MakePro $16/mo annually ($18.82 monthly)
ZapierFree plan (100 tasks/mo, two-step Zaps). Pro…Make vs Zapier
The deciding factor is usually the supported route, not the largest advertised allowance. Make uses a visual scenario model and credits; Zapier uses Zaps and tasks with wider listed app coverage. Check the required action in the exact app before treating an entry plan as a saving. Pricing facts last verified 2026-10-30.
- Make is much cheaper per action: 10,000 credits cost $9/mo on Core billed annually ($10.59 monthly). On Zapier, Professional starts at $19.99/mo annually ($29.99 monthly) for 750 tasks, and 2,000 tasks cost $49 ($73.50).
- Zapier is easier to start and covers more apps (9,000+ vs Make's 3,500+). Its trigger-then-actions Zaps are simpler than Make's visual canvas, which shines once workflows branch, loop or need error handling.
- Make lets you host an organization in the EU (chosen at creation). Zapier hosts data on AWS in the US and says it doesn't support EU-only storage. Both have SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3 and a DPA with SCCs.
Methodology · Checked 2026-10-30
Make vs Zapier: what actually differs
| Feature | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Credits: most module actions use 1 credit (reads, searches, creates, updates, transforms). Routers and error handlers are free; some AI features use more. Unused credits expire at term end. | Tasks: each successful action uses a task. Triggers, polling, failed actions and built-in Filter, Formatter and Paths steps don't. AI steps, code and MCP draw from the same pool. |
| Free plan | 1,000 credits/mo, 2 active scenarios, 15-min minimum interval, 5-min max run, routers & filters, AI Agents, MCP server. | 100 tasks/mo, unlimited two-step Zaps, Tables and Forms, 15-min polling, Copilot. |
| Entry paid plan | Core $9/mo annual or $10.59 monthly (10,000 credits): unlimited active scenarios, 1-min scheduling, Make API. | Professional from $19.99/mo annual or $29.99 monthly (750 tasks): multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks, AI fields, 2-min polling. |
| Team plan | Teams $29/mo annual or $34.12 monthly (10,000 credits): team roles and shareable templates. Unlimited users on every plan. | Team from $69/mo annual or $103.50 monthly (2,000 tasks): 25 users, shared Zaps and connections, SAML SSO, 1-min polling. |
| Running out | Scenarios stop; webhooks queue. Buy 1,000/10,000-credit packs or turn on auto-purchase (Core, Pro, Teams). | Switched to pay-as-you-go at a higher per-task rate unless you turn it off, then Zaps pause. |
| Apps | 3,500+ standard apps, custom apps for any public API, HTTP/webhooks; enterprise apps and on-prem agent on Enterprise. | 9,000+ apps; premium apps and webhooks on paid plans. |
| How you build | Visual canvas with routers, iterators, aggregators, data stores and error handlers; Maia AI builds and debugs from prompts. | Linear trigger + actions with Filters, Paths and Formatter; Copilot helps build in the editor; Canvas for mapping systems. |
| AI & agents | Make AI Agents (beta), AI Toolkit, Content Extractor, AI Web Search (beta) and MCP server on all plans. | AI steps and MCP in every plan; Agents (400 activities/mo free, Pro add-on) and Chatbots as add-ons. |
| Custom code | Code App (JavaScript/Python) on paid plans at 2 credits per second; custom functions on Enterprise. | Code by Zapier: 1 s runtime per step on Free, 30 s on Professional/Team, 2 min on Enterprise. |
| Data location | Choose an EU or US data center per organization (can't be changed later). Maia, AI Web Search and OpenAI models still process in the US. | AWS in the United States; EU-only storage not supported. EU-US Data Privacy Framework certified. |
| Security | GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3; AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.2/1.3. SSO, 2FA enforcement and audit logs on Enterprise. | SOC 2 Type 2 and SOC 3; DPA with SCCs; SAML SSO from Team. No HIPAA support or BAAs. |
From each vendor's pricing page, checked 2026-10-30. USD before tax; "annual" is the per-month price when billed yearly.
What the same workload costs
Simple arithmetic on list prices from both pricing pages (USD). We assume a 3-module Make scenario uses 3 credits per run and the equivalent Zap uses 2 tasks (Zapier doesn't count the trigger). Real usage varies: Make counts every module action and some AI steps use more; Zapier doesn't count Filter, Formatter or Paths steps. We pick the smallest published tier that covers the volume. Try your own numbers in the AI stack cost calculator.
| Workload (example) | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| 300 runs/mo (900 credits · 600 tasks) | Free plan (1,000 credits) | Professional $19.99/mo annual ($29.99 monthly), 750-task tier |
| 1,000 runs/mo (3,000 credits · 2,000 tasks) | Core $9/mo annual ($10.59 monthly), 10,000 credits | Professional $49/mo annual ($73.50 monthly), 2K tier |
| 5,000 runs/mo (15,000 credits · 10,000 tasks) | Core $16/mo annual ($18.82 monthly), 20,000 credits | Professional $129/mo annual ($193.50 monthly), 10K tier |
| 10,000 runs/mo (30,000 credits · 20,000 tasks) | Core $29/mo annual ($34.12 monthly), 40,000 credits | Professional $189/mo annual ($283.50 monthly), 20K tier |
| Team features, 1,000 runs/mo | Teams $29/mo annual ($34.12 monthly), 10,000 credits | Team $69/mo annual ($103.50 monthly), 2K tier |
Write down a representative success, a duplicate and a failed destination. Count their actual billed steps using each vendor's rules. Make credits and Zapier tasks are not equal completed jobs; some AI actions use more. Also separate an EU automation zone from the processing location of particular AI features rather than assume one location statement covers the whole route.
Make and Zapier connect business apps without a traditional software build, with AI agents and MCP in their documented offerings. Make's visual scenarios use credits; Zapier's Zaps use tasks. Check the required app, billed steps and data-processing location together. The pricing, security and help-page facts below were checked 30 Oct 2026; this is not a hands-on reliability test.
Visual no-code automation platform (by Celonis) for building multi-step workflows, called scenarios, across 3,500+ apps, with AI Agents, the Maia AI builder and an MCP server on every plan. Billed in credits: a free plan with 1,000 credits a month, paid plans from $9/mo billed annually for 10,000 credits.
- Starting price
- Pro $16/mo annually ($18.82 monthly)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Setup
- ~15–30 min for a first two-app scenario (est.)
No-code automation platform that connects 9,000+ apps through trigger-and-action workflows (Zaps), with built-in Tables, Forms, AI steps, Agents, Chatbots and an MCP layer for AI assistants.
- Starting price
- Free plan (100 tasks/mo, two-step Zaps). Pro…
- Free tier
- Yes
- Setup
- Minutes for a simple two-step Zap (vendor quick-start); longer for multi-step workflows (est.)
Full comparison
| Feature | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free $0 (1,000 credits/mo, 2 active scenarios). Core $9/mo billed annually ($10.59 monthly) for 10,000 credits; Pro $16/mo annually ($18.82 monthly); Teams $29/mo annually ($34.12 monthly); Enterprise custom. Prices rise with the monthly credit volume you choose (e.g. 40,000 credits: Core $29, Pro $53, Teams $99/mo annually). | Free plan (100 tasks/mo, two-step Zaps). Professional from $19.99/mo billed annually or $29.99/mo monthly. Team from $69/mo billed annually or $103.50/mo monthly (25 users). Enterprise: contact sales. Add-ons: Agents Pro $33.33/mo and Chatbots Pro $13.33/mo (both billed annually); Chatbots Advanced $66.67/mo. |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | ~15–30 min for a first two-app scenario (est.) | Minutes for a simple two-step Zap (vendor quick-start); longer for multi-step workflows (est.) |
| No-code | Yes | Yes |
| Replaces | Manual copy-paste between apps, spreadsheet-based hand-offs and pricier per-task automation tools | Manual copy-paste admin work between apps |
| Best for | Agencies, E-commerce, Consultants & freelancers, Accountants & bookkeepers, Local services, Operations teams | E-commerce, Agencies, Consultants, Accounting firms, Any SMB using 3+ cloud apps |
| Integrations | 3,500+ apps, Google Sheets, Slack, Gmail, Airtable, Pipedrive, HTTP / webhooks, Custom apps (any public API), Make API (300+ endpoints), MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Mistral and other AI providers | 9,000+ apps, Gmail, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Sheets, Facebook Lead Ads, Webhooks |
| Pros | **Low price per action:** 10,000 credits for $9 a month on annual billing, and routers and error handlers are free.; **Generous free plan:** 1,000 credits a month with multi-step scenarios, routers, AI Agents and the MCP server.; **Visual canvas:** branching, loops and error handling are easy to see and debug.; **AI built in on every plan:** Agents, AI Toolkit, Content Extractor, MCP server and Maia.; **EU hosting option** chosen per organization, plus SOC 2 Type II and a DPA with SCCs.; **Unlimited users on all plans.** | **Largest app library we've seen claimed (9,000+)**, so most SMB tools are covered.; Genuinely usable free plan to learn the basics.; Tables, Forms, AI steps and MCP are included in every plan.; Clear security documentation: SOC 2 Type II, encryption details and a no-training commitment. |
| Cons | **Steeper learning curve** than linear trigger-action tools; mapping data between modules takes practice (est.).; **Smaller app catalogue** than Zapier: 3,500+ apps vs Zapier's 9,000+.; **Credits can be hard to predict:** every module action counts, some AI features use more, and unused credits expire.; **Free plan is tight:** 2 active scenarios and a 15-minute minimum interval.; **SSO, audit logs and 2FA enforcement are Enterprise-only.**; **EU zone isn't EU-only for AI:** Maia and OpenAI models route to the US. | **Costs grow with task volume**, and overages are billed at a higher per-task rate.; The Free plan only allows two-step Zaps and 15-minute polling.; No EU-only data storage and no HIPAA support. |
| SMB score (draft) | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Sources |
Which should you choose?
We would choose the route somebody on the team can maintain. Favor supported linear simplicity where it is enough, or investigate Make's branching model when required. The table retains documented differences, including controls and metering. We haven't benchmarked reliability or measured a cost per completed business workflow.
Choose Make if
your workflows branch, loop or move a lot of records, you want the lowest cost per action, you need EU hosting for your automation data, or you want AI Agents and an MCP server even on the free plan. Expect a steeper learning curve; Maia can help.
Choose Zapier if
you want the fastest, simplest setup for straightforward trigger-and-action jobs, you need an app that only its 9,000+ catalogue covers, or you want SAML SSO on a mid-tier Team plan rather than an Enterprise contract.
Also consider n8n if
your team is technical and runs long workflows: n8n bills per full workflow execution regardless of steps (Starter €20/mo billed annually for 2.5K executions on n8n.io/pricing, checked 30 Oct 2026) and has a self-hosted Community Edition.
Make vs Zapier: FAQ
Is Make cheaper than Zapier?
For most workloads, yes. On 30 Oct 2026, Make Core cost $9 a month billed annually for 10,000 credits, while Zapier Professional cost $49 a month billed annually for 2,000 tasks and $129 for 10,000 tasks. The units differ, though: Make counts every module action (including the trigger read), while Zapier doesn't count triggers or built-in Filter, Formatter and Paths steps.
What's the difference between a Make credit and a Zapier task?
A Make credit is used each time a module performs an action, such as reading, searching, creating or transforming data; routers and error handlers use none, and some AI features use more. A Zapier task is used each time a Zap action completes successfully; triggers, polling, failed actions and built-in data tools don't count.
Which has the better free plan?
Make's: 1,000 credits a month with multi-step scenarios, routers, AI Agents and the MCP server, but only 2 active scenarios and a 15-minute minimum interval. Zapier Free has 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only, with unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms.
Is Make harder to use than Zapier?
Make's visual canvas has more concepts (modules, routers, iterators, mapping), so it usually takes longer to learn; Zapier's linear Zaps are simpler. Both now have AI builders: Maia in Make and Copilot in Zapier. We haven't timed either hands-on yet.
Does Make or Zapier store data in the EU?
Make lets you choose an EU or US data center when you create an organization, though Maia, AI Web Search and OpenAI models are processed in the US. Zapier hosts data on AWS in the US and says it doesn't support EU-only storage; it relies on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and SCCs.
Does Zapier have more integrations than Make?
Yes. Zapier lists more than 9,000 apps; Make's pricing page lists 3,500+ standard apps (some Make pages say 3,000+). Both let you connect other tools through webhooks or HTTP, and Make supports custom apps for any public API.
Do Make and Zapier have AI agents?
Both do. Make AI Agents (beta) are included on all Make plans. Zapier Agents have a free tier of 400 activities a month and a paid Pro add-on. Both also offer an MCP server so AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT can trigger workflows.
Have you tested them hands-on?
Not yet. This page compares what each vendor publishes on its pricing, security and help pages. Our SMB scores are editorial drafts, and we will add a hands-on verdict after testing.
Sources (checked 2026-10-30)
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