The short version
n8n's one real differentiator against Zapier and Make is not the node editor, it is that you can run the whole engine on your own infrastructure with no per-execution meter running. That single property is why it wins the two cases the SaaS-only tools structurally cannot: data that legally cannot leave your network, and execution volumes where Zapier's task-based or Make's operations-based pricing turns into a budget leak. Everything else n8n does, the other two do comparably. Pick n8n for the deployment model, not the feature list.
What you actually get
A node-based visual editor with real-time execution, plus JavaScript and Python code nodes for the logic the visual canvas cannot express cleanly. Self-host via Docker or npm. The AI side is the part that has matured: built-in nodes for LLM chains, vector stores, and tool-calling agents, which moves n8n from "Zapier you host" to a viable agent-workflow runtime. The 400+ integrations cover the common SaaS surface; the gap versus Zapier's far larger catalog is real and is the thing to check before committing, because a missing connector means an HTTP node and maintaining auth yourself.
The license catch most reviews skip
n8n is not open source, and treating it as if it were is how teams build a compliance problem. It ships under the Sustainable Use License, a fair-code model: source-available, free to self-host and modify for your own internal business use, but you may not resell it as a SaaS or embed it in a product you sell without a commercial license. For an internal ops automation platform this restriction never bites. If your plan is to wrap n8n and sell access to customers, that is exactly the use the license forecloses, and you need to talk to n8n before you build on it. This is the load-bearing detail the "open-source Zapier alternative" framing gets wrong.
Who it fits, and when to skip it
The fit is a technical team that wants Zapier-level breadth with developer-level control, where someone owns the runtime. Self-hosting earns its place under data-residency rules or at volumes where metered pricing hurts. Skip it when no one on the team will own upgrades, secrets rotation, and backups, because a self-hosted automation engine is real operational weight and "free" stops being true the moment it gets an on-call rotation. In that case n8n Cloud, or honestly Zapier, is the cheaper answer once your time is priced in.
Pricing
Self-hosting is free under the Sustainable Use License for internal business use, with infrastructure and operational cost as the real price, not a license fee. Cloud plans start at $20/month for 2,500 executions and scale with usage, which removes the ops tax in exchange for the metered model self-hosting was meant to avoid. Rated 4.3: the deployment flexibility is genuinely category-leading and the license is a sharp constraint that is fine for internal use and disqualifying for resale, which is exactly the distinction a buyer needs spelled out before they commit.