n8n
Source-available, code-friendly workflow automation you can self-host for free.
Looking for a Make alternative? Here are the top ai agents & automation tools we track, ranked by adoption, capability and value.
The strongest Make alternative right now is n8n (freemium) — best for developers and technical teams who want flexible, code-capable automation and the option to self-host. Full ranked list below.
Make is a strong ai agents & automation tool, but the common reasons users shop around are: steeper learning curve than Zapier for beginners; credit consumption (especially AI modules) can be hard to predict; fewer native integrations than Zapier. The alternatives below each address at least one of these.
| Tool | Pricing | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Freemium | Developers and technical teams who want flexible, code-capable automation and the option to self-host. | → |
| Zapier | Freemium | Non-technical teams who want the easiest setup and the widest integration coverage for SaaS automation. | → |
| CrewAI | Freemium | Developers and engineering teams building custom multi-agent applications with code-level control. | → |
| Gumloop | Freemium | Ops, growth, and research teams automating AI-heavy workflows over unstructured data. | → |
| Lindy | Freemium | Individuals and SMBs who want hands-off AI agents to run recurring tasks rather than build manual workflows. | → |
| Manus | Freemium | Users who want a single autonomous agent to complete open-ended research and build tasks without manual workflow setup. | → |
| Relevance AI | Freemium | Teams building a coordinated AI workforce for sales, marketing, and ops with transparent model-cost billing. | → |
| Activepieces | Freemium | Teams wanting an open-source, self-hostable automation tool with native AI agents and MCP support. | → |
| Bardeen | Freemium | Sales, growth, and research teams automating browser-based prospecting, scraping, and data-entry tasks. | → |
n8n (freemium, from Free self-hosted; Cloud Starter from ~€24/mo (2,500 executions)): Free, unlimited self-hosting with full data ownership. Best if you want developers and technical teams who want flexible, code-capable automation and the option to self-host.
Zapier (freemium, from Free; paid Professional from $29.99/mo (~750 tasks)): Largest integration library; connects to nearly any popular SaaS tool. Best if you want non-technical teams who want the easiest setup and the widest integration coverage for SaaS automation.
CrewAI (freemium, from Free open-source framework; cloud Pro from ~$25-29/mo): Free, flexible open-source core with massive adoption. Best if you want developers and engineering teams building custom multi-agent applications with code-level control.
Source-available, code-friendly workflow automation you can self-host for free.
The most widely-used automation platform, now with AI agents and a build-by-chat Copilot.
Open-source Python framework for orchestrating role-playing, collaborative multi-agent crews.
AI-native, canvas-based workflow automation built for ops teams handling unstructured data.
Build AI 'employees' that read email, schedule, call, and act across your tools autonomously.
Autonomous general AI agent for end-to-end multi-step tasks.
Build an entire no-code 'AI workforce' of agents and multi-agent teams for business operations.
Open-source (MIT) automation with AI agents and ~400 MCP servers, the leading Zapier alternative.
Browser-based AI agent that automates repetitive web work directly in your Chrome tab.
See also: best ai agents & automation tools · Make review · all ai agents & automation tools