When businesses talk about workflow automation, Make.com and Zapier often dominate the conversation. But another platform is rapidly gaining traction: n8n. This open-source automation tool allows companies to connect APIs, databases, and services with unmatched flexibility. Unlike many SaaS competitors, n8n offers both cloud and self-hosting options, making it a powerful choice for teams that value control, compliance, and scalability.
In this article, we’ll explain what n8n is, when to choose self-hosting vs. cloud, show real case studies, and even share a simple workflow example you can try today.
Laravel to n8n
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What Is n8n?
n8n (short for “nodemation”) is an open-source workflow automation platform. Like Zapier or Make.com, it allows you to build automations visually using a node-based editor. Each “node” represents a service, database, or function, and you can connect these into powerful workflows that run automatically.
Key advantages:
- Open source: Full transparency and control over the codebase
- Self-hosting: Keep your data private and compliant with GDPR
- Flexibility: Integrate with hundreds of apps or custom APIs
- Cost efficiency: A free self-hosted version and fair pricing for the cloud edition
- Scalability: Suitable for startups, enterprises, and technical teams that need customization
When to Use Cloud vs. Self-Hosting
Choosing between the cloud version and a self-hosted setup depends on your goals.
Cloud (n8n.io)
- Best for: Small to medium businesses that want a fast start without DevOps overhead
- Pros: Fully managed infrastructure, automatic updates, easy team setup
- Cons: Ongoing subscription costs, less control over sensitive data
Self-Hosting
- Best for: Enterprises, compliance-heavy industries, and technical teams
- Pros: Full data control, runs inside private networks, avoids vendor lock-in
- Cons: Requires server management, you handle upgrades and security
Case Studies: How Companies Use n8n
1. E-commerce Order Processing
An online store automated order confirmations, inventory updates, and shipping label creation. With n8n, the team connected Shopify, Airtable, and SendGrid, cutting manual work by 70%.
2. SaaS Customer Onboarding
A SaaS provider built a customer onboarding flow that integrated Stripe, Slack, and HubSpot. Whenever a new customer signed up, n8n automatically:
- Created a CRM entry
- Sent a personalized Slack notification
- Triggered a welcome email sequence
3. IT Department Compliance Logs
An IT team used self-hosted n8n to sync audit logs from multiple systems into PostgreSQL and BigQuery. This setup improved compliance reporting and reduced manual reporting costs.
Simple Workflow Example: Airtable to Slack
Here’s a straightforward workflow to try out:
- Trigger: New record added in Airtable
- Action 1: Retrieve the record data (name, email, notes)
- Action 2: Send the information into a Slack channel
In n8n, this would involve:
- Airtable Trigger Node
- Slack Send Message Node
This small automation keeps your team instantly updated whenever new leads are captured, without checking Airtable manually.
Airtable
Flexible database plus automations, interfaces, and a robust API. Ideal for teams that need a central source of truth with fast iteration and clean handoffs to operations.
- ✓ Relational tables, views, and permissions
- ✓ Built-in automations and interfaces
- ✓ Scales with API and integrations
Why n8n Stands Out
n8n’s value lies in its balance of flexibility, transparency, and control. If you need a no-code solution for quick integrations, n8n cloud is perfect. If you want to fully own your automation infrastructure, self-hosting gives you the freedom no SaaS can match.
For businesses that already rely on Make.com or Zapier but want more customization and compliance, n8n is worth serious consideration.
Make.com
Build and scale powerful automations fast. Scalevise designs reliable Make.com scenarios,
handles complex logic and error handling, and keeps costs predictable as you grow.
- ✓ Expert scenario design & orchestration
- ✓ Robust error handling, retries & logging
- ✓ Clean handover with documentation
Airtable
Flexible database plus automations, interfaces, and a robust API. Ideal for teams that need a central source of truth with fast iteration and clean handoffs from development to operations.
- ✓ Relational tables, views, and permissions
- ✓ Built-in automations and interfaces
- ✓ Scales with API and integrations
Bright Data
Reliable web data pipelines with compliance-first controls. Scalevise sets up Bright Data for teams that need
structured insights at scale, handling proxies, anti-bot strategies, and smooth delivery into apps and warehouses.
- ✓ Proxies, SERP API & datasets
- ✓ Built-in rotation & anti-blocking
- ✓ Direct delivery into S3/BigQuery/PostgreSQL
Conclusion
Automation is no longer optional. With tools like n8n, companies can scale faster, reduce costs, and improve data integrity. The choice between cloud and self-hosting depends on your team size, technical expertise, and compliance requirements.
Start small with a workflow like Airtable → Slack, and you’ll quickly see how automation can save hours every week. From there, scale up to complex enterprise processes, all within a platform you control.
👉 Looking to implement n8n in your organization? Scalevise specializes in automation strategy, setup, and integration. Contact us today to explore how we can help streamline your workflows.