Crescentek

Integration Platform Support

Zapier, Make, n8n — or actual code?

Honest integration platform advice for Irish SMBs. We build on Zapier when it fits, Make when it's better value, n8n when self-hosting earns back, and custom code when SaaS stops making sense. No affiliate bias, no trendy pick.

Based in Ireland
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automate.crescentek.ie · New payment scenario
Scenario
Payment → invoice + notify
Live
Trigger
New Stripe payment
Step
Look up customer
Step
Create Xero invoice
Step
Send welcome email
Step
Notify Slack #sales
Last run: 2s ago
47 runs today
All successful
The honest trade-offs

Integration platforms are genuinely great — until they aren't.

Zapier/Make/n8n solve real problems. They also hide real costs. Knowing where the trade-offs live is most of the battle.

You want it working this week

Zapier or Make can have a working automation in a morning. Custom dev would take weeks. When speed matters and the flow is simple, SaaS integration platforms win.

Non-technical team needs to edit it

Business users can modify a Make scenario themselves. Not a Python script. When ownership matters more than elegance, visual platforms are the right call.

But... they can silently break

A Zap that stops firing, a Make scenario hitting an API limit — no alerts, no logs, no dev skills to debug. We've seen businesses lose a week of orders because nobody checked.

They scale-price brutally

€20/mo becomes €200/mo when volume grows. €200 becomes €2,000 at enterprise usage. Sometimes custom dev is cheaper at 18 months — we run the numbers, not the vibes.

Our decision logic

When we reach for each platform.

Not generic pros and cons — the specific conditions we apply to pick between Zapier, Make, n8n, and custom builds.

Zapier

We reach for Zapier when...

Simple 1-to-1 triggers (form → CRM)
Obscure apps only Zapier supports
Non-technical client maintaining it
Very low volume (<1,000 tasks/mo)
Quick MVP / proof-of-concept builds
Make

We reach for Make when...

Multi-step scenarios with branching
Visual logic a business user can read
Moderate volume needing better pricing
Data transformations between steps
Most typical SMB automation needs
n8n / Custom

We reach for n8n or custom when...

High volume (10k+ operations/mo)
Mission-critical, zero-tolerance flows
GDPR-sensitive data handling
Complex business logic beyond UI builders
Long-term cost matters more than speed
Platforms at a glance

Four options, four different sweet spots.

Pricing and positioning as of 2026. We'll keep this honest as platforms evolve — no affiliate commissions influencing the table.

M

Make

Visual, powerful, mid-priced
Pricing
Free–€29/mo typical
Ideal for
Visual thinkers, most SMB automations
Z

Zapier

The most apps, easiest start
Pricing
Free–€99+/mo
Ideal for
Non-technical teams, simple flows
n

n8n

Self-host, unlimited
Pricing
Self-hosted free · cloud €20+
Ideal for
Dev-friendly, heavy users, GDPR-sensitive
C

Custom (Node/Python)

Full control, no SaaS fees
Pricing
Dev cost + hosting
Ideal for
Mission-critical flows, complex logic
Is it a fit?

The right automation platform is the cheapest one that works.

Zapier isn't always the answer. Neither is Make. Neither is custom. The right call depends on volume, team, budget, and how mission-critical the flow is.

Right fit
We should talk if…
You're picking an integration/automation platform for the first time
You've outgrown Zapier's pricing or limits
You want to know when DIY stops and custom starts
You need someone to actually build and maintain the flows
You want honest advice free of affiliate commissions
Not a fit
We'll point you elsewhere if…
You want only 1-2 simple integrations — DIY with Zapier is fine
You've committed to a platform and just need build help
You want us to rubber-stamp a vendor pitch
You need enterprise iPaaS (MuleSoft, Boomi) — we don't go there
When we're useful

Common integration platform scenarios.

Where independent advice saves Irish businesses from expensive automation decisions.

Choosing between Zapier/Make/n8n
SaaS integration vs custom builds
High-volume automation pricing audits
Migrating from one automation tool to another
Setting up GDPR-safe integrations
Complex multi-step workflow builds
Self-hosted automation deployments
Rescuing broken Zap chains
Common questions

Integration platform questions, honestly answered.

The questions Irish SMBs ask us most often.

For most Irish SMBs, Make is usually better value — cleaner visual logic, far cheaper at scale, more sophisticated transformations. Zapier wins when you need a specific app integration only Zapier supports, or when the person maintaining it won't touch anything more technical than click-and-point. Both are legitimate; Make just tends to be underrated.
When your monthly automation bill passes ~€100, or when you have GDPR-sensitive data you'd rather not route through a third party. n8n gives you Make-like visual workflows but you host it yourself (a €20/mo server handles a lot). Trade-off: you maintain the infrastructure. Good deal for dev-savvy teams, bad for non-technical ones.
Right answer sometimes — not always. Custom Node.js or Python integrations make sense for mission-critical flows, complex business logic, or high-volume (10k+ ops/month). For simpler automations, SaaS tools cost less than our dev time. We'll run the numbers honestly, not push dev work when Zapier would do.
That's the gap SaaS tools leave you exposed on. Basic plans have no alerting. We configure monitoring (usually via a webhook ping + a separate alert service) so failures don't go unnoticed. For critical flows, we recommend server-side logging regardless of platform.
The AI step nodes (call OpenAI, classify text, summarise) are legitimately useful — we use them. The 'build-the-whole-automation-with-AI' features are still flaky in 2026. Useful as a starting sketch, not as the final build. We'd rather architect flows by hand then use AI inside steps.
Yes — common project. Map each Zap to equivalent Make scenario or n8n workflow, test in parallel, then cut over. Typical savings for a mid-sized automation stack: 50-75% monthly cost reduction moving Zapier → Make, 80%+ moving Zapier → self-hosted n8n. Migration itself usually pays for itself within 6-12 months.
Works well with

Services that pair with this one.

Picking an automation platform?

Free 30-minute platform consultation. Tell us what you're automating and your volume — we'll tell you honestly which platform fits, and when custom beats any of them.

Reply within 1 working day GDPR compliant Based in Ireland