I tested Tines, n8n, and Zapier, and they're all worth trying out for home and business automation

Automation apps are great for improving your quality of life, and there are plenty of cool platforms that let you create trigger-action workflows. On the smart home front, you’ve got Home Assistant and Node-RED, which can pull events from your sensors and microcontrollers before using them to execute certain actions. Meanwhile, the home lab department is dominated by the likes of Ansible playbooks and Terraform configuration files.

While smart homes and servers are still a niche hobby, software-based automation is something pretty much every user can integrate into their setup, regardless of whether you’re a business owner in charge of managing your CRM records or a casual worker who just wants to link their favorite platforms together. What’s more, you’ve got the option to choose between n8n, Zapier, Tines, and several other services to define automation workflows for your apps. Having tinkered with the three platforms, I can confirm that they’ve got their quirks and are worth checking out if you’re into software-based automation.

Zapier is great for simple, no-nonsense automations

Plus, it’s compatible with a ton of applications

Starting with the industry standard for automations, Zapier is a no-code platform that lets you build complex workflows by linking different functionalities of your favorite apps. Speaking of applications, Zapier supports over 6K services, ranging from the more casual Google suite, Telegram, and Discord to the more professional utilities like Monday, Buffer, and Jotform. Zapier has the easiest UI for creating workflows, though you can also integrate JavaScript and Python code into your Zaps.

Personally, I consider Zapier a great way to dip your toes into automation when you’re starting out, and it’s a nifty tool if you’re a business owner who doesn’t want to mess with complex codes and confusing UIs when building software workflows. That said, you’ll have to shell out quite a bit of money once you start getting into the nitty-gritty of software automation. For starters, webhooks are locked behind a premium subscription, and the same can be said for Salesforce, Shopify, and some other application integrations. Plus, the free version only offers 100 tasks, while the subscription prices scale up drastically as you increase the number of tasks in your automation projects.

n8n can be hosted on local hardware

Making it the best option for privacy enthusiasts

Similar to Zapier, n8n includes cloud-hosting provisions that feature both free and paid licenses, with certain advanced features locked behind a paywall. UI-wise, I’d rate it slightly difficult to learn compared to Zapier, though you shouldn’t have any issues tinkering with the platform after going through its documentation. It’s also compatible with Python and JavaScript, though the number of supported applications ranges around the 1,000 mark.

However, n8n’s real strength lies in its self-hosted offering. Whereas the cloud option limits the number of workflows, running n8n on local hardware gets rid of this restriction. Rather than scaling with the number of tasks (or actions) in your workflow, the cloud variant of n8n charges you for the execution count of these tasks, which is much more cost-effective for complex projects involving numerous integrations. Meanwhile, the self-hosted variant includes unlimited executions. As if that’s not enough, the free cloud variant and locally-hosted n8n instance support webhooks, and you even have the option to import curl commands as HTTP requests.

Plus, if you’re running n8n on your own server like I do, you don’t have to worry about storing your confidential workflows on third-party platforms, which can be a draw for privacy-loving tinkerers.

Go with Tines if you value security over all else

It also includes several cybersecurity templates

Finally, you’ve got Tines, a platform that boasts top-tier security features alongside a combination of the facilities you’ll find in its rivals. While its SOC 2 Type 2 assessment may not be a selling factor for self-hosting enthusiasts, it’s great for business owners who want a highly secure hub for their automation workflows.

Since Tines is also a no-code platform, it’s fairly easy to pick up. Like Zapier, you have the option to work with Python scripts if you want to leverage the powerful language in your projects. Meanwhile, you get webhook support, HTTP request functionality, and the curl import facility like n8n, making it a fine middle-ground between Zapier and its self-hosted rival.

Tines’ free plan is also fairly useful, as you can run three interconnected workflows (or "stories," as Tines likes to call them) alongside a maximum of 5000 daily tasks. There’s also a paid tier (requiring a demo first) for the more hardcore features like tunnels, AI support, and unlimited events, though they’re better suited for businesses than your average user.

Heck, you can even access AI features with the free edition, and there are two ways to do so. For OpenAI lovers, you can use API keys in tandem with Tines' built-in ChatGPT templates. You can also go for other AI platforms built into Tines, but they typically require credits, and you can burn through these rather quickly if you aren't careful. Technically, certain no-code features require a paid plan, but if you're familiar with curl requests, you can use them in your Tines workflow to pair your automations with external APIs.

Or you can run all three and choose the one that suits your fancy

Besides the discrepancies in their pricing models and UIs, the automation trinity has some other common features. Each platform provides hundreds of pre-defined templates for you to tinker with, and you can easily use them to build everything from AI agents to notification servers.

I recommend tinkering with all of them before narrowing down to the right one that meets your automation needs. As a self-hosting lover, n8n is the holy grail of my home lab, though it does make seemingly easy automations somewhat difficult to implement. That said, I appreciate Zapier’s simpler UI (while simultaneously condoning the lack of webhook support on the free version). I also love Tines’ focus on security, and its free version is more than enough for my (admittedly) simple automation projects.