Short answer
| Need | Lean toward |
|---|---|
| Self-host, code nodes, full control | n8n |
| Fast visual scenarios, SaaS ops | Make.com |
| Max app catalog, simple Zaps | Zapier |
AI-specific differences
- n8n shines with LangChain-style nodes, custom JS, and self-hosted secrets.
- Make is excellent for marketing/ops packs and HTTP modules around ChatGPT/Claude APIs.
- Zapier is fastest for “when X then AI summary to Slack” style flows.
How we catalog recipes
On WorkflowAI, every workflow has a primary tool and quality tier:
- Verified — editorial prompts and setup notes
- Community — schema-validated imports; review before production
Start with verified workflows or filter by n8n / Make.