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Short answer: on Make, one credit pays for one module run in most cases, and the Free plan gives you 1,000 credits a month [1] [3]. A trigger counts once per check. Every later module counts once for each bundle it handles. Routers and error handlers cost nothing. When you run out, your scenarios stop until you add credits or upgrade.
How do credits work in Make?
Make describes credits as "the currency you buy and consume to use Make." Only things that happen during a scenario run use them: apps, modules, some in-app features, and the AI agent's chat [1].
The default rate is simple: "By default, 1 operation equals 1 credit. That rate is constant regardless of input or data transfer size." That rate applies to regular apps and to third-party AI apps such as OpenAI, Claude and Gemini. A few modules are the exception. Make tags them, and its examples use 2 or 10 credits per operation [1].
Make's pricing FAQ says that "As of August 27, credits are the billing unit in Make." [3] The help center adds that credits replaced operations as the name of the billing unit [1].
Credits vs operations
An operation is "a single module run to process data or check for new data" [2]. For most modules, one operation costs one credit, so the two numbers match. They split apart only for AI modules and the few exceptions above.
Why the trigger counts once
Trigger modules "only run once to check for or retrieve data, regardless of the number of bundles returned." Make's example is a Google Sheets Watch New Rows trigger: "1 operation (one per check)" [2]. So a trigger that finds 10 new rows still counts as 1.
Make counts each check as an operation ("1 operation (one per check)"), and by default 1 operation is 1 credit [2] [1]. Make's pages don't say whether a check that finds nothing is billed. If every check is billed, a trigger that checks every 15 minutes for 30 days uses 2,880 credits (our math). That's more than the Free plan's 1,000 before any other module runs, so set the schedule only as often as you need.
How bundles multiply credits
After the trigger, each bundle runs through every later module on its own. Make's worked example is a form with 10 new responses and 4 modules: the trigger counts 1, and each of the other 3 modules counts 10. "Total: 31 operations (1+30)" [2].
The same rule applied to a small store (our example): a trigger finds 5 new orders, then 3 modules add each order to a sheet, tag the customer and send a thank-you email. That run costs 1 + (5 × 3) = 16 credits.
What uses credits and what doesn't
Make's pricing FAQ lists the things that count: reading, searching, creating, updating and deleting data in an app, transforming data with the built-in tools, aggregating rows and iterating rows [3].
Routers and error handlers are free
Two kinds of modules cost nothing. The FAQ says error handler modules (Rollback, Break, Resume, Commit, Ignore) and the Router module have "no credits counted" [3]. You can split a scenario into branches without paying for the split itself. The modules inside each branch still count.
AI modules: Make's AI Provider vs your own API key
If you use Make's AI Provider, Make bills you for tokens as well as operations. If you connect your own AI provider account on a paid plan, Make bills only the operations, and "You pay your provider directly for tokens" [1].
| Make AI Provider tier | Input tokens per credit | Output tokens per credit |
|---|---|---|
| Small and Medium | 18,080 | 2,260 |
| Large | 3,616 | 452 |
Token rates from Make's credits help page [1], checked live Nov 2, 2026.
How far the Free plan's 1,000 credits go
Make's Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month and a 15-minute minimum interval between runs [3]. For the store workflow above (a trigger plus 3 modules per order), how often the trigger checks matters as much as how many orders you get. The grid below is our math: trigger checks in a 30-day month plus 3 credits per order, assuming every check is billed.
| Orders a month | Daily check (30 checks) | Hourly check (720 checks) | Every 15 min (2,880 checks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 60 | 750 | 2,910 |
| 100 | 330 | 1,020 | 3,180 |
| 1,000 | 3,030 | 3,720 | 5,880 |
Our math: credits = trigger checks + 3 × orders, if every check is billed. Free covers 1,000 credits a month; Core and Pro at the 10,000 setting cover every cell above.
So 10 orders fit Free on a daily or hourly check, and 100 orders fit Free only on a daily check: hourly comes to 1,020, just over the limit. Every 15 minutes is over Free at any volume. 1,000 orders a month needs a paid plan. Make shows each module's operation and credit counts above the module after a run, so you can check a real scenario instead of guessing [2].
New to scenarios? Start with our guide on how to build your first Make scenario.
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Try Make free: 1,000 credits a month
How much do credits cost on Make?
Make sets the price by plan and by how many credits you pick each month. At 10,000 credits a month, the public pricing page showed these prices [3]:
| Plan | Billed yearly | Billed monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (1,000 credits a month) | $0 (1,000 credits a month) |
| Core | $12/mo ($1.20 per 1,000 credits) | $16/mo ($1.60 per 1,000 credits) |
| Pro | $21/mo ($2.10 per 1,000 credits) | $28/mo ($2.80 per 1,000 credits) |
| Teams | $38/mo ($3.80 per 1,000 credits) | $51/mo ($5.10 per 1,000 credits) |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Prices checked live on make.com/pricing, Nov 2, 2026, with the slider at 10,000 credits a month. Make changes these figures, so check the page on the day you buy.
Some third-party pages still list older Make prices. Use the current pricing page, not a blog post. For a full plan-by-plan cost comparison with Zapier, see Make vs Zapier pricing.
What happens when you run out
Make's FAQ is direct: "Your scenarios won't continue to run, until credits are added again." Incoming webhooks queue up to your plan's webhook queue storage and run once credits are back. Scenarios that poll for data pick up from the last successful run [3].
You have three options: upgrade, buy extra credits "in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000", or turn on auto-purchasing, which buys 10,000 credits before you run out. Auto-purchasing is listed for "Core, Pro, and Teams plan only" [3].
Buying extra credits: the 25% rule
Make's help page on extra credits says: "Manually purchased extra credits include a 25% additional cost compared to the credits in your plan. The cost of extra credits is the same whether you purchase them manually or through auto-purchasing." [4] The pricing FAQ describes the same purchase as "at the fixed price defined in your subscription" and doesn't give a percentage [3].
Here is what the 25% rule works out to at the 10,000-credit prices above. This is our calculation from Make's stated rule. We couldn't see a checkout price, because extra credits aren't sold on the Free plan.
| Plan at 10,000 credits | Plan rate per 1,000 | 1,000 extra credits (rate + 25%, our math) |
|---|---|---|
| Core, billed yearly | $1.20 | $1.50 |
| Core, billed monthly | $1.60 | $2.00 |
| Pro, billed yearly | $2.10 | about $2.63 |
| Pro, billed monthly | $2.80 | $3.50 |
If you keep buying extras every month, compare that cost with the next credit tier on the pricing page. A bigger plan may cost less than regular top-ups.
Do Make credits roll over?
Not past the end of your term. The FAQ says "Credits expire at the end of the term." Extra credits "expire after one month (for monthly subscription) or at the end of one year (for annual subscription in Pro and Teams plan)." [3]
Core billed yearly is different. The help page says: "For the Core plan with annual billing, your regular credits reset monthly, and any extra credits you purchase will also expire at each monthly reset." [4] In Make's in-account upgrade cards, Pro and Teams billed yearly are labelled "Credits available all year", while Core yearly shows 10,000 credits available monthly [5]. The public pricing FAQ, which anyone can check, matches this for extras: they expire "at the end of one year (for annual subscription in Pro and Teams plan)" [3].
Seasonal store: Core plus extras or Pro?
If your orders spike for a month or two, Pro yearly's all-year credits look like the answer. Compare the cost first. At 10,000 credits, Pro yearly is $21 × 12 = $252 a year and Core yearly is $12 × 12 = $144. The $108 difference buys 72,000 extra Core credits at $1.50 per 1,000 (our math, using Make's 25% rule). That's more than seven extra months of 10,000 credits. Those extras can't roll into later months, though: on Core yearly they expire at each monthly reset [4].
For a store with a short spike, Core plus extras is likely cheaper. One limit: Core extras expire at the next monthly reset, so buy them in the busy month and use them that month. Pro makes more sense if you also want Pro's features, or if your spikes are long or hard to predict.
Ways to use fewer credits
- Check less often. A scheduled trigger counts each check [2]. Hourly or daily is often enough for reports and backups.
- Combine bundles with an aggregator. Make's own example uses a Text aggregator to send one summary email instead of 10, which cuts a run from 11 operations to 3 [2].
- Use routers for branching. The Router module costs no credits [3].
- On a paid plan, connect your own AI provider account if you use a lot of AI steps, so Make bills operations only [1]. You then pay the provider for tokens.
If credits are the bottleneck, compare billing models too: n8n vs Make covers per-run pricing, and Make vs Zapier vs n8n compares the three free plans for a small store.
FAQ
Does a Make credit equal an operation?
Usually. By default 1 operation equals 1 credit. A few tagged modules use more [1].
Does Make have free credits?
Yes. The Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month [3]. We don't have a Make coupon or discount code.
Do routers cost credits?
No. Make counts no credits for the Router module or for error handler modules [3].
Do unused Make credits roll over?
Only within your term. Credits expire at the end of the term [3], and Core yearly credits reset monthly [4]. Make's in-account upgrade cards label Pro and Teams yearly "Credits available all year" [5]. The public pricing FAQ says extras on annual Pro and Teams plans last until "the end of one year" [3].
What happens when my Make credits run out?
Scenarios stop until credits are added. Webhooks queue up to your storage limit [3].
How much do extra Make credits cost?
Make's help page says extra credits cost 25% more than the credits in your plan [4]. On Core billed yearly at 10,000 credits, that's $1.50 per 1,000 by our math.
How much does Make.com cost?
From $0 on Free to $12/mo for Core billed yearly at 10,000 credits. See Make vs Zapier pricing for the full picture.
Can I earn Make credits?
No. You get them with your plan or buy extras.
Bottom line
Your credit use depends on how often triggers check and how many bundles each run handles. A low-volume store with a daily check can stay inside the Free plan's 1,000 credits. Hourly checks with around 100 orders a month already go just over. Past that, a 10,000-credit plan is the next step. If your usage swings by season, price Core yearly plus extras for the busy months before paying for Pro.
We earn a commission on Make links. Links to Make's help pages and pricing page are plain links.
Sources
- Make Help Center: Credits, checked live 2026-11-02
- Make Help Center: Operations, checked live 2026-11-02
- make.com/pricing (plans, prices, FAQ), checked live 2026-11-02
- Make Help Center: Extra credits, checked live 2026-11-02
- Make account upgrade cards (signed-in subscription page, Free account), read 2026-11-02. Public check: the make.com/pricing FAQ on credit expiry ("Pro and Teams plan")