Choosing the platform is the decision that costs money later; choosing the agency is the decision that costs money now. This page does both — how the three platforms genuinely differ for a Dutch SME, which Dutch agencies implement them, and how to check an "official partner" claim in about thirty seconds.
By Tom Joseph · Last updated: 5 August 2026
Pick the platform by constraint, not preference. Zapier is fastest for straightforward SaaS-to-SaaS connections. Make has the strongest visual builder for complex data transformation at moderate cost. n8n is open-source and self-hostable with native AI-agent nodes — the right answer when data must stay on infrastructure you control, which for Dutch SMEs handling personal data is often the deciding factor. Power Automate wins when you are already deep in Microsoft 365.
Every firm below was found through public search on the query this page answers, then checked against four criteria. We list what we could verify, and we say so when we could not.
This is the single most useful thing on this page. n8n maintains a real, vetted directory at experts.n8n.io, and its Expert Partnerships tier is a closed programme with a waitlist, aimed at integrators with proven implementation experience. So the claim is checkable: search the directory for the agency's name.
Plenty of good agencies implement n8n without being listed — absence is not an indictment, and we are not listed either. But asserting official partner status while not appearing in the vendor's own directory is a different matter, and it takes half a minute to check. Apply the same test to Make's and Microsoft's partner directories.
The honest version, without vendor framing. All three will do most simple jobs; the differences show up at the edges, which is where projects fail.
| n8n | Make | Zapier / Power Automate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-hosted or cloud — data can stay on your own infrastructure | Cloud only | Cloud only (Power Automate within your Microsoft tenant) |
| Best at | AI agents, custom code steps, strict data control | Complex visual data transformation at moderate cost | Zapier: fastest simple SaaS links. Power Automate: deep Microsoft 365 work |
| Cost shape | Cheapest at high volume if self-hosted; you carry the ops | Predictable middle ground | Rises quickly with task volume |
| Weak at | Needs someone who can run infrastructure | Less flexible than code when logic gets unusual | Least control over where data goes |
| Choose it when | GDPR/data residency is a hard constraint, or you want agents | The workflow is complex but the data is not sensitive | You want it working this week, or you live in Microsoft |
Alphabetical, not ranked. Where an agency publicly emphasises a platform, that is noted — but confirm current specialisation with them directly, because this market moves quickly.
| Agency | Platform emphasis | Note |
|---|---|---|
| AI Agents Laten Maken | n8n, Make, Zapier | Publishes platform comparisons; agent-build positioning |
| aiagency.nl | n8n, Make, Zapier | Comparison-led content, general automation offer |
| Crux Digits | n8n and custom integration | We build where the workflow meets the ERP; if a no-code tool solves it, we will tell you so |
| EasyData | n8n, explicitly on European data sovereignty | Positions self-hosted n8n as the GDPR-safe route |
| Green Creatives | n8n, Make, Zapier | Process automation with a creative-industry focus |
| Timmermans Media | n8n, Make, Zapier | SME-oriented comparison and implementation content |
An honest note against our own interest, and against everyone else's on this list.
These platforms are built so that a capable person inside your company can operate them. If your workflow is "when a form is submitted, create a row and send an email", you do not need an implementation partner — you need an afternoon and a subscription. Agencies earn their fee at three specific points:
Four questions that expose whether an agency has run these platforms in production:
Disclosure: Crux Digits is one of the firms on this page. We built the list, so treat our own entry with the scepticism that deserves — and check the others' sites yourself. There are no affiliate links, no paid placements and no reciprocal-listing deals anywhere on this page. The order is alphabetical, not a ranking.
Crux Digits builds automation, so we compete with every agency above. We are not in the n8n expert partner directory and do not claim to be. We are usually the wrong choice for a pure no-code workflow that Make would handle — that work should cost you a few thousand euros, not a proof of concept. We are the right choice when the automation has to reach into an ERP that was not designed to be reached into.
Twenty minutes. If Make solves it for a few thousand euros, that is what we will tell you.
Book a free consultation →