Almost every SME we help comes with the same question: "which tool should I use to automate this?" The answer depends less on the tool and more on the problem.
Zapier
- When to use: non-technical teams, simple automations (1-3 steps), standard integrations (Gmail, Slack, Sheets).
- Real price: €30–70/month for serious use.
- Limit: gets expensive quickly as volume grows.
Make (formerly Integromat)
- When to use: visual flows with conditional logic, data manipulation.
- Price: best price-to-value ratio for medium volumes.
- Limit: steeper learning curve than Zapier.
n8n
- When to use: when you want full control, self-hosted, AI integrations, business-critical flows.
- Price: free self-hosted or ~€20/month cloud.
- Limit: you need someone technical (or us) to set it up.
Our default choice
n8n self-hosted. Why? Because your data stays with you, it scales without extra cost, and it integrates with any AI model via API. For 90% of SMEs that orchestrate operations, it's the clear winner in 2026.
Written by
Henrique Baeta
Commercial & Doer
Writes about applied AI, operations, GEO/SEO and how to turn companies into machines that keep running even when no one is watching.