No-code automation and spreadsheet-databases.
Automation & databases: build, buy or switch?
3 tools compared on 3-year cost, cheaper options and risk. Prices checked October 2026.
| Tool | Verdict | From | Buy, 3 yrs | Build, 3 yrs | Cheapest option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtable | BUILD | $20/seat/mo | $3,600 | $2,485 | Baserow (open source) |
| Make | BUY | $9/mo | $324 | $1,345 | n8n (free) |
| Zapier | HYBRID | $19.99/mo | $1,764 | $1,345 | n8n (free) |
3-year costs use each tool’s typical plan and team size and $30/hour for your time. Open a tool to change them.
Airtable
Automation & databases
Build it for one stable workflow. Five editors on Team cost about $3,600 over 3 years.
- Buy, 3 yrs
- $3,600
- Build, 3 yrs
- $2,485
Make
Automation & databases
Buy it. At $9 a month for 10,000 credits, Make is the cheap end of automation.
- Buy, 3 yrs
- $324
- Build, 3 yrs
- $1,345
Zapier
Automation & databases
Hybrid. Move your two or three busiest Zaps into code and keep Zapier for the rest.
- Buy, 3 yrs
- $1,764
- Build, 3 yrs
- $1,345
Paying for more than one of these?
Stack Scan spots tools that do the same job and shows what you’d save by keeping one.
Verdict key: BUILD = Build it · BUY = Buy it · HYBRID = Hybrid · SWITCH = Switch. How we score.