Zapier vs Make: how each counts usage, and which fits

A five-step automation runs 1,000 times in a month. On Zapier that is about 5,000 tasks. On Make it is also about 5,000 credits, plus a few more for the trigger. The old claim that Make would count the same job as 1,000 operations does not match Make's own documentation, and it is the first thing we removed from this post.

What does differ is the price of each unit, which steps are free, and how the two tools draw a flow. This page compares Zapier and Make.com on those points. Vendor figures were read on October 5, 2026 and will drift, so check the pricing pages before you commit.

A disclosure: Gonzo Digital builds Python agents, not Zapier or Make flows. We sell neither tool. The version of this post that ran in 2025 described us as a certified Zapier agency and a Make partner; we have no certificate or partner listing to show for either, so that line is gone.

How each tool counts usage

Zapier counts tasks. A task is a successful action in a Zap. Triggers do not count, and failed actions do not count. Zapier also lists steps that are not tasks: Filter, Formatter, Paths, Delay, Looping, Sub-Zap, Digest, Storage, Tables, and Forms.^[1] Newer pieces draw from the same pool: AI steps, code, and each call through Zapier's MCP connector, which uses two tasks per tool call.^[1]

Make counts credits. For non-AI apps one operation equals one credit.^[2] An operation is one run of one module, and a module that processes ten items runs ten times.^[3] A trigger that checks for new data counts once per check, whatever it finds.^[3] Routers and filters use no credits.^[4]

So the counts are close for the same flow: each action step is one unit in both tools. Zapier does not charge for the trigger or the utility steps listed above; Make charges for the trigger check and for each module run per item, and leaves routers and filters free. For a workflow that loops over a list, Make's per-item counting is the part to model.

What the plans cost

Make's pricing page refused a direct request from our script, so its figures were read through a page-reading tool. Zapier's monthly and annual figures were confirmed the same way. Check both on the pages.

Run the numbers on the entry tiers. Zapier's $19.99 for 750 tasks works out to about $0.027 a task, or $0.040 at the monthly price. Make's $9 for 5,000 credits is about $0.0018 a credit. That is a gap of roughly 15 times per unit at the entry tiers, using Zapier's annual price, and these are our own calculations from the listed prices. Zapier says the cost per task falls at higher tiers, so the gap narrows as volume grows; compare the tier you would really buy.^[1]

For a hobby flow or a small team on a modest budget, that unit price is the strongest argument for Make. For a team that wants its first automation live this afternoon, a simpler tool can be worth more than the difference.

When Zapier is the better choice

• You need an app Make does not list. Zapier says it connects 9,000+ apps and Make says 3,000+.^[1][7] Counts are not like for like, so check your specific apps in each directory before assuming either way.
• The flow is short. A form to a spreadsheet to a notification is a few minutes of work in either tool, and Zapier's step-by-step editor keeps it linear.
• Utility steps should be free. Because filters, formatting, paths, and loops do not count as tasks on Zapier, a flow heavy on those steps can cost less than it looks.^[1]
• Several people will build. Zapier's Team plan lists shared Zaps and folders, shared app connections, and SAML single sign-on.^[1]

When Make is the better choice

• Volume is high or the budget is tight. At the entry tiers, the price per unit is far lower, as the arithmetic above shows.
• The flow branches. Make's canvas shows routers and branches as a diagram. Zapier also supports branching through Paths, so the difference is mostly how you see and edit it.
• Failures need handling. Make's help center documents five error handlers (skip, retry, resume, commit, and rollback), so a failed module can be skipped, retried, given a substitute value, or rolled back.^[8] Zapier has its own error features; read its current docs for what it offers.
• A larger free tier helps. Make's free plan gives 1,000 credits against Zapier's 100 tasks, though it caps active scenarios at two.^[1][5]

Setup and learning curve

Zapier is built around a guided form for each step. Make is built around a canvas where you connect modules in any direction. People tend to find the first easier to start and the second easier to reorganize once the flow grows. That is a generalization from how the tools are designed, not a measurement, and your team's habits matter more than either tool's design.

Make is the product formerly called Integromat; Make's own announcement calls Integromat a legacy product it stopped supporting in 2023.^[9] If you see "Zapier vs Integromat" in older guides, they describe the same company's earlier name for what is now Make.

Using both

Some teams put quick triggers and notifications in Zapier and heavier data work in Make. It works, but you pay for two tools and learn two ways to find faults. Choose it for a reason you can state, such as one app only Zapier lists, not as a default.

When neither is enough

A flow tool is the right answer for a straight line from a trigger to a few actions. If that describes your need, build it yourself.

It gets awkward when the task needs memory and judgment: reading an inquiry, answering in the customer's language, remembering the earlier thread, and handing off to a person when it should. Those jobs are what we build as Python agents. The Lead Response Engine and Quote-to-Invoice Automation are examples, and our DIY tools against a built system comparison puts dated vendor prices next to a fixed-price build. We do not build flows in either tool, but our pages on Zapier and Make say where each one's limits start. If you are also weighing a self-hosted option, read Make.com vs n8n.

Questions people ask

Is Make cheaper than Zapier? At the entry tiers, yes by the listed prices: about $0.0018 a credit against roughly $0.027 to $0.040 a task. Zapier lowers its per-task rate as you buy more, so compare at your volume.^[1][5]

Which has more integrations? Zapier lists 9,000+ apps and Make lists 3,000+, by their own pages.^[1][7] What matters is whether the apps you use are on the list.

Can I use both? Yes. Pay attention to the cost of two sets of limits and two ways of finding faults.