Choosing Between Make and n8n for Automation Learning

Mike F. · 2025-12-10T12:11:34.875Z

Hey GTM Engineering gurus, For aspiring GTME, what automation tool should be focused on when deciding automation tool to learn between Make and n8n? If there are available resources to help streamline my learning process, please kindly share with me.

Choosing Between Make and n8n for Automation Learning | Clay

Arpit C.
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Hey Mike, if you're just getting started, I'd recommend Make and then you can gradually switch to n8n if you feel that Make falls short. You can check out the Make academy that has tons of resources.
Casper M.
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n8n for pros, Make for beginners and basic workflows. 🙂
Arpit C.
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Casper M. I think we need to define "Pro" here because tons of pros actually default to Make! 🙂
👍1
Mike F.
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Actually automation is the only delay am having presently. I've taken the Clay 101 course, enroled for another program that teaches Clay and B2B Lead gen before now. The automation skill is what am trying to learn now to go into full time GTM Engineer.
Casper M.
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I'll recommend to dive into n8n.
Arpit C.
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Casper M. for someone who's getting started with automation, n8n is far from the right choice, is it? Curious to understand the rationale behind recommending n8n – which is built for technical teams – to a beginner 🤔
Casper M.
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100% sure more technical skills are needed, but I will compare it with car driving. When you learn an automatic gearbox, you can drive only automatic, but when manual you can drive both. 🙂
Arpit C.
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Haha I drive manual but most people spend their lives without the need to!
Arpit C.
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There’s no prize is learning something complex for the sake of it
Casper M.
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Fair point, everyone has their preference. But from my recent conversations with CEOs in the GTM and AI Agents space, the market is screaming for n8n experts right now. The complexity pays off because it allows for unique workflows that standard tools can't handle. If the goal is to be a full-time GTM Engineer, n8n is where the future-proof skills are.
Mike F.
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Thanks Arpit and Casper for your suggestions. Now I understand both arguments and decided on what to do based on your explanations. You're basically saying "whatever your hand finds doing, go full throttle and do it well not minding the sacrifice." Any n8n resource you can recommend that streamlines learning towards GTME?
Arpit C.
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I'd be curious to see a GTM workflow built in n8n that one cannot build in Make, or for that matter, in Zapier. Moreover, for people getting started with automation, starting with n8n without getting well-versed with beginner-friendly tools is just a bad investment of time. They literally mention it on their website that they’re building for technical teams 🙂
Arpit C.
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Preferences come into play once someone has experienced various solutions. But the push towards n8n for beginners seems misinformed. It’s a classic case of people falling for the hype.
Casper M.
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Ok, you’re using clay? Why not Google Sheets or Airtable? You go for HYPE! 😂😂😂
Arpit C.
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Well, Clay let's me do things that Sheets or Airtable don't. And because I've been using automation tools for almost a decade, I didn't have to go through a learning curve when I started with Clay.

18 comments