Both tools connect APIs. The difference is who hosts the data and how much graph complexity you will tolerate.
Choose Make when
- Non-technical staff maintain flows
- You need fast SaaS integrations
- Volume fits free/low tiers
Choose n8n when
- Self-hosting on your VPS matters for GDPR
- You want git-backed workflow exports
- Developers will own the graphs
First five automations (either tool)
- Form lead → email + optional CRM row
- Backup failure alert
- Uptime down → Telegram
- New blog publish → social draft (manual approve)
- Weekly trend JSON → Notion/Sheets queue
Affiliate note: disclose if you add referral links to either platform.