Dispatch vs the world

Built different from n8n, Zapier, and Make.

Honest side-by-side. Pick the right tool for the job — even if it’s not us. We’ll point out where the others win.

Updated April 2026 · No affiliate links · No paid placement

/ Feature matrix

The whole truth, on one screen.

Rows compare a single feature across all five tools. Green is “solid”, yellow is “partial — read the note”, gray is “not really”.

Solid Partial Limited

Feature	DispatchAI-native, BYOK	n8nSelf-hosted node graph	ZapierThe integration giant	MakeVisual scenarios	PipedreamCode-first runner
/ Setup & Onboarding
Time to first workflow	< 60s	~30 min (deploy)	~5 min	~10 min	~5 min
Self-hosted option	Open source	First-class	Cloud only	Cloud only	Yes
Works without code	Yes	Often needs JS	Yes	Yes	Code-first
/ Composition style
Plain-English to workflow	AI-native	No	No	No	No
Visual canvas editor	Yes	Yes	Linear only	Yes	Limited
Branching / conditionals	Yes	Yes	Paid plans	Yes	Yes
Loops	Yes	Yes	Sub-zaps	Yes	Yes
Webhooks in / out	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cron schedules	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
/ AI
BYO LLM keys (no markup)	Yes	DIY nodes	Uses Zapier's AI	Tokens marked up	Yes
AI step type built-in	ai_prompt · 7 ops	Community nodes	Paid	Yes	DIY in code
AI composes the workflow	Yes	No	No	No	No
Provider switching per workflow	Yes	Per-node	No	No	Per-step code
/ Integrations
Total integrations	12 core + HTTP	400+	5,000+	1,500+	2,000+
Custom HTTP step	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add a new integration yourself	Registry	Custom nodes	Platform CLI	Custom apps	Source code
/ Pricing
Free forever tier	500 runs / mo	Self-host only	100 tasks / mo	1,000 ops	Generous
Per-step pricing	Flat plan	Flat plan	Per task	Per op	Compute-based
AI tokens marked up	BYOK · 0%	DIY · 0%	Yes	Yes	Depends
/ Operations
Run history with replay	Yes	Yes	Paid plans	Yes	Yes
Public / private workflows	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Audit log	Included	Paid	Enterprise	Enterprise	Yes
API docs / programmatic access	/developers	Yes	Limited	Yes	Yes

/ Setup & Onboarding

Time to first workflow
- Dispatch
  < 60s
- n8n
  ~30 min (deploy)
- Zapier
  ~5 min
- Make
  ~10 min
- Pipedream
  ~5 min
Self-hosted option
- Dispatch
  Open source
- n8n
  First-class
- Zapier
  Cloud only
- Make
  Cloud only
- Pipedream
  Yes
Works without code
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Often needs JS
- Zapier
  Yes
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Code-first

/ Composition style

Plain-English to workflow
- Dispatch
  AI-native
- n8n
  No
- Zapier
  No
- Make
  No
- Pipedream
  No
Visual canvas editor
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Linear only
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Limited
Branching / conditionals
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Paid plans
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes
Loops
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Sub-zaps
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes
Webhooks in / out
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Yes
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes
Cron schedules
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Yes
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes

/ AI

BYO LLM keys (no markup)
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  DIY nodes
- Zapier
  Uses Zapier's AI
- Make
  Tokens marked up
- Pipedream
  Yes
AI step type built-in
- Dispatch
  ai_prompt · 7 ops
- n8n
  Community nodes
- Zapier
  Paid
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  DIY in code
AI composes the workflow
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  No
- Zapier
  No
- Make
  No
- Pipedream
  No
Provider switching per workflow
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Per-node
- Zapier
  No
- Make
  No
- Pipedream
  Per-step code

/ Integrations

Total integrations
- Dispatch
  12 core + HTTP
- n8n
  400+
- Zapier
  5,000+
- Make
  1,500+
- Pipedream
  2,000+
Custom HTTP step
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Yes
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes
Add a new integration yourself
- Dispatch
  Registry
- n8n
  Custom nodes
- Zapier
  Platform CLI
- Make
  Custom apps
- Pipedream
  Source code

/ Pricing

Free forever tier
- Dispatch
  500 runs / mo
- n8n
  Self-host only
- Zapier
  100 tasks / mo
- Make
  1,000 ops
- Pipedream
  Generous
Per-step pricing
- Dispatch
  Flat plan
- n8n
  Flat plan
- Zapier
  Per task
- Make
  Per op
- Pipedream
  Compute-based
AI tokens marked up
- Dispatch
  BYOK · 0%
- n8n
  DIY · 0%
- Zapier
  Yes
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Depends

/ Operations

Run history with replay
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Paid plans
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes
Public / private workflows
- Dispatch
  Yes
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Yes
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes
Audit log
- Dispatch
  Included
- n8n
  Paid
- Zapier
  Enterprise
- Make
  Enterprise
- Pipedream
  Yes
API docs / programmatic access
- Dispatch
  /developers
- n8n
  Yes
- Zapier
  Limited
- Make
  Yes
- Pipedream
  Yes

/ When to pick what

Use the tool the work asks for.

We’d rather lose a deal than land you on the wrong stack. Here’s the short version of who wins each fight.

Dispatch Our pick

Pick Dispatch when

You want plain-English to a working agent fast, BYOK economics, both visual and prompt-first composition — and the core integrations are enough.

You want to ship in minutes, not days
Your AI bill should stay with your AI provider
You like a visual canvas but hate node spaghetti
A first-party Gmail · Slack · Notion · GitHub set is plenty

n8n

Pick n8n when

You have DevOps and want maximum customization with their massive node library. n8n is fantastic when you're comfortable owning the deploy.

You already self-host other infra
You want 400+ nodes you can fork on disk
JavaScript snippets inside steps are fine
Compliance requires data never leaves your VPC

Zapier

Pick Zapier when

You need an integration we don't have yet (5,000+ apps), enterprise compliance is paramount, and you're willing to pay per task for it. Honestly — Zapier is excellent at what it does.

You need a long-tail SaaS we have not built yet
Procurement requires SOC 2 + HIPAA + DPAs today
Per-task billing fits your usage shape
Non-technical operators own the workflows

/ Pricing snapshot

What you actually pay.

Public pricing only. No quoted enterprise tiers. Token costs are separate when noted.

Vendor	Free	Entry plan	Mid plan	Notes
Dispatch	$0 · 500 runs/mo	Pro · $19/mo	Team · $49/seat	BYOK — token cost stays with your provider
n8n	Free (self-host)	Cloud Starter · $20/mo	Pro · $50/mo	—
Zapier	Free · 100 tasks/mo	Pro · $19.99/mo	Team · $69/mo	Per-task overage applies
Make	Free · 1,000 ops	Core · $9/mo	Pro · $16/mo	—
Pipedream	Free · generous	Basic · $19/mo	Advanced · $49/mo	—

Prices as of Apr 2026 · Check vendor sites for current

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