Automation tools are need of every business these days. They help businesses in reducing repetitive tasks and getting work done faster. In this way, businesses are able to increase productivity and that will result in speedy growth. n8n workflow automation is on top of the list but there are many more alternatives that you can try. Follow me till the end of the blog to get full information on common alternatives to n8n workflow automation. We will explore how each alternative is different from n8n and what are its advantages and disadvantages. This blog is recommended to read for all users and learners who are working on or learning under a n8n automation course currently.
Who Can Learn Workflow Automation?
Workflow automation has become a need of every professional working in the departments like IT, sales, marketing, accounting, HR, etc. Thus, anyone can learn it.
Still, we have a list to add here:
- Business Users / Non-Developers: They can easily learn automation on low-code or no-code platforms like n8n, Zapier and Power Automate. In this way they can automate their daily repetitive tasks such as filtering emails, notifications or entering data.
- Technical Professionals: They can use customization of tools like n8n and Make for their work. Just there is a need for a basic understanding of data structures, APIs and logics.
- Data Engineers and Software Developers: They can utilize their coding experience and integrate with the functionality of automation tools to train AI agents and build automation.
Please note: It is not important to havecoding knowledge, rather you must have the ability to think logically. You should be good in planning the work process and identify the tasks that we can give to machines.
Why Choose n8n or Its Alternatives?
n8n is among the top choices of professionals and companies for robust and scalable automation as it is a fully customizable and open-source platform. It is integrated with numerous AI agents, tools and APIs and comes with a node-based drag and drop interface.
n8n offers privacy on one side and technical flexibility on the other. You can code with JavaScript, Python or its libraries like npm whenever you need or use visual UI options instead.
We find brands like Vodafone in the case studies of n8n that stats how they used this tool to revolutionize threat intelligence and save £2.2 million.
Why Look Beyond n8n?
It is indeed a good question to ask ourselves that why we need alternatives of n8n when it is so good.
Well, no doubt, n8n is powerful but still, we have several reasons to look to its alternatives:
1.A Little Complexity: n8n is an open platform and self-hosted but that brings a requirement of some technical knowledge too. It you will be responsible for setup, maintenance, all updates and scalability of your self-hosted environment.
So, if you aren’t coming from technical background then only experts’ guidance can help you in understanding the technicality easily like Ravi Sir explained me in the classes.
2. App’s Integrations Size: No doubt the community of n8n is growing but still we have smaller no of pre-built nodes and connectors (integrations) as compared to other platforms like Zapier or Make.
Let’s now take a closure look to the main alternatives of n8n.
Best Alternatives to n8n Workflow Automation
I’m going to talk about the top 4 automation platforms as alternatives to n8n. These are Zapier, Make, Microsoft Power Automate and Apache Airflow.
1. Zapier
Zapier is a go-to automation platform among small and medium-sized businesses. There is a super flexible drag-and-drop interface for the users with over 5,000 app integrations in Zapier. In it, we can customize Zaps (automated workflows) that holds triggers to occur an event.
- Disadvantages: It does not meet deep customization capabilities. Additionally, Zapier becomes a little costly as we scale the automation process.
- Advantages: It is easy to use and covers bulk app support. I recommend using it for marketing, customer relationship management and high productivity.
2. Make (Formerly Integromat)
Make is good for bulk automation and complex conditional workflows. It has capability to transform data very fast with low or no code for users. Its visual interface supports the flexible mapping of data between different applications. This is not possible with simpler tools.
- Advantages: Make supports detailed customization with its cost-effective pricing plans.
- Disadvantages: Make has a wider learning curve and some of its connectors provide limited features.
3. Microsoft Power Automate
Next in the list is Microsoft Power Automate which is powered by Microsoft itself. Microsoft Power Automate is mostly recommended for corporations as it boosts the integration with Office 365 and Azure services. It is must to use platform for businesses that are using Microsoft systems.
- Advantages: It offers a continuous connectivity in the Microsoft ecosystem with good security and RPA (Robotic process automation) sources.
- Disadvantages: Microsoft Power Automate has licensing complications and high pricing plans that smaller companies can’t afford.
4. Apache Airflow
Apache Airflow is an open-source Python based automation platform. It works very well on complex automations and batch workflows orchestration. Apache Airflow offers best flexibility and compatibility features to the users.
- Advantages: Apache Airflow offers easy to maintain customization, data pipeline management, and scheduled workflows.
- Disadvantages: Since, it is good in customization thus it requires technical expertise too. So, Apache Airflow is less-suited for non-technical business users.
For further details of contrast and features, I recommend everyone to refer to the following sources:
- Zapier vs n8n Comparison
- What is Make?
- Getting Started with Power Automate
- Apache Airflow for Beginners
Conclusion of Common Alternatives to n8n for Workflow Automation
So, in conclusion, n8n gives a better synchronous between open platforms, custom automation and workflows that are simple to operate for business needs.
Still, the suitable workflow tool will be unique for company to company. Selection of the tool depends on your needs mainly. You should select the tool that answer your business needs and user specific requirements.
We saw Zapier is different in simplicity and choice of plugin applications. Other alternatives were Make, Microsoft Power Automate and Apache Airflow which are good for data transformation, connectivity with large applications and excellent support for automation pipelines respectively.
I prefer you must explore all these alternatives at your own to understand how they can help you and your company.
Author Introduction
Hello readers, this is Kiran and I’m currently working on n8n workflow automation for my company. I’ve successfully completed my n8n training from ADMEC Multimedia Institute a few days ago. ADMEC has professional courses in machine learning and data science too. You can explore them and start learning the latest in-demand technologies.
