When to choose Xano
- You want a complete backend with a database, server, and API.
- You are building a new app with complex business logic and data transformations.
- You need dedicated resources, branching and merging, or compliance as the app grows.
Xano vs Make
Xano helps you build, run and govern the backend for your app, incorporating a scalable server, flexible database, and API builder, with security best practices in mind. Make, on the other hand, is a connector tool that automates tasks between different applications.
At a glance
Xano vs Make, side by side
| Make | Xano | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A connector that automates routine tasks between existing apps and services. | A backend platform: database, server and API builder for a new app. |
| Database and server | Not included. | PostgreSQL database and a scalable server. |
| How you build | Connect pre-built apps into automations. | Build in TypeScript with AI: your coding agent writes it with the Xano SDK, you run it on the Xano Engine on your machine, then deploy it to Xano. |
| Compliance | No HIPAA or ISO 27001 compliance. | GDPR, ISO and SOC 2 & 3 from Essential; HIPAA add-on on Pro. |
Pick your line
When to choose Xano, and when to choose Make
When to choose Make
- You just want an automation tool.
- You want to connect existing apps, not build new ones.
- The pre-built apps Make connects already cover your workflow.
Why build with Xano
How Xano differs from Make
Comprehensive backend
Xano includes a database, server, and API builder, so you can build a complete backend for your app. Make does not include a database, server, or API builder; it connects existing apps together to complete routine tasks.
Scalability
As an app grows, it usually needs dedicated resources, indexes, no record limits, load balancing and auto-scale. Xano includes them on its paid plans. Make is built for automations between apps, not for running an app’s backend.
Full comparison
Xano vs Make feature checklist
| Feature | Xano | Make |
|---|---|---|
| Scale & Secure | ||
| Regional Deployments | Yes | No |
| On-Prem Deployments | Yes | No |
| Load Balancing | Yes | No |
| Auto-Scale | Yes | No |
| ISO 27001 Compliance | Yes | No |
| HIPAA Compliance | Yes | No |
| Dedicated Resources | Yes | No |
| Build & Test | ||
| Built-in logic editor | Yes | Yes |
| Templates | Yes | Yes |
| Team Collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| CRON Jobs | Yes | Yes |
| API Builder | Yes | No |
| Sidecar Docker Microservices (Sidecars are supporting processes or services that are deployed with the primary application.) | Yes | No |
| Branching & Merging | Yes | No |
| Redis Caching | Yes | No |
| Authentication | Yes | No |
| Advanced Queries | Yes | No |
| Database | ||
| PostgreSQL Database | Yes | No |
| No-Record Limits | Yes | No |
| Indexes | Yes | No |
| Test and Live Data Environments | Yes | No |
| Views | Yes | No |
| NoSQL for Large Data Sets | Yes | No |
| Community & Support | ||
| Live Support Chat | Yes | No |
| Documentation | Yes | Yes |
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
Questions
Xano vs Make: common questions
Is Make a backend?
No. Make is a connector tool that automates routine tasks between existing apps and services, like a switchboard. It does not include a database, server or API builder. Xano is the backend itself: a PostgreSQL database, server and API builder for a new app.
When should I use Make instead of Xano?
Use Make when you want to automate operational tasks between apps you already use, and the pre-built apps it connects cover the workflow. Use Xano when you are building a new app that needs its own database, business logic, data transformations and APIs, governed by one set of rules.
Xano vs Make
AI builds software. Xano makes it trustworthy.
Both tools make work more efficient: Make links existing apps together, while Xano runs the backend of the ones you build.
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