5 n8n Automation Workflows That Save Me 10+ Hours Every Week

I replaced Zapier, three Python scripts, and a VA with five n8n workflows. Here's exactly how each one works, with importable JSON. Why n8n Over Zapier or Make? Before diving into the workflows, let me address the obvious question: why n8n? I've used Zapier (3 years), Make/Integromat (1 year), and n8n (2 years). Here's my honest comparison: Feature Zapier Make n8n Pricing $29+/mo for 750 tasks $9+/mo for 10K ops Free (self-hosted) Self-hosting No No Yes Code nodes Limited JavaScript only JavaScript + Python AI integrations Basic Basic Native Claude, GPT, etc. Complex logic Painful Better Full programming power Data privacy Cloud only Cloud only Your server, your data The dealbreaker for me was cost. Running 50,000+ operations/month on Zapier would cost $100+. On n8n self-hosted, it costs the $6/month VPS fee — regardless of volume. Let's look at the five workflows that save me the most time. Workflow 1: Automated Lead Management Pipeline Time saved: ~3 hours/week When a new lead fills