has to be operated
Likely fit: Power Automate
Why: Desktop flows exist only here
Many systems outside Microsoft, custom logic or AI agents
Likely fit: n8n
Why: Free-form HTTP requests, code steps and AI nodes without a connector license
Data should stay inside your own infrastructure as much as possible
Likely fit: n8n, self-hosted
Why: Runs on your servers, with your own AI model if you want
Nobody on the team writes code and a few cloud apps need connecting fast
Likely fit: Make
Why: Considered easy to learn, many ready-made modules
Many runs with many steps each
Likely fit: n8n
Why: n8n Cloud counts runs, not steps, and the self-hosted Community edition has no license fee
If several rows apply, one question carries the most weight: where does the data this workflow uses live today? A workflow that touches almost only Outlook and SharePoint is usually faster to build and easier to maintain in Power Automate. A workflow that connects an industry-specific application, an online store and an AI model is often better off in n8n.
When two tools make sense
Power Automate and n8n don't rule each other out. A common pattern: Power Automate handles internal workflows and approvals in Microsoft 365, and n8n handles connections to systems outside Microsoft and the AI steps. That pays off when both sides are needed regularly. The price is a second place where workflows have to be maintained, monitored and documented. For a team with two or three workflows, one tool is almost always the better choice.
What AI features cost
Power Automate: AI runs through AI Builder, for example to extract data from documents or to send your own instructions to a language model. A flow that uses AI Builder is a premium flow and needs the matching licenses. Since November 1, 2026, new or renewed licenses no longer include AI Builder credits. Credits that came with existing licenses remain available through the end of the contract term and are used first. After that, you pay with Copilot Credits. According to Microsoft, every page read with the invoice model or a custom document model costs 8 Copilot Credits, which is $0.08 with pay-as-you-go billing. Text recognition (OCR) costs 0.1 Copilot Credits per page.
Make and n8n: You connect an AI provider of your choice, such as OpenAI, Anthropic or Mistral, and pay that provider based on usage. Make also offers its own AI modules, which consume credits. With n8n, you can also use a model you host yourself.
Data location and operations
• Power Automate runs in the Microsoft cloud under your existing Microsoft agreement. For many businesses already on Microsoft 365, that raises the fewest new questions. For AI features in environments hosted in the US, Microsoft processes requests in the US. If your environment is hosted elsewhere, check the "Move data across regions" setting in the Power Platform admin center, because AI requests can then be processed outside your region.
• Make stores scenarios and data in the data zone you chose at setup. AI features don't always follow that zone: according to Make, some always run in the US, and its document extraction modules run in the EU even in a US zone. Check this for the modules you use.
• n8n, self-hosted, runs on your servers. The data stays with you as long as you don't connect an external AI model. That also means security, updates and backups are your responsibility or your provider's.
For all three: as soon as personal or client data goes to an AI provider, review the provider's data processing terms and make sure they fit your obligations to clients. This guide is not legal advice. For a starting point, see Can our team put client data into ChatGPT?.
Where this reaches its limits
No tool fixes an unclear workflow. If nobody can write down when an inquiry goes to whom, the best platform won't help. Switching tools also means rebuilding your workflows. Document the logic of each workflow independently of the tool. And licensing changes. Microsoft, for example, is phasing out AI Builder credits right now. Check prices and terms directly with the vendor before you decide.
How aenuma helps
aenuma builds workflows with Microsoft 365 and Power Automate, with n8n, or with Make, depending on what fits you. We prefer to build with what you already use. If a tool needs to be added, that is stated in the proposal up front, and we list license costs separately. Every workflow is tested with real examples from your day-to-day work, and we agree in advance what runs automatically and where a person reviews.
You can see what such a workflow looks like in How to automate invoice processing with AI and Automate customer inquiry replies, each with Power Automate and n8n.
Frequently asked questions
Is n8n free?
The self-hosted Community edition is free for your company's internal business purposes. That is what n8n's license says. Some features for larger teams are only available in the paid plans. Costs also come from the server, from maintenance and from any AI providers you connect. n8n Cloud is a paid service billed by execution.
Do I need an extra license for Power Automate?
For flows with standard connectors such as Outlook, Teams and SharePoint, your existing Microsoft 365 license is often enough. For premium connectors, custom connectors and AI Builder, you need Power Automate Premium or a Process license for the individual flow. Desktop flows triggered from a cloud flow require Power Automate Premium. If they run unattended, the machine also needs a Process license.
Can we switch tools later?
Yes, but plan on rebuilding your workflows. Each tool has its own building blocks, and a Power Automate flow can't simply be opened as a workflow in n8n. Well-documented workflows move over much faster.
What about Zapier?
Like Make, Zapier is a pure cloud service. The questions in the decision table apply to it in the same way.
Sources
Types of Power Automate licenses (Microsoft Learn)
Overview of licensing, AI Builder (Microsoft Learn)
End of AI Builder credits (Microsoft Learn)
Move data across regions for Copilots, AI agents, and generative AI features (Microsoft Learn)
License FAQ (n8n Docs)
Pricing (n8n)
AI providers and data zones in Make (Make Help Center)
Organizations (Make Help Center)
By Joshua Schütt, founder of aenuma. Last updated: November 2026.
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