Your AI workflow could be running 10x slower than it should
If you’re running AI-powered workflows through no-code platforms like n8n, Make, or Zapier, there’s something you need to know: you’re likely paying a premium in both time and money for convenience you no longer need.
Here’s the reality most automation enthusiasts don’t want to face: the same workflow that takes 3-5 seconds on a no-code platform can execute in under half a second with custom code, and a workflow that takes 30 to 50 seconds can execute in under 5 seconds. That’s not a marginal improvement. That’s the difference between a frustrating user experience and one that feels instant and keeps users engaged.
The hidden costs of “easy” automation
No-code tools are great for prototyping and getting started. But as your business scales, they become expensive bottlenecks:
- Monthly hosting fees for self-managed instances.
- Per-execution costs that compound with growth.
- Latency overhead from abstraction layers.
- Management time troubleshooting visual workflows.
- Dependency on third-party uptime and updates.
The question isn’t whether these tools served you well initially. The question is whether they’re still the right choice for where you’re headed.
What happens when you convert to custom code?
A recent project involved replacing an n8n AI chatbot workflow that connected OpenAI API for chat and embeddings with Postgres on Supabase for memory. The result after converting to streamlined custom code:
- Response times improved by 10x
- Railway hosting for n8n: cancelled
- Monthly management overhead: eliminated
- Infrastructure complexity: drastically reduced
The workflow does the same thing. It just does it faster, cheaper, and with fewer moving parts. Try it here.
Why this matters for your business
Every second of latency in an AI interaction costs you:
- User engagement drops with slow responses.
- Higher bounce rates on AI-powered features.
- Increased infrastructure costs at scale.
- More support tickets from frustrated users.
Your customers don’t see your elegant automation flows and they don’t feel usable. They only feel the delay.
Try this: Audit your current workflow speed
Before changing anything, measure what you have. Here’s a quick exercise:
- Open your current non-code/AI workflow or chatbot.
- Time the response from input to output (use your phone’s stopwatch).
- Run it 5 times and average the results.
- Write down that number.
Now ask yourself: if that number was 10x smaller, how would it change your user experience? How many more people would complete interactions instead of abandoning them?
This single metric tells you exactly how much speed you’re leaving on the table.
The Path Forward
Converting visual workflows to optimized custom code isn’t about being anti-no-code. It’s about knowing when you’ve outgrown a tool and being willing to level up.
The best thing? Your existing n8n, Make, or Zapier workflows serve as perfect blueprints. They’ve already solved the logic. Custom code just executes that logic without the overhead.
Contact me if you’d like help with your workflows.
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