Make vs Zapier vs n8n: People Ops Automation Guide

Introduction

People departments within high-growth global companies face a common but significant challenge: managing repetitive administrative tasks while also keeping employees engaged and maintaining compliance with internal policies and external regulations. From onboarding new hires and processing payroll to tracking leave requests and managing performance reviews, People professionals often spend countless hours on work that is necessary but time-consuming. These tasks, while critical, can draw focus away from value-add work such as employee development, engagement programs, and organisational planning. On top of this, within high-growth global companies, there are higher expectations for user-experience, speed of delivery and demand for an increasing number of tools with complex integration and data quality considerations.

Automation is no longer a luxury or an optional tool for People teams. It has become essential for organizations that want to scale operations efficiently, reduce human error, and ensure a consistent experience for employees. By implementing the right automation tools, People teams can not only save time but also improve accuracy, compliance, and overall employee satisfaction and platform usability

In this article, we provide a detailed comparison of three leading automation platforms (Make, Zapier, and n8n) from the perspective of People professionals within high-growth global companies. We will explore how each tool addresses people-specific workflows, their ease of use, integration capabilities, scalability, and security considerations. By the end of this guide, you will have a clear understanding of which platform aligns best with your specific People processes, team size, and organizational goals, enabling you to make an informed decision for your automation strategy and make your first steps

Understanding Automation in People Teams

Automation in PeopleOps helps teams handle repetitive tasks more smoothly so they can focus on work that actually requires human judgment. In fast-growing companies, People teams often deal with the same challenges: entering data into multiple systems, tracking approvals, scheduling interviews, managing employee files, and making sure the company follows internal policies and legal requirements. These tasks are essential, but they take up a lot of time and leave less room for work that improves employee experience or supports long-term planning.

Automation reduces manual effort, reduces errors and ensures processes run the same way each time. A clear example is the onboarding process. Normally, a team member would set up user accounts, request equipment from IT, send forms for signatures, arrange training sessions, and coordinate with several departments. Each step requires attention, and delays are common.

With automation, the entire sequence can run automatically. When someone is marked as hired, the system can create accounts, notify IT, deliver digital forms, and send welcome messages without anyone having to manage each step. This saves time, ensures consistency, and allows People teams to shift their focus to work that supports employees and contributes to the company’s growth.

Key People Processes That Benefit from Automation:

People Process

Traditional Challenges

How Automation Helps

Onboarding

Manual account creation, equipment allocation, forms distribution

Automated account setup, task notifications, and digital form collection

Recruitment

Tracking applications, scheduling interviews, candidate follow-up

Automatically sort applications, schedule interviews, send reminders

Absence & Time-Tracking

Manual approval tracking, error-prone records

Auto-approve requests, sync data with HRIS, send notifications

Payroll & Benefits

Manual calculations, delayed approvals

Automated payroll triggers, benefits enrollment, compliance checks

By using automation, People teams can remove bottlenecks, improve accuracy, and maintain a high standard of employee experience (EX). The focus shifts from repetitive administrative work to value-add work that drives engagement, satisfaction, and other north star KPIs

Overview of the Tools for PeopleOps Automation

To streamline HR workflows effectively, it's important to understand the capabilities, strengths, and limitations of the top automation tools. Below, we deep dive on Zapier, Make, and n8n, highlighting how each can support People processes, the type of tasks they are best suited for, and considerations specifically for high-growth global companies.

Zapier: Simple and User-Friendly Automation

What it is:
Zapier is a widely used no-code automation platform designed for simplicity and speed. It allows People teams to connect thousands of apps, including popular HR systems like Workday, BambooHR, Gusto, and collaboration tools like Slack, without requiring much technical expertise. Zapier is also the only platform among the three with a built-in Copilot powered by ChatGPT so far, allowing users to describe an automation in natural language and have the workflow generated automatically, reducing setup time even further for non-technical teams.

Key Strengths for HR:

• 🚀 Quick setup: Simple triggers and actions allow People teams to automate routine tasks such as sending welcome emails to new hires, adding candidates to recruitment pipelines, or updating employee records.
  
  
• 🔌 Wide integration library: With over 5,000 apps supported, People teams can automate across multiple platforms without building custom connections.
  
  
• 🧠 Low technical barrier: Non-technical staff can build workflows on their own, which is especially helpful in smaller organisations where IT support is limited and compliance requirements are lighter. Zapier is also popular among hobbyist automators who want fast, personal automations.
  
  
• ⚡ Rapid pace of development: Starting with almost exclusively non-professional use cases, Zapier has rapidly deployed more enterprise grade functionality. Adding big features such as prompt-based workflow building and Zapier tables in quick succession. They are highly flexible and partnering today with organisations to quickly stand up new APIs and capabilities.
• US-base: means generally better connectivity for US tech stacks, ecosystems and compliance
  
  

Good Use Cases in HR:

• Notifications and reminders: These are the strongest fit for Zapier because they’re simple, low-risk, and don’t involve sensitive data. Interview reminders, probation check-ins, or performance review nudges work well since they rely on clear triggers and predictable timing.
  
  
• Stage-change alerts in hiring: Zapier is effective at signalling when a candidate moves stages by sending messages or creating tasks. This improves communication without needing complex data transfers.
  
  
• Follow-up tasks: Onboarding or document collection reminders are easy wins. These tasks are often manual and repetitive, and Zapier handles them reliably.
  
  
• Intelligent Integrations: Zapier is becoming much better at connecting systems meaningfully and embedding smart features such as AI data cleanup.
  
  
• Why some workflows needed to catch up: Make was quick to integrate with the large enterprise tech stack (e.g. Workday HCM) and therefore many companies jumped at the chance to connect their people data to workflows and AI possibilities. Zapier has worked hard over the last 3-6 months and can now offer similar functionality.

Make: Visual and Flexible Automation

What it is:
Make is a visual workflow automation platform that allows People teams to design multi-step processes with conditional logic. Unlike Zapier’s simple triggers and actions, Make enables more complex sequences, making it ideal for PeopleOps departments managing multiple integrated systems.

Key Strengths for HR:

• 🤖 Most Visual workflow builder: While Zapier has a simple step-by-step view, Make offers a very high UX canvas, letting teams see branches, conditions, and multiple system connections in one place. This makes it easier to design and manage more complex workflows.
  
  
• 🔁 Supports multi-step workflows: Useful for People processes that move across several tools, such as multi-step onboarding, recurring reminders, or routing updates through chatbots for quick communication.
  
  
• ⚙️ Deeper customization: Offers better control over workflow logic, allowing HR teams to design processes that fit specific organizational needs.
  
  
• EU Base: means generally better connectivity for European tech stack, ecosystems and compliance needs
  
  

Best Use Cases in HR:

• Connecting communication tools like Slack or Teams with HRIS systems to keep updates flowing smoothly. Not only for notifications but for initiation of many people-related tasks.
  
  
• Tier 1 support. People teams are always inundated with questions. Make presents a great option for a build-your-own type chatbot e.g. for us in Slack or Teams - using your own Open AI API key (or alternative LLM) or theirs.
  
  
• Data Quality - automatic reporting and audits and taking actions on anomalies e.g. correcting hire dates or flagging discrepancies to different stakeholders.
  
  

n8n: Advanced, Open-Source Automation

What it is:
n8n is an open-source automation platform that provides full flexibility and enables self-hosting. It is suitable for organizations with strict security or compliance requirements and for people teams managing sensitive employee data.

Key Strengths for HR:

• 🛠️ Custom integrations: n8n can connect to internal systems, custom APIs, and in-house tools, which is valuable when HR data sits outside standard HR software or needs to feed into company-specific platforms.
  
  
• 📲 Self-hosting option: Data can stay entirely within the company infrastructure, making it easier to meet privacy, regulatory, and localisation requirements. This matters especially in global or fast-growing organisations where employee data is closely governed.
  
  
• 🔧 Highly scalable in large companies with high volume transactions: n8n can handle complex, multi-department workflows and large employee populations. Because it’s open-source, the cost doesn’t rise with usage in the same way as per-task or per-user platforms, which makes it practical for high-volume HR processes.
  
  

Best Use Cases in HR:

• Fully customized onboarding workflows integrating HRIS, payroll, IT, and training systems. N8n works great across different departments.
  
  
• Automating internal HR reports and analytics, especially when pulling data from a company’s own data warehouse or internal business systems.
  
  
• Enterprise-scale workflows that require strong data security, custom integrations, or handling of proprietary systems.
  
  

Comparison Table:

Feature

Zapier

Make

n8n

Ease of Use

Very user-friendly, ideal for People teams who want quick wins without technical setup

Visual builder with more control; slightly steeper learning curve

Advanced; best with technical/IT involvement

Workflow Complexity

Excels at straightforward, fast automations; reliable for high-volume simple tasks

Multi-step workflows with conditional logic

Highly complex, fully customizable

Integration Options

5,000+ apps

1,000+ apps, popular HR systems

Unlimited, including custom APIs and internal systems

Best for People Teams

High-volume notifications, updates, routing tasks, candidate management

Multi-step processes across several systems (onboarding, approvals, reviews)

Deep system integration, internal HRIS, secure data flows

Data Control & Security

Cloud-based, GDPR compliant

Cloud-based, GDPR compliant

Self-hosted option, full control over sensitive data

Pricing

Free tier with limits; paid tiers for advanced workflows

Affordable mid-tier; enterprise plans

Free self-hosted; enterprise support available

Key Features Comparison for People Professionals

Selecting the right automation platform requires a thorough understanding of how each tool performs across essential HR-specific features. People teams should evaluate platforms based on ease of use, customizability, integration options, cost efficiency, and security, as these directly affect workflow efficiency, compliance, and employee experience. Below is a detailed, feature-by-feature breakdown.

1. Ease of Use

Ease of use is a critical factor for People teams that may not have technical expertise but need to implement automation quickly and reliably.

• Zapier: Offers a very intuitive interface, perfect for HR staff who want to set up automation without learning programming or workflow logic. It’s ideal for quick wins, such as sending interview reminders, notifying managers of pending approvals, or updating candidate status in HRIS systems.
  Who typically uses it: A People Ops Manager or HR Generalist, someone operational, non-technical, and focused on process efficiency.
  
  
• Make: Slightly more advanced; its visual builder allows for multi-step workflows with conditional logic. People teams may need initial guidance or support from IT or workflow specialists to ensure complex processes run smoothly.
  Who typically uses it: A People Tech Specialist or a People Ops Specialist who is responsible for workflow setup and has some comfort with logic and automation concepts.
  
  
• n8n: Provides unmatched flexibility but requires technical setup. People teams benefit most when IT or automation experts are involved, especially for enterprise-level workflows that span multiple internal systems.
  Who typically uses it: A People Tech Specialist with technical capabilities, an Integration Specialist, or an Engineer who manages internal systems and secure data flows.
  
  

Feature

Zapier

Make

n8n

Ease of Setup

Very easy, minimal training

Moderate, requires understanding of workflow logic and sometimes working with APIs

Advanced, technical setup required

Best For

Non-technical HR staff

People teams managing multi-step processes

High-growth enterprises with IT support

Example Tasks

Automating candidate updates, interview reminders, and routing new applicants into the ATS

Multi-step screening flows, conditional interview scheduling, and coordinated onboarding tasks across HRIS/IT

Secure candidate scoring, internal system syncs, and end-to-end enterprise onboarding with sensitive data

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2. Customizability

The level of customization determines how well a platform can fit the specific needs of HR departments.

• n8n: Offers full flexibility, allowing People teams to design workflows that interact with internal HRIS, payroll, recruitment platforms, and employee engagement tools. It is ideal for organizations with proprietary systems or unique PeopleOps processes.
  
  
• Make: Supports conditional logic and multi-step workflows, making it suitable for processes such as automated approvals, recurring reminders, or onboarding sequences. Less flexible than n8n but more powerful than Zapier.
  
  
• Zapier: Best for straightforward workflows such as sending notifications or updating candidate statuses, while still being capable of supporting more complex processes as its feature set grows. Teams often choose Zapier when they want speed, reliability, and a rapidly evolving automation platform that can scale with their needs.
  
  

Feature

Zapier

Make

n8n

Customization Level

Limited, simple workflows only

Moderate, supports multi-step and conditional logic

Highly customizable, fully programmable

HR Applications

Notifications, candidate tracking

Payroll approvals, onboarding reminders

Proprietary system integration, advanced reporting

Best For

Small tasks or basic automation

Medium complexity PeopleOps processes

Large, complex PeopleOps workflows requiring tailored solutions

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3. Integration Options

Integration capabilities determine how well a platform connects with existing PeopleOps tools, software, and communication channels.

• Zapier: Offers thousands of pre-built app integrations, covering most common HR platforms. Excellent for connecting email systems, calendars, and recruitment tools quickly.
  
  
• Make: Covers mainstream HR applications and supports multi-step integrations across multiple systems. Ideal for synchronizing recruitment, HRIS, payroll, and communication apps.
  
  
• n8n: Offers full flexibility, allowing People teams to integrate custom APIs, proprietary systems, and internal tools. Perfect for enterprises with unique People systems or specialized automation needs.
  
  

Feature

Zapier

Make

n8n

Integration Reach

Thousands of pre-built apps

Most mainstream HR systems

Unlimited, including custom APIs and internal tools

Multi-System Workflows

Limited for complex processes

Excellent for multi-step People workflows

Fully customizable for proprietary and internal systems

Best Use Case

Connecting HR software with email/calendar

Recruitment pipelines, onboarding workflows

Enterprise automation with internal PeopleOps systems

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4. Cost Efficiency

Budget is a critical factor for PeopleOps departments implementing automation at scale.

• Zapier: Offers a free tier for basic tasks but can become expensive for multi-step or high-volume workflows. Great for small HR teams or limited automation.
  
  
• Make: Provides competitive pricing for mid-level complexity workflows, making it ideal for medium-sized HR teams seeking multi-step automation without high costs.
  
  
• n8n: The open-source version is free for self-hosting, which is cost-effective for large teams. Initial IT setup may require internal resources, but long-term operational costs are typically lower than cloud alternatives.
  
  

Feature

Zapier

Make

n8n

Free Tier

Available, limited tasks

Available for basic workflows

Open-source, free to self-host

Paid Plans

Can get expensive for complex workflows

Affordable mid-tier, scales well

Enterprise plans optional; self-hosting keeps costs low

Cost Considerations

Best for small teams or simple tasks

Medium-sized teams with moderate complexity

Large teams with IT support and complex workflows

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5. Security & Compliance

Handling sensitive employee data securely is non-negotiable for People teams.

• n8n: Self-hosting allows full control over sensitive HR information, making it ideal for compliance with GDPR, internal policies, and industry regulations.
  
  
• Zapier and Make: Both are cloud-based with enterprise-grade security and GDPR compliance. While easier to implement, organizations must weigh convenience against data control, especially for sensitive payroll and employee information.
  
  

Feature

Zapier

Make

n8n

Data Storage

Cloud-based

Cloud-based

Self-hosted option available

Compliance

GDPR compliant

GDPR compliant

Full control over sensitive HR data

Best Use Case

Standard notifications and reminders

Multi-system automation in the cloud

High-growth global enterprises handling confidential HR and payroll data

Real PeopleOps Workflows You Can Automate

Automation can transform PeopleOps operations, saving time, reducing errors, and allowing People teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Below, we break down some of the most common PeopleOps workflows and how Zapier, Make, and n8n can be applied to streamline each process.

1. Recruitment Automation

Recruitment involves collecting applications, scheduling interviews, communicating with candidates, and updating HR systems, all tasks that are repetitive and prone to delays if done manually.

• Zapier: Best for straightforward, high-volume recruiting workflows. Zapier efficiently handles top-of-funnel automations such as pulling resumes from forms or email into the ATS, sending interview confirmations and reminders, and triggering updates when a candidate moves stages. It excels when workflows are linear and communication-heavy, mirroring how many organizations automate early screening and candidate engagement.
  
  
• Make: Handles more complex, conditional recruitment pipelines. This includes routing candidates based on role or skill criteria, automating multi-step screening flows, coordinating interview scheduling based on candidate ranking, and notifying hiring managers across multiple departments. These workflows reflect the growing use of AI for candidate assessment, matching, and shortlisting reported in the IDC study.
  
  
• n8n: Ideal for organizations using custom recruitment software or proprietary ATS systems. n8n allows secure integration with internal data sources, builds advanced scoring and ranking flows, and supports multi-system routing for compliance-heavy or region-specific hiring processes. Its ability to handle sensitive candidate data and custom evaluation logic aligns with how large enterprises are adopting AI-driven assessment and internal-system integration in recruitment.
  
  

Workflow Step

Zapier

Make

n8n

Collect resumes

Pull resumes from email, forms, or job boards into the ATS

Combine multiple sources with filters, role-based routing

Integrate custom ATS or internal candidate systems securely

Schedule interviews

Auto-send calendar invites based on stage change

Conditional scheduling based on role, skills, or hiring manager availability

Integrate with internal scheduling tools or custom calendars

Candidate notifications

Automated confirmations, reminders, and status updates

Multi-step notifications across teams with logic (e.g., reminders after X hours)

Personalized workflows with custom templates and data from internal systems

Update HRIS

Simple, single-system updates (e.g., ATS → HRIS)

Multi-system updates across ATS, HRIS, and communication tools

Full sync with internal HRIS, databases, and compliance systems

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2. Onboarding Automation

Onboarding new employees often involves multiple departments, including HR, IT, facilities, and management. Automation ensures no steps are missed.

• Zapier: Works well for simple onboarding workflows such as sending welcome emails, delivering orientation schedules, or updating PeopleOps systems with basic new-hire information. It’s suited for standardized, communication-focused onboarding tasks that need to go out consistently and on time.
  
  
• Make: Excellent for multi-system onboarding where tasks must move across HRIS, IT, and operations. Make can automatically trigger account creation, assign equipment, enroll new hires in training modules, and send reminders for manager approvals, reflecting the shift toward multi-step automation seen in global organizations.
  
  
• n8n: Ideal for highly customized onboarding in global, high-growth companies. n8n can integrate HRIS, payroll, IT provisioning, and compliance tools securely, ensuring sensitive data stays internal. This aligns with IDC findings showing heavy enterprise focus on internal-system integration and structured workflows as organizations adopt AI at scale.

Workflow Step

Zapier

Make

n8n

User account creation

Trigger simple account creation in a single system (e.g., Google Workspace)

Coordinate multi-system provisioning across HRIS, IT, and tools

Securely integrate with internal IT infrastructure and custom provisioning workflows

Equipment & software assignment

Send email reminders to IT or Facilities

Auto-assign tasks with conditional routing (role, location, team)

Fully integrate with internal asset or inventory systems for end-to-end tracking

Document distribution

Share welcome packets or basic forms

Multi-step distribution with reminders and tracking

Compliance-grade workflows with digital signatures, audit trails, and policy checks

Welcome communication

Standardized welcome emails and orientation information

Personalized messaging sequences across teams and channels

Tailored, role-specific messaging that pulls data from internal systems

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3. Payroll & Benefits Automation

Payroll and benefits processes are sensitive and prone to errors if handled manually. Automation improves accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.

• Zapier: Can manage simple reminders for approvals or benefits updates. Zapier works well for communication-driven tasks and lightweight notifications that keep payroll timelines on track without handling sensitive data directly.
  
  
• Make: Handles cross-system approval flows, such as routing payroll approvals to managers and syncing with HRIS and accounting software. This reflects how organizations use automation to reduce bottlenecks in payroll cycles and maintain consistency across multiple platforms
  
  
• n8n: Allows full control over sensitive payroll data, integrating internal HRIS, payroll software, and benefits platforms while ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Enterprises favor this approach when handling confidential salary information, multi-country compliance, and internal data governance.
  
  

Workflow Step

Zapier

Make

n8n

Payroll approval

Automated reminders

Multi-step approval routing

Fully integrated approval workflow with secure data handling

Benefits sync

Notify HR staff

Update multiple systems

Synchronize internal and external benefits systems automatically

Compliance tracking

Simple notifications

Ensure multi-system updates

Full audit trails and regulatory compliance checks

Employee notifications

Standard reminders

Personalized notifications

Multi-channel, customized messaging

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4. Employee Engagement Automation

Keeping employees engaged is a strategic priority. Automation can help People teams run surveys, collect feedback, and recognize achievements efficiently.

• Zapier: Suitable for small-scale engagement workflows, such as sending survey links or automated thank-you messages.
  
  
• Make: Supports recurring campaigns and conditional survey distribution based on department, role, or location.
  
  
• n8n: Ideal for large-scale engagement initiatives, integrating multiple feedback channels, analytics dashboards, and recognition workflows across internal systems.
  
  

Workflow Step

Zapier

Make

n8n

Surveys & feedback collection

Automated email distribution

Conditional surveys based on role/department

Full integration with internal platforms and analytics

Recognition notifications

Standard thank-you emails

Multi-step recognition workflows

Automated recognition across multiple internal channels

Engagement tracking

Simple tracking reports

Multi-system tracking with conditional logic

Full dashboards with data insights and custom reporting

Recurring campaigns

Basic automation

Scheduled multi-step campaigns

Enterprise-level recurring engagement automation

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

Choosing the right automation platform for HR depends on your team’s goals, technical comfort, and process complexity.

• Zapier is ideal for People teams that want quick, no-code automation to streamline simple, repetitive tasks like sending reminders, syncing spreadsheets, or tracking candidate updates.
  
  
• Make (formerly Integromat) is best suited for multi-step workflows that involve conditional logic, perfect for automating onboarding, performance reviews, or approval cycles across multiple systems.
  
  
• n8n is designed for enterprises needing advanced customization and control, especially when data security, compliance, or proprietary integrations are priorities.
  
  

The key to success lies in understanding your internal workflows first, mapping out repetitive tasks, identifying inefficiencies, and then choosing the platform that aligns with your team’s complexity and scalability needs. Automation is no longer a distant goal; it’s a strategic necessity that empowers People teams to focus on people, not paperwork.

We help PeopleOps teams design and implement tailored automation solutions using Zapier, Make, and n8n, so your team can save hours weekly, reduce manual errors, and create more meaningful employee experiences.

If your People team is ready to streamline operations and boost efficiency through automation, let’s talk!

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