# n8n vs Make for video automation

Last checked 2026-10-26.

Pick n8n if you want FFmpeg and other command line tools in the same workflow as your AI steps. That needs self hosted n8n, which is free as the Community Edition, because running shell commands isn't offered on n8n Cloud

Pick Make if you'd rather not run a server and your video work goes through cloud apps and APIs, like Drive, YouTube, Slack and a rendering service. It has a free plan with 1,000 credits a month, and paid plans start at $9 a month for 10,000 credits

| | n8n | Make |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | n8n Cloud, or on your own server for free with the Community Edition | Make's cloud |
| How you pay | Per workflow execution, however many steps it has | Per credit. Most module actions use 1 credit, some AI features use more |
| Free option | Community Edition that you host yourself | Free plan with 1,000 credits a month |
| Cheapest paid plan | Starter, 20 a month billed yearly (dollars or euros by region) for 2,500 executions | Core, $9 a month for 10,000 credits |
| Run FFmpeg or shell commands | Yes on self hosted n8n. Not on n8n Cloud | Not listed. Video processing goes through an app or API you connect |
| Longest run on the cheapest cloud plan | 5 minutes on Starter, 40 minutes on Pro | Not stated on the pricing page |
| AI agents and MCP | MCP Server Trigger, MCP Client and instance level MCP on every plan | Hosted Make MCP server. Running scenarios works on every plan, managing them needs a paid plan |
| Apps it connects | Every integration on every plan | 3,500+ apps, including on the Free plan |

## How we checked

We read n8n's pricing page and Make's pricing page, comparison page and MCP docs on 26 Oct 2026. Both sell cheaper yearly plans, and n8n shows dollars or euros depending on where you are. We haven't built the same video workflow in both yet

## What video automation means here

Most video jobs need two things: moving files and messages between apps, and actually processing the video. Both tools are good at the first part. For the second, n8n can run FFmpeg on your own server, while on Make you hand the processing to a service you connect. See the workflows we list on the n8n video workflows page

### Which is cheaper?

For small jobs Make usually is, with a free plan and Core from $9 a month. n8n counts a whole workflow run as one execution, so workflows with many steps can cost less there. Self hosted n8n is free apart from your server

### Can Claude Code run these workflows?

Yes. Make has a hosted MCP server your agent can sign in to, and n8n has an MCP Server Trigger that turns a workflow into a tool your agent can call

### Can I cut video with FFmpeg on n8n Cloud?

No. n8n lists running bash scripts as self hosted only, so FFmpeg workflows need your own n8n server

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