Why I Chose n8n Over Make — Control, Ethics, and Local Power

🎯 Introduction: A Choice Beyond Technical Considerations

Initially, my goal wasn't to "do things differently," but to break free from SaaS platform constraints like Make, Zapier, or Pabbly.
These tools are effective, but they lock you into a proprietary cloud ecosystem with:

• execution limitations,

• recurring costs,

• and most importantly, complete dependency on their servers.

Automating without understanding means entrusting your strategy to an invisible provider.

This realization led me to n8n, an open-source tool designed to be free, extensible, and self-hosted.

📊 Global Comparison: Make vs n8n

🔒 1. Control and Data Sovereignty

With Make, every automation depends on an external server.
This means:

• no guarantee of complete confidentiality,

• inability to verify what actually transits,

• and often, integration lock-in.

With n8n, everything runs on my own server:

• my workflows,

• my logs,

• my API tokens,

• my local LLMs.

This technical sovereignty aligns with my "Human-in-the-Loop" vision: maintaining control over the system's core without surrendering it to third parties.

Customer data should remain an internal asset, not a rented service.

🛠️ 2. Flexibility That Make Doesn't Offer

One of n8n's strengths is its developer-oriented logic:
every node can be modified, enhanced, or even created from scratch.

Concrete Example:

In my semi-automated prospecting system, I was able to:

• write custom functions to process text data,

• inject advanced API requests,

• and connect a local AI model directly into the workflow.

All of this would be impossible or heavily restricted in Make.

🤖 3. Native Compatibility with Local LLMs

This is where n8n becomes truly strategic.

Thanks to its customizable HTTP requests, I can:

• send requests to Ollama,

• execute generation on LM Studio,

• or even pilot a small internal RAG hosted on the same server.

Result:
no sensitive data leaves my environment,
and each LLM is chosen for its specialization:

• Mistral → synthesis and sorting,

• Phi → rephrasing,

• Gemma → categorization.

Where Make sends your data to OpenAI,
n8n processes it in your own living room.

🧭 4. Philosophy: From Automation to Mastery

What I understood with n8n is that automation becomes a design art.
We don't just connect modules, we create mechanics that think, filter, verify.

Make simplifies, n8n empowers.
It's more demanding, but infinitely more educational.

Automating isn't delegating to the machine.
It's teaching it to work in your image.

This approach pushed me to understand the difference between RUN and BUILD:

• BUILD (system design) creates value,

• RUN (continuous execution) brings that value to life.

n8n allows me to pilot both dimensions: strategy and performance.

⚠️ 5. Limitations (And Why They Didn't Stop Me)

Let's be honest: n8n isn't perfect.

Challenges:

• You need to know how to host (server, Docker, reverse proxy, etc.),

• workflows can become complex quickly,

• the learning curve is steeper.

But these constraints become strengths:

• you learn to understand what you're building,

• you no longer depend on an opaque tool,

• and you gain rare technical autonomy.

❓ FAQ

→ Is Make still simpler for beginners?
Yes, undoubtedly. But n8n offers deeper learning and genuine process understanding.

→ Can n8n connect to cloud tools like Airtable or Notion?
Absolutely. You keep the choice: all local, all cloud, or a hybrid mix.

→ How do you host n8n?
On an old PC transformed into a local server (Docker + Reverse Proxy).
This setup is documented in the dedicated article: Transforming an Old PC into a Self-Hosted Server (AI / Internal Tools).

→ Do you need to know how to code?
A bit. Not for everything, but to go far, yes.
One line of JavaScript in n8n can change everything.

→ Does n8n have hidden costs?
No. The tool is open source. Only your hosting matters.

✅ Conclusion

Choosing n8n over Make means choosing mastery over convenience.
It's understanding that automation only has value if it remains in your hands.

n8n is a workshop.
Make is a black box.
And I chose to open the box.

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