Workflow automation · By Moonlaunch Studio · Updated October 2026
Make vs Zapier
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Make and Zapier both connect apps so that an event in one (a new form entry, a new row, a new post) triggers actions in others. For content and social workflows, that might mean turning a new blog post into scheduled social posts, or logging every new lead in a spreadsheet. The biggest practical difference is how each one counts usage: Make bills in credits, Zapier bills in tasks.
Pricing checked October 2026 from the vendor's site; confirm current pricing on their site.
Quick summary
- Make may suit builders who want a visual scenario editor, are comfortable with branching and data transformation, and want routers and error handlers that don't consume credits.
- Zapier may suit people who want a larger app catalog than Make (Zapier cites 9,000+ apps; Make's pricing FAQ cites integrations with more than 1,000 third-party apps), simple trigger-and-action Zaps, and built-in Tables and Forms in one account.
How usage is counted
| Aspect | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Credits. Most module actions use 1 credit; some AI features may use more | Tasks. Each successful action in a Zap uses a task; rates can vary for AI, code, and connector steps |
| What's free of charge | Router module and error-handler modules don't consume credits | Triggers and polling don't use tasks; Filter, Formatter, Paths, Delay, Looping, Tables, and Forms steps don't count as tasks |
| If you run out | Scenarios stop until credits are added; you can buy extra credits in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000, or turn on auto-purchase (Core, Pro, Teams) | Optional pay-per-task billing at a higher per-task rate; otherwise Zaps pause until the next period |
| Unused allowance | Credits expire at the end of the term | Not addressed on the pricing page |
Because a single Make scenario run can use anywhere from a couple of credits to thousands (Make's own wording), and a Zapier Zap uses one task per successful action step, the cheaper platform depends on how many steps your workflows have and how often they run. Estimate your monthly volume before comparing prices.
Plans compared
| Plan | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free plan with 1,000 credits per month | $0: 100 tasks per month, two-step Zaps, 15-minute polling |
| Individual paid | Core and Pro plans (see note below on pricing) | Professional: from $19.99/month billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly); multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks, 2-minute polling, 1 user |
| Team | Teams plan | Team: from $69/month billed annually ($103.50 billed monthly); 25 users, shared Zaps and app connections, SAML SSO, 1-minute polling |
| Enterprise | Enterprise plan; wire transfer available | Contact sales; unlimited users, advanced admin controls |
| Annual billing | Make says annual prepayment is cheaper than monthly | Zapier's billing toggle says “Pay yearly (Save 33%)” |
| Trial / discounts | Start-up Plan: Make says companies under 20 employees may qualify for 50% off “Business” (Make doesn't define that plan on its pricing page); nonprofits can contact Make about discounts | 14-day Professional trial with no credit card; 15% nonprofit discount |
Note on Make pricing: Make shows paid-plan prices in an interactive calculator that depends on your credit volume. We couldn't confirm specific dollar amounts from the page, so we've left them out. Check Make's pricing page for current figures.
Make
Make builds automations as scenarios: a trigger receives data from one app, the scenario transforms it, and modules send it to other apps. Make's pricing page also describes Custom Apps (connect any service with a public API), 300+ REST API endpoints for managing Make itself, and Enterprise Apps such as Workday and ServiceNow.
May suit: people building multi-branch workflows with data transformation, iteration, and aggregation, who want to control how each step consumes credits.
Pros
- Free plan with 1,000 credits per month
- Routers and error handlers don't consume credits
- Extra credits can be bought mid-term without upgrading
- If you cancel, the organization drops to the Free plan rather than being deleted
Cons
- Credits expire at the end of each term
- Credit usage per run varies with scenario complexity, so costs take more estimating
- Downgrading stops scenarios that use higher-plan features
Zapier
Zapier builds automations as Zaps: a trigger plus one or more actions. Every Zapier plan includes Zap workflows, Tables (data storage), and Forms, and Zapier's pricing page also lists Zapier MCP (one MCP tool call uses two tasks), Agents, and Chatbots as separate products with their own plans.
May suit: teams that need connectors for many SaaS apps, prefer simple linear workflows, or want forms and lightweight tables in the same account.
Pros
- Zapier cites 9,000+ app integrations
- Triggers, filters, formatter, and paths don't consume tasks
- Optional pay-per-task overage keeps Zaps running
- 14-day Professional trial with no card required
Cons
- Free plan limited to two-step Zaps and 100 tasks per month
- Professional is a single-user plan; collaboration requires Team
- Live chat support starts at the Professional 2,000-task tier, per Zapier
How to choose
- List your apps first. Confirm that every app you need has a native connector on the platform. If one doesn't, check whether you can use webhooks (Zapier Professional and up) or Make's Custom Apps.
- Count steps, not workflows. Multiply the action steps in each workflow by how often it runs per month. That gives a rough credit or task estimate to compare against each plan.
- Check polling frequency. On Zapier, polling intervals range from 15 minutes (Free) to 1 minute (Team and Enterprise). If near-real-time matters, factor that into the plan.
- Decide on collaboration. Zapier's Free and Professional plans are single-user. Make offers a Teams plan.
- Prototype on the free plans. Both have free plans, so you can build one real workflow on each before committing.
Sources
Checked in October 2026. Confirm current details on the vendors' sites.
- Make pricing and FAQ: https://www.make.com/en/pricing
- Zapier pricing, plan comparison, and FAQ: https://zapier.com/pricing