n8n vs Make: two flow builders, and the open-source AI Operating System for open-ended work
n8n and Make both ask you to draw the path first: a workflow of nodes, or a scenario of modules. Kortix is open source, and it is the AI Operating System for the work you cannot pre-draw, where an agent plans its own steps and lands a change request a person approves.
How Kortix, n8n, and Make compare
One row for each decision you actually make.
| Criteria | Kortix | n8n | Make |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01Open source | Yes: Yes — Kortix | No: Fair-code — n8n | No: No — Make |
| 02What it is | Open-source AI Operating System — Kortix | Workflow automation tool with AI features — n8n | Cloud AI automation platform — Make |
| 03Unit of work | A session — Kortix | A workflow — n8n | A scenario — Make |
| 04Who sets the path | The agent plans; a person approves — Kortix | You draw the flow on a canvas — n8n | You design the scenario — Make |
| 05How you configure it | Files in one git repo you own — Kortix | A visual canvas, plus JavaScript or Python — n8n | A visual drag-and-drop builder — Make |
| 06Where it runs | Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-prem — Kortix | Self-hosted or n8n Cloud — n8n | Make's cloud, hosted on AWS — Make |
| 07How work lands | A change request a person merges — Kortix | The workflow runs and acts in your apps — n8n | The scenario runs and acts in your apps — Make |
A real kortix.yaml trigger
# kortix.yamltriggers: - slug: daily-digest type: cron cron: '0 0 9 * * 1-5' prompt: Summarize yesterday's support tickets and open a change request with the digest.n8n and Make both draw the path first
n8n and Make put the same object in front of you: a canvas, and a demand to draw the route yourself. n8n calls that route a workflow; its docs describe n8n as a fair-code workflow automation tool, and its repo lets you run it self-hosted or in the cloud. Make calls its route a scenario and bills each module action as a credit, with paid plans that start at $9 per month (Make pricing, checked October 2026). When a job repeats the same way every time, a canvas is a fine place to work.
Where a fixed flow runs out
A drawn flow is fast to run and slow to change. The moment the work is open-ended, someone has to sit down, draw the new route, and wire each step again. n8n answers with an AI agent node you still position on the canvas; Make answers with a visual scenario you still assemble. Neither decides the route for you. The alternative is to state the outcome once and let an agent work out the steps, which is what Kortix does.
What "in one repo you own" buys
Kortix is open source. It is the AI Operating System where your agents, skills, company memory, and connectors live in one git repo you own. Because the configuration is text, it diffs and reviews like code, and you can read Kortix on GitHub before you commit to anything. Each session runs one agent on its own cloud computer and lands its result as a change request a person approves. A real kortix.yaml trigger is one cron line and a prompt.
Choosing between n8n and Kortix comes down to the work in front of you. If you already have flows you want to keep, moving them to Kortix starts from the same repo you would commit to anyway.
n8n vs Make questions
The short answers buyers ask first.
Pick n8n when you want to self-host and keep the source visible; pick Make when you want a managed cloud and a credit-based bill. Both build a flow you draw on a canvas.
They run AI steps you place on the canvas, but you still define and order the steps. For work where the route is unknown up front, an agent that plans its own steps fits better.
Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one git repo you own, with each session on its own cloud computer and every result landing as a change request a person approves.
Run the work you cannot draw first
One git repo for your agents, skills, memory, and connectors. Kortix is open source.
Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem