Migration Guide: How to Move from Make.com to n8n (Without Breaking Everything)

2 min read

While Make.com is a powerful no-code automation platform, many teams eventually look for more control, transparency, and long-term flexibility — especially when workflows become business-critical.

That’s where n8n comes in.

In this guide, we walk you through why and when to migrate from Make to n8n, how to plan it properly, and how to execute the migration without losing data, logic, or sleep.

Why Migrate from Make to n8n?

Make is great for speed and prototyping, but it has some limitations:

Log retention limited to 72 hours
Opaque execution logic when errors occur
Cloud-only hosting — no access to runtime or environment
Complex pricing at scale
Limited programmatic control over scenario creation, updates, or duplication

n8n solves these by offering:

✅ Self-hosted or cloud deployments
✅ Unlimited log history and full execution transparency
✅ Fully extensible with JavaScript functions
✅ Source-controlled workflows via JSON or Git
✅ Programmatic flow deployment via CLI or API

Step-by-Step Migration Plan

Step 1: Map Your Make Scenarios

Start by listing all your active scenarios in Make:

Triggers (webhook, polling, scheduler, etc.)
Data sources (e.g. Airtable, Shopify, Webhooks)
Modules, logic, filters, routers
Output services (e.g. Slack, email, HTTP requests)
Scheduling / rate limits

Use screenshots or JSON exports (via Make’s API) to document key flows.

Step 2: Prioritize by Complexity & Business Impact

Group your scenarios into categories:

🔁 Simple: linear flows, 2–3 modules
⚙️ Medium: with filters, routers, API calls
🧠 Complex: loops, iterations, webhooks, custom logic

Start migrating Simple → Medium → Complex.

Step 3: Rebuild in n8n (Manually or Programmatically)

Recreate each flow using n8n’s visual editor or JSON workflow files.

Key considerations:

Use Webhooks or Cron nodes as triggers
Replace Make’s HTTP modules with HTTP Request in n8n
Replicate filters using IF nodes
Use Function nodes for data transformation
Store state or logs in external systems (e.g. Airtable, PostgreSQL)

Pro tip: Use the Execute Workflow node to break complex logic into reusable modules.

Step 4: Test in Parallel

Before disabling the Make scenario:

Test the n8n workflow with live data
Compare inputs, outputs, and timestamps
Use webhook test tools (like RequestBin) to validate endpoint behavior
Log results to a temporary database or Slack channel

Step 5: Redirect Triggers

Once your n8n workflows pass QA:

Point your external systems (e.g. forms, apps, APIs) to n8n’s webhook URLs
Disable the corresponding Make scenarios
Monitor n8n executions for at least 7 days with full logging enabled

Step 6: Monitor & Optimize

Enable persistent log storage in your n8n instance
Optionally connect Prometheus/Grafana for real-time observability
Add Slack/Telegram alerts for error states
Clean up obsolete Make modules and docs

Key Differences to Consider

Feature	Make	n8n
Error Handling	Visual Break Paths	Try/Catch + Status Checks
Looping & Iterations	Built-in Iterator Module	SplitInBatches + Loops
Scheduling	Built-in Scheduler	Cron Node or External Trigger
Logging	72h default retention	Full access via DB or logs
Hosting	Cloud only	Self-hosted, Docker, or Cloud