How to Choose an AI Automation Tool (Zapier vs. Make vs. n8n vs. Lindy)

Choose an AI automation tool by asking one question: is this a one-off connection, a scenario with real branching logic, a volume problem, or a job you want an agent to own? Four answers, four different tools.

Job 1: Your first automation → Zapier

You need a lead-capture form to hit a spreadsheet, or a new signup to trigger a Slack ping. No prior automation experience, no time to learn a new logic model. Zapier’s app catalog means the integration you need almost certainly already exists, and the ten-minute setup is real. Free tier covers 100 tasks a month; Professional starts at $19.99/mo annual. Watch the meter: since June 2026, AI steps bill 1–5x tasks by model tier, so an agent-heavy zap costs more than the sticker price implies.

Job 2: Branching logic that Zapier prices you out of → Make

Multi-step scenarios with conditional paths, loops, and data transformation are where Zapier’s per-task pricing turns expensive fast. Make’s visual scenario builder does the same logic for less — Core starts at $12/mo annual for 10,000 credits, versus Zapier charging per task on every branch. The trade is a steeper learning curve; budget an afternoon to get comfortable with the canvas. See Zapier vs. Make for the head-to-head.

Job 3: Volume that breaks per-task pricing, or workflows that need to live inside your own boundary → n8n

Once you’re running enough automations that task-based billing stops making sense — or the workflow needs to sit inside infrastructure you control — n8n changes the unit economics: it bills per workflow execution, not per task inside it, and the Community edition is free to self-host with unlimited executions. It’s also become the default for AI agent workflows with memory and tool calls, where Zapier and Make’s linear models start to strain. The cost is real: n8n asks more setup and, past the free self-hosted tier, prices in euros with no USD toggle. See Zapier vs. n8n and Lindy vs. n8n.

Job 4: A role to staff, not a workflow to wire → Lindy

Zapier, Make, and n8n all automate a process — trigger, steps, done. Lindy automates a job: since its August 2026 relaunch it’s one AI teammate living in Slack that anyone on the team can hand inbox triage, scheduling, CRM updates, or follow-up to, the way they would a hire. Team seats start at $49.99/mo per active user for 5,000 pooled credits, with $50 of free credits to try it first. Pick this when the honest answer to “what am I automating” is “a person’s role,” not “a sequence of steps.”

The trap to avoid

Starting with n8n because it’s the “serious” choice. Its lower per-execution cost only pays off at real volume — below that, you’re spending setup time Zapier or Make would have saved you. Start at the job that matches today’s actual workload, not the one you expect to have in a year.

Quick reference

The job is…	Tool	Entry cost
First automation, simple trigger-to-action	Zapier	Free (100 tasks/mo)
Branching logic, better price per step	Make	$12/mo annual
High volume, or workflows inside your own boundary	n8n	Free (self-hosted)
Staffing a role, not wiring a process	Lindy	$49.99/mo per user

The workflow should choose the tool. Name the job the automation has, and the seat picks itself.