Make vs n8n for Nonprofits
Your nonprofit needs workflow automation, but should you prioritize ease of use or technical power? Make offers 3,000+ integrations in a beginner-friendly visual interface for $9-29/month. n8n provides unlimited free self-hosted automation with AI-native capabilities for technically skilled teams. The choice hinges on whether you have technical capacity—and how much automation you need. This comparison helps you decide which platform delivers better value for your specific situation.
Quick Verdict
Choose based on your nonprofit's technical capacity and automation needs:
Choose Make if:
- •You want a user-friendly visual interface with minimal learning curve (2-3 hours to proficiency)
- •Your team has limited technical capacity and prefers a managed cloud solution
- •You need access to 3,000+ app integrations with pre-built connectors
- •Visual workflow mapping that shows the entire automation at a glance is important
- •You're willing to pay $9-29/month for ease of use and don't need unlimited executions
Choose n8n if:
- •You have technical staff or volunteer developers who can self-host and manage servers
- •Unlimited free workflow executions are critical (self-hosted community edition is 100% free)
- •Data sovereignty and complete control over your automation infrastructure matter
- •You want AI-native capabilities with 70 LangChain nodes for building intelligent workflows
- •You need code-level customization and Git version control for workflow management
At-a-Glance Comparison
| Feature | Make | n8n | Winner / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free (1,000 ops); $9/month paid | Self-hosted: Free unlimited; Cloud: €20/month | 💰 n8n for self-hosting |
| Free Tier Limit | 1,000 operations/month | Unlimited (self-hosted); 2,500 executions/month (cloud) | 💰 n8n unlimited for self-hosted |
| Nonprofit Discount | Contact sales (no public discount) | Self-hosted 100% free; no cloud discount | 💰 n8n (free self-hosted > any discount) |
| Integrations | 3,000+ apps | 500+ apps + unlimited via HTTP/API | 🔗 Make (6x more pre-built) |
| Learning Curve | Intermediate (2-3 hours) | Advanced for self-hosting; Intermediate for cloud | 📚 Make (easier onboarding) |
| Visual Workflow Builder | Yes (intuitive drag-and-drop) | Yes (similar visual interface) | 🤝 Tie (both visual) |
| AI Capabilities | Basic AI assistance | AI-native: 70 LangChain nodes | 🤖 n8n (purpose-built for AI) |
| Self-Hosting Option | No (cloud-only) | Yes (free unlimited) | 🏠 n8n (data sovereignty) |
| Code Customization | Limited (JSON mapping) | Full (JavaScript, Python) | 💻 n8n (developer-friendly) |
| Version Control | No Git integration | Yes (Git workflows) | 🔄 n8n (enterprise-grade) |
| Mobile App | Mobile-responsive web | Mobile-responsive web | 🤝 Tie (both web-based) |
| Best For | Nonprofits without technical staff | Tech-savvy teams with developers | 🎯 Context-dependent |
Note: Prices may be outdated or inaccurate.
Head-to-Head Feature Breakdown
Pre-Built Integrations
Make: 3,000+ Apps
Connects to virtually every popular business tool including Salesforce, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Stripe, Google Workspace, Slack, Airtable, and hundreds of nonprofit-specific platforms. Pre-built connectors mean faster setup—just authenticate and start building workflows in minutes.
n8n: 500+ Apps + Unlimited Custom
Covers major platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Google, Stripe) but has 6x fewer pre-built connectors. However, HTTP Request nodes can connect to any service with an API, giving unlimited integration potential. More setup time but ultimate flexibility.
Verdict:
Make wins for speed and convenience. If your nonprofit uses common tools (CRM, email, donation platforms), Make's pre-built connectors save 1-2 hours per integration. Choose n8n only if you need custom API connections or have developer capacity to build custom nodes.
Pricing & Total Cost of Ownership
Make: $9-29/month (Cloud-Only)
Free tier (1,000 ops/month) works for testing. Most active nonprofits need Core ($9/month for 10,000 ops) or Pro ($16/month). Simple pricing, predictable costs, fully managed cloud infrastructure. Annual TCO: $108-348/year.
n8n: $0 (Self-Hosted) or €20-667/month (Cloud)
Self-hosted Community Edition is 100% free with unlimited executions forever. Infrastructure costs $5-20/month (VPS hosting). Cloud plans start €20/month but lack nonprofit discounts. Annual TCO: $60-240/year (self-hosted) or €240-8,004/year (cloud).
Verdict:
n8n wins for technical teams. Self-hosting saves $1,000s annually once you scale beyond 10,000 operations/month. Make wins for small-scale automation under 10,000 ops/month when you value simplicity over cost savings. Break-even point: ~50,000 operations/month.
AI Capabilities & Intelligent Workflows
Make: Basic AI Assistance
Offers AI-powered scenario suggestions and smart error handling, but limited native AI workflow nodes. You can integrate with OpenAI API via HTTP requests, but Make isn't purpose-built for AI automation. Best for traditional workflow automation.
n8n: AI-Native with 70 LangChain Nodes
Purpose-built for AI workflows. Includes LangChain integration, OpenAI nodes, vector databases, embeddings, AI agents, memory systems, and more. Build intelligent workflows that learn from data, generate content, answer questions, and make decisions autonomously.
Verdict:
n8n dominates for AI use cases. If you want to build custom AI agents (grant writing assistants, donor chatbots, intelligent data analysis), n8n is the only viable choice. Make works for simple API calls to ChatGPT but can't build sophisticated AI workflows.
Ease of Use & Team Adoption
Make: Beginner-Friendly (2-3 Hours)
Intuitive drag-and-drop interface with visual workflow mapping. Pre-built templates for common nonprofit tasks (donation → CRM → thank you email). Most staff can build simple workflows after watching a 30-minute tutorial. Advanced features require 2-3 hours of practice.
n8n: Moderate (Cloud) to Advanced (Self-Hosted)
Cloud version has similar visual interface to Make (2-3 hours to proficiency). Self-hosting requires technical knowledge: Docker, server management, SSL certificates, security hardening. Plan 4-8 hours for initial setup, plus ongoing maintenance. Not suitable for non-technical teams.
Verdict:
Make wins for ease of adoption. Small nonprofits without technical staff should choose Make. n8n's self-hosting requirement creates a barrier—only worth it if you have developers or highly technical volunteers who can maintain infrastructure long-term.
Data Sovereignty & Infrastructure Control
Make: Cloud-Only (US/EU Data Centers)
All data flows through Make's cloud infrastructure. SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR compliant. You can't control where data is processed or stored beyond choosing US or EU regions. Dependent on Make's uptime and security practices.
n8n: Complete Control via Self-Hosting
Self-hosted n8n runs on your infrastructure—complete control over data location, security, backups, and compliance. Critical for nonprofits handling sensitive data (healthcare, legal services, domestic violence support). You manage security, but you also control access.
Verdict:
n8n wins for data-sensitive nonprofits. If you work with protected health information, legal data, or vulnerable populations, self-hosting n8n ensures full data sovereignty. Make is fine for general automation but can't match on-premises control.
Developer Experience & Customization
Make: Limited Code Customization
Supports JSON mapping and basic data transformation, but no direct code access. You can't write custom JavaScript or build proprietary integrations. Good for no-code users; limiting for developers who need fine-grained control.
n8n: Full JavaScript/Python Support + Git
Developers can write custom nodes, add JavaScript expressions, use Python for data processing, and version workflows with Git. Open-source codebase means you can extend n8n indefinitely. Ideal for technical nonprofits building complex, proprietary automations.
Verdict:
n8n wins for developer teams. If your nonprofit has engineering capacity, n8n's extensibility and Git integration enable enterprise-grade workflow management. Make is better for organizations without developers who need pre-built solutions.
Pricing Breakdown & Total Cost of Ownership
Make Pricing Tiers
Cloud-only, pay-per-operation model
Free Plan
1,000 operations/month • 2 active scenarios • 15-minute interval
$0/month
Core Plan
10,000 operations/month • Unlimited scenarios • 5-minute interval
$9/month
Pro Plan
10,000 operations/month • Priority support • Full-text search • 1-minute interval
$16/month
Teams Plan
10,000 operations/month • Team collaboration • Custom variables • Advanced features
$29/month
Operations: Each action in a workflow = 1 operation. A 5-step workflow triggered 100 times = 500 operations.
n8n Pricing Options
Self-hosted free or cloud managed plans
Self-Hosted Community Edition ⭐
Unlimited workflows, executions, users • Requires Docker/server hosting • 100% free forever
$0/month + infrastructure costs ($5-20/month VPS)
Cloud Starter
2,500 executions/month • Managed hosting • Community support
€20/month (~$22/month)
Cloud Pro
100,000 executions/month • Priority support • Custom domains
€333/month (~$364/month)
Cloud Enterprise
1M+ executions/month • SSO • SLA • Advanced security
€667/month (~$729/month)
Executions: Each workflow run = 1 execution. A workflow triggered 1,000 times/month = 1,000 executions.
Total Cost of Ownership Analysis: 3 Nonprofit Scenarios
Real-world cost comparisons including hidden expenses
Scenario 1: Small Nonprofit (5,000 operations/month)
Example: 50-person community center automating donation receipts, volunteer confirmations, and event reminders.
Make Total Cost
- • Core plan: $9/month
- • Setup time: 4 hours @ $50/hr = $200 (one-time)
- • Maintenance: 30 min/month = $25/month
Year 1: $608 | Ongoing: $408/year
n8n Total Cost
- • Self-hosted: $0/month (free)
- • VPS hosting: $10/month
- • Setup time: 8 hours @ $75/hr = $600 (one-time)
- • Maintenance: 1 hour/month = $75/month
Year 1: $1,620 | Ongoing: $1,020/year
Verdict: Make saves $1,012 in Year 1 for small organizations. n8n's setup costs and maintenance time don't justify savings at this scale.
Scenario 2: Mid-Sized Nonprofit (50,000 operations/month)
Example: Regional food bank with complex donor workflows, inventory management, volunteer scheduling, and grant reporting automation.
Make Total Cost
- • Teams plan: $29/month (10K ops)
- • 4x extra operation packs: $36/month
- • Setup: 12 hours @ $50/hr = $600 (one-time)
- • Maintenance: 2 hours/month = $100/month
Year 1: $2,380 | Ongoing: $1,780/year
n8n Total Cost
- • Self-hosted: $0/month (free unlimited)
- • VPS hosting: $20/month (larger server)
- • Setup: 12 hours @ $75/hr = $900 (one-time)
- • Maintenance: 2 hours/month = $150/month
Year 1: $3,140 | Ongoing: $2,040/year
Verdict: Make still cheaper in Year 1 ($760 savings), but gap narrows. By Year 3, n8n saves money ($260/year ongoing savings) if technical capacity exists.
Scenario 3: Large Nonprofit (200,000+ operations/month)
Example: National advocacy organization with multi-state operations, complex CRM integrations, membership management, and AI-powered content workflows.
Make Total Cost
- • Teams plan: $29/month (10K ops)
- • 19x extra operation packs: $171/month
- • Setup: 40 hours @ $50/hr = $2,000 (one-time)
- • Maintenance: 5 hours/month = $250/month
Year 1: $9,400 | Ongoing: $5,400/year
n8n Total Cost
- • Self-hosted: $0/month (free unlimited)
- • VPS hosting: $40/month (dedicated server)
- • Setup: 40 hours @ $75/hr = $3,000 (one-time)
- • Maintenance: 4 hours/month = $300/month
Year 1: $7,080 | Ongoing: $4,080/year
Verdict: n8n saves $2,320 in Year 1 and $1,320/year ongoing. At this scale, self-hosting pays off immediately despite higher technical requirements.
Hidden Costs to Consider
- Make: Overage charges if you exceed operation limits • Premium integrations may cost extra • Team seats for collaboration
- n8n: Infrastructure costs (VPS, backups, SSL certificates) • Technical labor for setup and maintenance • Monitoring and security tools • Server scaling as you grow
- Both: Staff training time • Workflow redesign and optimization • Integration testing and debugging
When Each Platform Excels: Real Nonprofit Scenarios
Best Use Cases for Make
1. Small Community Nonprofit: Automated Donor Thank-You Workflows
Organization: 30-person homeless services nonprofit with limited technical capacity
Challenge: Staff spend 3 hours/week manually sending thank-you emails after donations, often with delays that hurt donor retention.
Solution: Make connects Stripe (donations) → CRM (update donor record) → Gmail (send personalized thank-you email) → Airtable (track for year-end reporting). Pre-built integrations mean setup takes 2 hours instead of days.
Result: Thank-you emails now send within 5 minutes of donation. Staff save 3 hours/week. Donor retention improves 12% in first 90 days.
ROI: $9/month investment saves 12 hours/month of staff time ($600/month value at $50/hr loaded cost) = 6,567% ROI
2. Educational Nonprofit: Multi-Step Event Registration Workflow
Organization: Youth mentoring program running quarterly mentor training events
Challenge: Event registrations require manual follow-up: confirmation emails, calendar invites, Zoom links, pre-event reminders, and post-event surveys.
Solution: Make workflow triggers when Typeform submission received → Add to Google Calendar → Send confirmation email with Zoom link → Schedule reminder 1 day before event → Send post-event survey 1 day after → Update CRM with attendance status.
Result: Completely automated registration experience. 40% increase in event attendance due to timely reminders. Staff reclaim 8 hours per event.
ROI: $16/month Pro plan enables sophisticated scheduling. 32 hours/quarter saved = $1,600/quarter value = 10,000% ROI
3. Health Services Nonprofit: Patient Appointment Reminders
Organization: Community health clinic serving 2,000 patients monthly
Challenge: 25% no-show rate for appointments costs clinic $15,000/month in lost service capacity. Manual reminder calls are labor-intensive.
Solution: Make connects scheduling system (SimplePractice) → Twilio (send SMS reminder 48 hours before) → Email reminder 24 hours before → If no confirmation received, trigger staff follow-up task in Asana.
Result: No-show rate drops to 12%, recovering $7,800/month in service capacity. Automated reminders free up 20 hours/week of admin time.
ROI: $29/month Teams plan + $50/month Twilio costs = $79/month investment yields $7,800/month value recovery = 9,773% ROI
4. Membership Organization: New Member Onboarding Sequence
Organization: Professional association with 5,000 members and 50 new members/month
Challenge: New members need access to member portal, welcome packet, onboarding emails, and invitation to orientation webinar—currently 45 minutes of manual work per member.
Solution: Make triggers on Stripe payment → Create member account in WordPress → Send welcome email series (Days 0, 3, 7, 14) → Add to orientation webinar list → Update Mailchimp segments → Notify membership coordinator in Slack.
Result: Fully automated onboarding. New members receive consistent, professional welcome experience. Staff save 37.5 hours/month.
ROI: $29/month investment saves 37.5 hours/month ($1,875/month at $50/hr) = 6,366% ROI
Best Use Cases for n8n
1. Research Institute: AI-Powered Literature Review Automation
Organization: Health policy research nonprofit with data scientists on staff
Challenge: Researchers manually review 100+ academic papers weekly to identify relevant studies. Process takes 15 hours/week and costs $1,200/week ($75/hr researcher time).
Solution: Self-hosted n8n workflow uses LangChain nodes to: Monitor arXiv and PubMed for new publications → Extract abstracts → Use AI to classify relevance → Generate summaries with key findings → Store in vector database → Send weekly digest to researchers → Answer natural language queries about findings.
Result: AI pre-filters 80% of irrelevant papers. Researchers now spend 3 hours/week instead of 15, saving 12 hours/week. Literature reviews are more comprehensive.
ROI: Self-hosted n8n costs $20/month infrastructure + $100/month OpenAI API = $120/month. Saves $4,800/month (12 hrs/week × $75/hr × 4 weeks) = 3,900% ROI
2. Large Foundation: Sensitive Grant Application Processing
Organization: $50M+ foundation processing 500 grant applications annually with highly confidential data
Challenge: Applications contain sensitive financial data, board member names, and strategic plans. Legal department requires on-premises processing—can't use cloud automation tools.
Solution: Self-hosted n8n on foundation's secure infrastructure: Application submission → Extract data → Run compliance checks → Flag applications with board conflicts → Route to appropriate review committee → Track review progress → Generate reports → Archive securely on-premises.
Result: Complete data sovereignty. Automation saves 200 hours/year of manual data entry. Compliance team confident all data stays on-premises.
ROI: $0/month (free self-hosted) saves 200 hours/year ($20,000/year at $100/hr loaded cost for grant managers) = Infinite ROI (no ongoing software costs)
3. Social Services Agency: High-Volume Case Management Automation
Organization: Child welfare services agency processing 10,000+ case updates monthly with technical team
Challenge: Case workers manually update government databases, internal CRM, and reporting systems for each client interaction. Make's 10,000 operations/month limit would cost $200+/month; agency needs 150,000 operations/month.
Solution: Self-hosted n8n processes unlimited executions: Case notes from field app → Update state database via API → Sync to internal Salesforce → Check for compliance triggers → Generate required reports → Alert supervisors of high-risk cases → Archive to secure storage.
Result: 150,000 operations/month run free on n8n vs $1,500/month on Make. Case workers save 40 hours/week total across team.
ROI: $40/month infrastructure vs $1,500/month Make equivalent = $17,520/year savings + 2,080 hours/year saved ($104,000 value) = Massive savings
4. Tech-Forward Arts Nonprofit: Custom AI Content Generation Pipeline
Organization: Digital arts collective with volunteer developers and 50 monthly events
Challenge: Creating social media content for 50 events/month is overwhelming. Need to generate event descriptions, promotional copy, image captions, and email announcements—would take 30 hours/month manually.
Solution: n8n AI workflow: Event added to Airtable → AI analyzes event details + past successful event descriptions → Generates 4 social posts, email copy, and image prompts → DALL-E creates promotional image → Saves to Canva for final approval → Schedules to Buffer → Tracks engagement.
Result: Content creation time drops from 30 hours to 5 hours/month (review and approval only). Quality improves through AI learning from past successful posts.
ROI: $20/month infrastructure + $50/month AI APIs = $70/month. Saves 25 hours/month ($1,250 volunteer time value) = 1,686% ROI
Learning Curve & Implementation Timeline
Make: Getting Started Timeline
Beginner-friendly, fast time to value
Day 1: Setup & First Workflow (2 hours)
Create account, watch 30-min tutorial, build simple workflow (e.g., Google Form → Gmail notification)
Week 1: Multi-Step Workflows (3-4 hours)
Build 3-5 step workflows with conditional logic, filters, and routers. Connect CRM to email marketing.
Week 2-3: Production Workflows (5-8 hours)
Build mission-critical automations, test edge cases, set up error handling, document processes
Month 1+: Optimization & Scaling
Refine workflows based on usage data, add advanced features, train additional team members
Difficulty Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (Intermediate)
Total Time to Proficiency: 10-15 hours spread over 3-4 weeks
n8n: Getting Started Timeline
Steeper initial investment, powerful long-term
Day 1-2: Infrastructure Setup (4-8 hours for self-hosted)
Provision VPS, install Docker, configure n8n, set up SSL, secure environment. Cloud version: 30 minutes.
Week 1: First Workflows (3-4 hours)
Learn visual interface (similar to Make), build simple workflows, understand nodes and connections
Week 2-4: Advanced Features (10-15 hours)
Explore HTTP Request nodes for custom APIs, learn JavaScript expressions, build AI workflows with LangChain
Month 2+: Mastery & Infrastructure Management
Set up backups, monitoring, Git version control, advanced AI agents, ongoing server maintenance
Difficulty Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Advanced for self-hosting)
Total Time to Proficiency: 17-27 hours (self-hosted) or 13-19 hours (cloud) spread over 4-6 weeks
Support Resources & Community
Where to get help when you're stuck
Make Support
- Help Center: Comprehensive documentation with step-by-step guides and video tutorials
- Community Forum: Active community with 50,000+ users sharing templates and troubleshooting
- Email Support: Available on Pro and Teams plans (response within 24-48 hours)
- Template Library: 1,000+ pre-built scenario templates for common nonprofit workflows
- Make Academy: Free courses covering beginner to advanced automation topics
n8n Support
- Documentation: Detailed docs covering every node, with examples and API references
- Community Forum: Very active community (10,000+ developers) with quick response times
- GitHub Issues: Open-source community provides support via GitHub (typically 24-hour response)
- Workflow Templates: 400+ community-contributed templates, especially strong for AI workflows
- Premium Support: Available on cloud Pro/Enterprise plans (SLA-backed response times)
Integration Ecosystem & Workflow Capabilities
Integration Comparison: Pre-Built vs Custom Flexibility
| Integration Category | Make | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Total Integrations | 3,000+ pre-built apps | 500+ pre-built + unlimited custom via HTTP |
| Nonprofit CRMs | Salesforce, HubSpot, Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Neon CRM, Little Green Light, Keela | Salesforce, HubSpot, Airtable + API connections for others |
| Email Marketing | Mailchimp, Constant Contact, SendGrid, ActiveCampaign, Brevo, Campaign Monitor | Mailchimp, SendGrid, Gmail + SMTP for any provider |
| Payment Processors | Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, Donorbox, Classy | Stripe, PayPal + webhooks for others |
| Form Builders | Typeform, Google Forms, JotForm, Tally, Fillout, Airtable Forms | Typeform, Google Forms + webhook support for others |
| Social Media | Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Buffer, Hootsuite | Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram + API access for others |
| AI Platforms | OpenAI (via HTTP), limited AI-specific nodes | OpenAI, Claude, Hugging Face, LangChain (70 nodes), vector DBs |
| Custom APIs | HTTP module (requires setup for each endpoint) | HTTP Request node (advanced, supports OAuth, webhooks, pagination) |
Common Nonprofit Workflows: How Each Platform Handles Them
Workflow 1: Donation to Thank-You Email
Trigger: New Stripe payment → Action: Update CRM + Send email
Make:
Stripe webhook → Parse payment → Update Salesforce contact → Send templated Gmail → Log to Airtable. Setup time: 15 minutes (all pre-built connectors).
n8n:
Stripe webhook → Parse payment → Update Salesforce contact (native node) → Send Gmail → Log to Airtable. Setup time: 15-20 minutes (similar pre-built nodes).
Verdict: Tie—both platforms handle this equally well with native integrations.
Workflow 2: AI Grant Proposal First Draft
Trigger: Airtable grant opportunity added → Action: Generate draft with AI
Make:
Airtable trigger → HTTP request to OpenAI API (manual setup) → Parse response → Save to Google Docs. Setup time: 45-60 minutes (requires custom HTTP configuration and API key management).
n8n:
Airtable trigger → OpenAI node (native) → LangChain for context retrieval → Save to Google Docs. Setup time: 20-30 minutes (native AI nodes, easier prompt engineering).
Verdict: n8n wins—AI-native nodes make this 2x faster to build and more powerful.
Workflow 3: Volunteer Shift Reminders
Trigger: Schedule → Action: Send SMS reminder 24 hours before shift
Make:
Schedule trigger → Google Calendar check → Filter for tomorrow's shifts → Twilio SMS send. Setup time: 20 minutes (pre-built Twilio integration).
n8n:
Cron trigger → Google Calendar check → Filter for tomorrow's shifts → Twilio node SMS send. Setup time: 20-25 minutes (slightly more complex cron setup).
Verdict: Make wins slightly—simpler schedule interface for non-technical users.
Workflow 4: Complex Multi-Branch Conditional Logic
Trigger: Form submission → Action: Route based on 5+ conditions
Make:
Typeform trigger → Router (visual branching) → 5 paths based on conditions → Different actions per path. Visual workflow map shows all branches at once. Setup time: 30-40 minutes.
n8n:
Typeform trigger → Switch node (similar to router) → 5 paths → Different actions per path. Visual interface similar to Make. Setup time: 30-40 minutes.
Verdict: Tie—both handle complex conditional logic well with visual branching.
Data Privacy, Security & Compliance
Make: Cloud Security
Certifications & Compliance
- • SOC 2 Type II certified
- • GDPR compliant (EU data centers available)
- • ISO 27001 certified
- • CCPA compliant for California nonprofits
Data Encryption
Data encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256). Credentials stored in encrypted vault with role-based access control.
Data Residency
Choose US or EU data center regions. Data doesn't leave selected region. Cannot self-host or control infrastructure beyond region selection.
Access Controls
Team roles and permissions (Teams plan). Two-factor authentication (2FA) available. Single sign-on (SSO) on Enterprise plan only.
n8n: Self-Hosted + Cloud Security
Self-Hosted: Complete Control
- • Data never leaves your infrastructure
- • You manage all security configurations
- • Compliance responsibility rests with you
- • Can meet HIPAA, SOC 2, or custom requirements
Cloud: SOC 2 Type II Certified
SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR compliant, ISO 27001 in progress. Data encrypted in transit and at rest with industry-standard protocols.
Data Sovereignty
Self-hosted: Full control—host anywhere (on-premises, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure). Cloud: EU and US regions available.
Access Controls
Self-hosted: Configure custom authentication (LDAP, SAML, OAuth). Cloud: Role-based access control, 2FA, SSO on Pro/Enterprise plans.
Handling Sensitive Data: Which Platform for Which Use Case?
Low: Public event data, general inquiries
Either Make or n8n
No sensitive data at risk. Choose based on cost and ease of use.
Medium: Donor names, email addresses, donation amounts
Make (cloud) acceptable
Standard nonprofit CRM data. Make's SOC 2 and GDPR compliance sufficient for most organizations.
High: Protected health information (PHI), legal case data
n8n self-hosted ONLY
HIPAA requires Business Associate Agreement (BAA) and on-premises control. Make cannot sign BAAs.
High: Domestic violence survivor data, crisis hotline records
n8n self-hosted ONLY
Life-safety data requires air-gapped infrastructure. Cloud platforms (Make, n8n cloud) introduce unacceptable risk.
Very High: Government contracts requiring FedRAMP
n8n self-hosted on FedRAMP infrastructure
Federal agencies require FedRAMP-authorized cloud services. Self-hosted n8n on compliant infrastructure is only option.
Honest Pros & Cons for Nonprofits
Make: Strengths & Limitations
Pros
- Beginner-friendly visual interface — Non-technical staff can build workflows in 2-3 hours without coding
- 3,000+ pre-built integrations — Connects to virtually every nonprofit tool with minimal setup time
- Fully managed cloud service — No infrastructure maintenance, updates handled automatically
- Excellent visual workflow mapping — See entire automation at a glance, easier to troubleshoot
- Strong template library — 1,000+ pre-built scenarios save time on common nonprofit workflows
- Affordable for small-scale automation — $9/month Core plan works for many small nonprofits under 10,000 ops/month
Cons
- Costs scale quickly with usage — Beyond 10,000 operations/month, pricing increases significantly (overage fees)
- No self-hosting option — Must use Make's cloud infrastructure, can't achieve full data sovereignty
- Limited AI workflow capabilities — Not purpose-built for AI; building intelligent workflows requires workarounds
- No nonprofit discount program — Unlike many SaaS tools, Make doesn't offer public nonprofit pricing
- Limited code customization — Can't write custom JavaScript or extend platform functionality for complex needs
- No Git version control — Can't track workflow changes over time or collaborate using developer workflows
n8n: Strengths & Limitations
Pros
- 100% free self-hosted option — Unlimited workflows, executions, and users forever (only pay for infrastructure)
- Complete data sovereignty — Self-host on your infrastructure for full control over sensitive nonprofit data
- AI-native with 70 LangChain nodes — Purpose-built for intelligent workflows, AI agents, and vector databases
- Full JavaScript/Python support — Developers can write custom logic and extend platform indefinitely
- Git version control integration — Manage workflows like code with branching, rollback, and collaboration
- Open-source transparency — Audit source code, contribute features, no vendor lock-in
Cons
- Requires technical expertise for self-hosting — Docker, server management, security hardening not suitable for non-technical teams
- Fewer pre-built integrations — 500+ apps vs Make's 3,000+; more custom API work required for niche tools
- Steeper learning curve — Self-hosting setup takes 4-8 hours vs Make's 30-minute cloud onboarding
- Self-hosted maintenance burden — Security updates, backups, monitoring, and uptime management fall on you
- No nonprofit discount for cloud plans — Cloud version starts at €20/month with no nonprofit pricing
- Community support for self-hosted — No official support unless you pay for Enterprise; rely on forums and GitHub
Migration & Switching Considerations
Migrating FROM Other Tools (Zapier, IFTTT, etc.) TO Make or n8n
What to expect when switching automation platforms
From Zapier to Make
Migration effort: Moderate (2-4 hours per complex Zap)
- • Visual interface is similar—most users adapt quickly
- • Make's router (multi-path branching) is more powerful than Zapier's paths
- • Make has more integrations than Zapier for some categories (3,000+ vs 6,000+)
- • No direct import—must rebuild Zaps manually as Make scenarios
- • Make's operation model differs from Zapier's task model (understand before migrating)
Recommendation: Run both platforms in parallel for 2-4 weeks before fully switching.
From Zapier to n8n
Migration effort: Moderate to High (3-6 hours per complex Zap)
- • n8n's visual interface is comparable to Zapier
- • Fewer pre-built integrations mean more custom HTTP work for niche apps
- • Self-hosting setup adds 4-8 hours upfront (infrastructure configuration)
- • No import tool—rebuild Zaps as n8n workflows from scratch
- • Benefit: Unlimited executions make migration worth it for high-volume automations
Recommendation: Migrate high-volume workflows first to realize immediate cost savings.
From Make to n8n (or vice versa)
Migration effort: Moderate (2-4 hours per workflow)
- • Both platforms use visual drag-and-drop interfaces with similar logic
- • Most integrations overlap (Salesforce, HubSpot, Google, Stripe, etc.)
- • Workflow logic translates well between platforms (triggers, actions, filters, routers)
- • Main differences: n8n requires more custom API work; Make has more pre-built connectors
- • No automated migration tool—manual rebuild required
Recommendation: Test 2-3 workflows on target platform before committing to full migration. Prioritize migrating based on cost savings (high-volume workflows to n8n) or ease of use (complex multi-path workflows to Make).
Vendor Lock-In Assessment
How dependent will you be on each platform?
Make Lock-In Risk: Medium
- Proprietary platform: Workflows stored in Make's cloud, can't export to other tools
- No data portability: Must manually recreate workflows if switching platforms
- Pricing leverage: Make controls pricing; no alternatives if they raise prices
- Mitigation: Document complex workflows thoroughly so you can recreate them if needed. Keep a backup list of all active scenarios.
n8n Lock-In Risk: Low
- Open-source: Self-hosted workflows are fully under your control
- Export workflows as JSON: Can back up and migrate workflows programmatically
- Fork and customize: If n8n disappears, you can fork the codebase and maintain it
- Mitigation: Use Git version control for workflows (built-in feature). Maintain regular backups of n8n database.
Accessibility & Multilingual Support
Make: Accessibility Features
Screen Reader Support
Limited screen reader compatibility. Visual workflow builder is challenging for visually impaired users. No official WCAG 2.1 compliance statement.
Keyboard Navigation
Partial keyboard navigation available. Can navigate menus with Tab key, but drag-and-drop workflow building requires mouse.
Language Support
Interface available in: English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese. Pre-built templates primarily in English.
Nonprofit Use Case
Nonprofits serving multilingual communities can build forms and emails in any language, but Make's interface itself has limited language options.
n8n: Accessibility Features
Screen Reader Support
Limited screen reader support (similar to Make). Visual interface is primary method for building workflows. Community working on accessibility improvements.
Keyboard Navigation
Basic keyboard navigation for menus. Workflow building primarily mouse-driven. Power users can edit workflows directly in JSON for better accessibility.
Language Support
Interface available in: English, German, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese (Simplified). Open-source community can contribute translations.
Nonprofit Use Case
Self-hosted n8n can be customized with additional language packs or community-contributed translations. More flexible for international NGOs.
Accessibility Limitations for Both Platforms
Both Make and n8n are visual workflow builders, which presents inherent accessibility challenges for users with visual impairments. Neither platform currently offers:
- • Full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
- • Comprehensive screen reader support for workflow building
- • Text-based workflow creation interfaces
- • High-contrast modes or dyslexia-friendly fonts
Recommendation: If accessibility is critical for your team, consider having sighted team members build workflows collaboratively with visually impaired colleagues, or explore text-based automation tools like GitHub Actions (for technical teams).
Performance, Reliability & Uptime
Make: Cloud Reliability
Uptime SLA
99.9% uptime guarantee (Teams plan and above). ~43 minutes/month acceptable downtime. Status page: status.make.com
Execution Speed
Average workflow execution: 2-5 seconds for simple workflows, 10-30 seconds for complex multi-step automations. Depends on third-party API response times.
Error Handling & Retries
Automatic retry for failed operations (up to 3 attempts). Email notifications for persistent errors. Error logs retained for 30 days (Pro plan) or 90 days (Teams plan).
Scalability
Handles high-volume scenarios well. Rate limiting: 100 requests/second per scenario. Can process 10,000+ operations/hour on paid plans.
n8n: Self-Hosted & Cloud Performance
Uptime SLA
Self-hosted: You control uptime (typically 99.5-99.9% with proper infrastructure). Cloud: 99.9% uptime SLA on Pro/Enterprise plans.
Execution Speed
Self-hosted: Depends on your server specs. Comparable to Make (2-5 seconds simple, 10-30 seconds complex). Cloud: Similar performance to Make's cloud.
Error Handling & Retries
Configurable retry logic (set custom retry attempts and delays). Error workflows can trigger alerts via Slack/email. Logs retention: unlimited on self-hosted; 30-90 days on cloud.
Scalability
Self-hosted: Unlimited scalability (add more server resources). Can process 100,000+ executions/day with proper infrastructure. Cloud: Scales automatically with tier.
Impact on Nonprofit Campaigns & Operations
How reliability affects mission-critical workflows
Scenario: Year-End Fundraising Campaign
Workflow: Online donation → Instant thank-you email → CRM update → Trigger major donor alert if amount > $1,000
Risk if automation fails: Donor doesn't receive thank-you within 5 minutes, feels unappreciated, doesn't donate again. Major donor alert missed, follow-up delayed 24+ hours.
Reliability verdict: Both Make (99.9% SLA) and n8n cloud (99.9% SLA) are reliable enough. Self-hosted n8n depends on your infrastructure—ensure redundancy for critical campaigns.
Scenario: Crisis Hotline Intake Forms
Workflow: Online intake form → Immediate notification to on-call counselor → Create case record → Send safety resources email
Risk if automation fails: On-call counselor doesn't get notified. Client in crisis doesn't receive safety resources. Potential life-safety issue.
Reliability verdict: Life-safety workflows should NOT rely solely on cloud automation (Make or n8n cloud). Use self-hosted n8n on highly available infrastructure with redundancy, or implement manual backup notification system.
Scenario: Monthly Newsletter Distribution (10,000 subscribers)
Workflow: Airtable newsletter content → Generate personalized emails with AI → Send via Mailchimp → Track opens and clicks
Risk if automation fails: Newsletter doesn't send on schedule. Subscribers miss time-sensitive content (event announcements, advocacy calls-to-action).
Reliability verdict: Both platforms handle this well. n8n self-hosted gives you ability to manually trigger if scheduled run fails. Make's error notifications help you catch issues quickly.
Decision Framework: Which Platform for Your Nonprofit?
Answer these 5 questions to determine the best automation platform for your organization.
5-Question Decision Tree
1. Do you have technical staff or volunteer developers who can self-host and maintain infrastructure?
Yes → Consider n8n self-hosted (unlimited free executions, full control)
No → Choose Make or n8n cloud (managed services, easier to use)
2. How many automation operations do you expect per month?
< 10,000 ops/month → Make is cost-effective ($9/month Core plan)
10,000-50,000 ops/month → Make and n8n cloud are comparable; choose based on features
> 50,000 ops/month → n8n self-hosted saves $1,000s/year
3. Do you need AI-powered workflows (content generation, data analysis, intelligent routing)?
Yes, AI is critical → n8n (AI-native with 70 LangChain nodes)
No, traditional automation only → Make (easier for non-AI workflows)
4. Do you handle highly sensitive data (PHI, legal cases, domestic violence, government contracts)?
Yes, data sovereignty required → n8n self-hosted ONLY (on-premises control)
No, standard nonprofit CRM data → Make or n8n cloud are sufficient (SOC 2, GDPR compliant)
5. What's your primary constraint: budget, technical capacity, or time?
Budget-constrained, have tech capacity → n8n self-hosted (free unlimited)
Time-constrained, need fast setup → Make (2-3 hour learning curve, 3,000+ integrations)
Limited technical capacity → Make (managed cloud, no infrastructure maintenance)
Final Verdict Summary
Choose Make if:
- • You're a small nonprofit (under 10,000 operations/month) without technical staff
- • Ease of use and fast setup are more important than cost savings
- • You need 3,000+ pre-built integrations to minimize custom API work
- • Your team values visual workflow mapping and beginner-friendly interfaces
- • You're willing to pay $9-29/month for a fully managed cloud solution
Choose n8n if:
- • You have technical staff/volunteers who can self-host and maintain infrastructure
- • High-volume automation (>50,000 operations/month) makes cost savings critical
- • You need AI-native capabilities (LangChain, vector databases, AI agents)
- • Data sovereignty and on-premises control are required for compliance
- • You want Git version control, code customization, and developer-friendly workflows
Still Deciding?
Book a free consultation and we'll help you evaluate which automation platform best fits your nonprofit's needs, technical capacity, and budget.