From Skeptic to Power User

About a year and a half ago, I started seeing ads for Zapier. I dismissed them immediately. “That’s for people who don’t know how to code,” I thought. As a developer, the idea of paying for a tool to make API calls felt redundant. Why would I do that when I could just write a script in a few minutes?

The problem was, I didn’t get it. I was so focused on the “how” of writing code that I didn’t understand the power of a real automation framework. I wasn’t thinking about credentials management, error handling, logging, or the time it takes to orchestrate all those moving parts.

The Shift in Thinking

My perspective started to shift when I learned about Make. It was my first real look into this world, and its visual, canvas-based approach to building workflows was interesting. It opened my eyes to the possibilities beyond just writing one-off scripts. I started to see these platforms not as a crutch, but as a framework.

But it wasn’t until I found n8n that I decided to fully take the plunge. For a JS dev, it felt like the perfect balance. It was a node-based workflow editor that gave me granular control, but without all the boilerplate of a hand-coded solution.

Finding My Sweet Spot: n8n

n8n’s pricing model was a revelation; it charges per complete workflow execution, not for every little step. This approach is massively more cost-effective for the kind of data-heavy tasks I often handle.

I opted to spin up my own instance on a VPS, and it quickly became the engine for my business. By self-hosting, I had complete ownership of my data. This is a critical factor for security and privacy, as my client’s data never had to leave my own system. For a while, this setup was perfect.

Why I’m Moving to Windmill

As my automations became more complex and mission-critical, I started looking for even more robustness. I wanted something that treated automation less like a series of connected blocks and more like a true software engineering discipline.

That’s what led me to Windmill. It isn’t a step up from n8n so much as a different philosophy. It’s a code-native, open-source platform where the scripts themselves are the building blocks, in Python, TypeScript, Go, whatever you want. It’s built for developers who already think in version control, CI/CD pipelines, and automated tests.

I’m now intrigued enough by this robustness that I’m planning to migrate my own critical automations to Windmill. It feels like the logical next step in my journey from simply connecting apps to building resilient, production-grade systems.

How I Choose My Tools Now

My journey from skeptic to power user taught me that these tools exist on a spectrum, and the “best” one is entirely dependent on the task at hand. Here’s how I see it now:

• Zapier is great for non-technical users or for a quick and dirty connection, but you’ll likely hit a ceiling on cost and complexity as you scale.
• Make is a solid middle-ground with a great visual builder that’s perfect for more complex business logic without needing to get deep into code.
• n8n is the sweet spot for many technical users, especially if you like Node.js. The self-hosting and pricing model are killer features.
• Windmill is where you go when the automation has become software development. If you can’t give up version control, testing, and real developer tooling, this is the one.

Need a hand with your automations?

If you want to build your own workflows and aren’t sure where to start, I’d be happy to help.

Get in touch and we can talk about what you want to build.