StackShowdown

Automation · verified 2026-07

Make vs Zapier

Visual automation canvas with serious logic at a fraction of the cost

The widest automation catalog: 9,000+ apps, zero code

The automation duel every ops team eventually faces: Zapier's unmatched catalog and ease against Make's visual canvas and radically cheaper executions. Pick by who will build the automations — and how many you'll run.

Round-by-round scorecard

3 – 3

MakeZapier
  1. Round 1 — Price at volumeMake takes it

    $9 buys 10,000 Make credits; $19.99 buys 750 Zapier tasks. For busy workflows Make's bill is routinely a third or less.

  2. Round 2 — Ease of useZapier takes it

    Zapier's form builder plus natural-language Copilot gets a first automation live in minutes; Make's canvas takes hours to learn.

  3. Round 3 — App catalogZapier takes it

    9,000+ apps vs 3,000+ — Zapier owns the long tail of integrations.

  4. Round 4 — Complex logicMake takes it

    Routers, iterators, aggregators and error handlers are native on Make's canvas; Zapier needs workarounds or pricier plans for the same logic.

  5. Round 5 — Free tierMake takes it

    1,000 Make credits/month vs 100 Zapier tasks with two-step Zaps only.

  6. Round 6 — Beyond automationZapier takes it

    Zapier's suite (Tables, Interfaces, Chatbots, Agents) builds whole internal tools; Make counters with Grid and AI agents but the suite is thinner.

Pricing, side by side

Per user/month in USD. Prices checked July 2026.

Make

Free plan: 1,000 credits/month, 2 active scenarios, 15-minute interval.

PlanAnnualMonthly
FreeFreeFree
Core10,000 credits/mo; annual billing (monthly ~15-18% higher)$9—
ProPriority execution, scalable to 8M credits$16—
TeamsMulti-user, roles$29—

Zapier

Free plan: 100 tasks/month, two-step Zaps only, 15-minute polling.

PlanAnnualMonthly
FreeFreeFree
ProfessionalFrom 750 tasks/mo; higher tiers cost more$19.99$29.99
TeamFrom 2,000 tasks/mo, 25 users$69$103.5
EnterpriseCustom——

Where each one wins — and hurts

Make

  • Dramatically cheaper per execution: $9 buys 10,000 credits vs $19.99 for 750 Zapier tasks
  • The visual canvas handles routers, iterators, aggregators and error handlers natively
  • Deeper per-app control — more endpoints per integration plus a generic HTTP module
  • Make Grid (2025) maps your whole automation landscape in real time — unique in the market
  • Real learning curve: scenarios, bundles and iterators take hours where Zapier takes minutes
  • The 2025 switch to credits made costs less predictable — polling and failed runs can still consume credits
  • 3,000+ apps vs Zapier's 9,000+ — weaker long-tail coverage

Zapier

  • Largest integration catalog anywhere — 9,000+ apps; if a tool has an API, Zapier probably supports it
  • Fastest time to first automation: form-based builder plus a natural-language Copilot
  • Predictable task-based pricing — no credit-optimization homework
  • A full no-code suite around automation: Tables, Interfaces, Chatbots and AI Agents
  • Expensive at scale — a 5-step Zap burns 5 tasks per run and overages bill at 1.25×
  • Multi-step Zaps, webhooks and paths are all paywalled behind Professional
  • Complex branching and data transformation need workarounds that Make handles natively

The decision

Choose Make if…

You (or someone technical-ish on the team) will own the automations, they involve real logic, and volume matters. Make rewards the learning curve with power and a much smaller invoice.

Try Make

Choose Zapier if…

Non-technical teammates need to self-serve, or your tools live in the long tail only Zapier covers. You pay a premium for the ecosystem and the zero-friction builder — often worth it.

Try Zapier

How we make money: some outbound links on this page may be affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission if you sign up — at no cost to you. Commissions never decide a round or a verdict; our scoring method is documented in the methodology.

Frequently asked

›What's the difference between Zapier tasks and Make credits?

A Zapier task is one action step executed (a 5-step Zap consumes 5 tasks per run). A Make credit is one module run, with AI features consuming more. Both models charge for activity, but Make's per-unit price is far lower — while Zapier's is more predictable.

›Is Make harder to learn than Zapier?

Yes. Make's scenario canvas, bundles and iterators genuinely take hours to click; Zapier's form-based editor takes minutes. If nobody on the team enjoys that kind of tooling, that difference matters more than price.

›Which is better for AI workflows?

Both moved fast in 2025: Zapier has Copilot, Agents, Chatbots and an MCP server; Make has AI Agents, the Maia builder and its own MCP server, plus custom OpenAI/Anthropic connections on all paid plans. Zapier is easier to start; Make gives more control per credit.

›Can I migrate Zaps to Make (or back)?

There's no importer in either direction — workflows must be rebuilt. That's a real switching cost, which is exactly why it pays to pick deliberately before you have fifty automations.

Sources

Facts verified against both vendors' own pricing pages plus secondary sources. Spotted something stale? Tell us and we'll fix it.