1 Best Open-Source Alternatives to Make in 2026
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Compared: open-source alternatives to Make
| Alternative | Best for | Standout | Biggest weakness | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makereference | operations, marketing, and IT teams that need visual, branching automation workflows across 3,000+ apps, beyond what simpler linear automation tools support | A canvas-style visual scenario builder with routers, filters, and branching logic that handles more complex multi-path automations than simpler linear automation tools, plus a natural-language builder (Maia) for describing automations in plain text. | Pricing is metered by operation credits rather than a flat seat price, so complex, high-volume scenarios can consume the monthly allowance quickly; the listed per-tier prices are also annual-billing rates, with monthly billing costing more, and building non-trivial branching scenarios has a real learning curve. | Moderate | Free tier · paid from $12/mo |
| n8n | technical teams that want to mix visual workflow building with custom code, either self-hosted for full control or on cloud paying per execution instead of per step | Billing by full workflow execution rather than by individual step or task, so complex multi-node automations don't multiply cost the way per-task pricing does on competitors. | Cloud pricing is listed in euros, not dollars, and jumps sharply from Pro (€50/month) to Business (€667/month), leaving a wide gap for teams that outgrow Pro's execution limits but don't need Business's SSO and compliance features. | Moderate | Free |
Make
n8n1.n8n — best Make alternative for technical teams that want to mix visual workflow building with custom code, either self-hosted for full control or on cloud paying per execution instead of per step
n8n is the best Make alternative for technical teams who want to self-host their automation engine for free or extend any workflow node with custom JavaScript or Python, capabilities beyond Make's fully hosted, no-code-only scenario builder. n8n's Community edition is free and fully featured via Docker under the Sustainable Use License, a genuinely free self-hosting option Make doesn't offer at any tier. n8n holds a 4.6/5 rating from 48 Capterra reviews, a smaller sample than Make's own 4.8/5 from 408 reviews. Cloud pricing starts at €20/month for the Starter tier (2,500 workflow executions/month), and n8n bills by full workflow execution rather than by individual step, which can be cheaper than Make's per-operation pricing for complex multi-step automations. Make remains the better choice for non-technical users who want a larger, more mature app-integration library and simpler onboarding: n8n connects to 500+ apps versus Make's 3,000+, its cloud pricing is listed in euros rather than dollars, and there's a large jump from Pro (€50/month) to Business (€667/month) with nothing in between, a steeper gap than Make's own Core-to-Teams pricing ladder.
Compared to Make: free, fully-featured self-hosted Community edition under the Sustainable Use License, 4.6/5 from 48 Capterra reviews vs Make's 4.8/5 from 408, bills per workflow execution rather than per operation
Wins:Free, fully-featured self-hosted Community edition via Docker, a genuinely free self-hosting option Make doesn't offer at any tier · Every node can be extended or replaced with custom JavaScript or Python code, beyond Make's no-code-only scenario builder · Bills cloud usage by full workflow execution rather than per operation, which can be cheaper than Make's per-operation pricing for complex multi-step automations
Loses:4.6/5 rating from 48 Capterra reviews, a much smaller sample than Make's own 4.8/5 rating from 408 reviews · Connects to 500+ apps, a narrower pre-built integration library than Make's 3,000+ · Cloud pricing is listed in euros and jumps sharply from Pro (€50/month) to Business (€667/month) with nothing in between, a steeper gap than Make's own pricing ladder
Pros
- Bills per full workflow execution, not per step, which can be cheaper than per-task pricing for complex automations.
- Free, fully-featured self-hosted Community edition via Docker with the complete automation engine.
- Every node can be extended or replaced with custom JavaScript or Python code.
- 500+ pre-built app integrations plus native support for building multi-agent AI workflows with human-in-the-loop steps.
Cons
- Large price jump between Pro (€50/month) and Business (€667/month) cloud tiers, with nothing in between.
- Sustainable Use License is not OSI-approved open source; enterprise features require a separate commercial license even for self-hosted use.
- Self-hosting requires managing your own Docker infrastructure, updates, and scaling, unlike a fully managed cloud automation tool.
- Visual canvas can get cluttered on large workflows with many branches and custom code nodes.
Pricing: Free — €20/month Starter (2,500 executions) vs Make's $12/month Core (10,000 operations); n8n's self-hosted Community edition is $0, an option Make doesn't offer (verified undefined NaN, NaN)