Make vs Zapier Pricing in 2026

Short answer: for a small budget and multi-step workflows, Make usually gives more room on its free plan: 1,000 credits a month with multi-step scenarios ^[1], versus Zapier's 100 tasks a month with two-step Zaps only ^[2]. Zapier connects more apps (9,000+ ^[2] vs Make's 3,500+ ^[1]) and has a 14-day free trial of its Professional plan ^[2]. The right pick depends on which apps you need and how many steps your workflows have.

The two pricing models in plain English

Make counts credits. "Each module action in your scenario… counts as one credit" ^[1]. Reading data, searching, creating, updating, transforming and aggregating all count ^[1]. Router and error-handler modules don't ^[1]. Some AI features can use more than 1 credit ^[1].

Zapier counts tasks. A task is counted "whenever Zapier successfully completes a unit of work", and failed actions don't count ^[2]. Triggers, polling, and Zapier's built-in tools such as Formatter, Filter, Paths, Delay and Looping don't use tasks ^[2]. AI steps and some other actions can cost more than one task ^[2].

The key difference: in Make, the trigger step and data-shaping steps usually cost credits. In Zapier, triggers and built-in helper steps are free, but you pay per successful action. So "1,000 credits" and "100 tasks" aren't directly comparable. You have to count the steps in your own workflow.

Free plans side by side

Worked example: a 3-step workflow

Say a new Shopify order should (1) trigger the workflow, (2) add a row to Google Sheets and (3) send you a chat message. These are our estimates; check real usage in each tool.

• Make: three modules, so about 3 credits per order. 1,000 credits cover roughly 330 orders a month, and the scenario fits in the free plan's multi-step builder ^[1].
• Zapier: the trigger is free and the two actions are 2 tasks per order ^[2], so 100 tasks cover about 50 orders. But the Free plan only allows two-step Zaps ^[2], so a trigger plus two actions needs a paid plan, or two separate Zaps.

For simple one-trigger-one-action jobs at low volume, Zapier's free plan can be enough. Once you need several actions per event, Make's free plan stretches further.

Paid plans: what we could confirm

Zapier Professional

Zapier's paid self-serve plans combine a plan level with a monthly task tier ^[2]. From Zapier's official pricing reference:

Source: zapier.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-10. The "Starting from $19.99 /month" label was still on the page on 2026-10-11.

Professional adds multi-step Zaps, unlimited premium apps, webhooks, filters and paths, and email support ^[2]. If you go over your task limit, pay-per-task billing can keep Zaps running at an overage rate, or usage stops until the next cycle if that's turned off ^[2]. Zapier says new accounts get a 14-day Professional trial with no credit card required ^[2].

Make Core and above

Make's paid plans are Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise ^[1]. Core adds unlimited active scenarios, scheduling down to 1 minute, more data transfer and Make API access ^[1]. Pro adds priority execution, custom variables and full-text log search ^[1]. Teams adds team roles and shared templates ^[1]. Paid prices depend on the credit tier you choose, and we couldn't read them reliably from Make's page, so check the official Make pricing page for the current figure at your volume. Make says annual payment is cheaper than monthly ^[1].

What happens when you run out

• Make: scenarios stop until credits are added. Make warns you at 75% and 90%, and webhooks queue up to your queue limit ^[1]. Paid plans can buy extra credits in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000, or turn on auto-purchase ^[1].
• Zapier: with pay-per-task on, Zaps keep running at an overage rate. Zapier lists the overage multiplier as 2.5× the base rate on monthly plans and 1.25× on annual plans, with a pause ceiling at 3× your task subscription ^[2]. With pay-per-task off, usage stops until the next cycle ^[2]. Pay-per-task isn't available on Free ^[2].

Other differences that affect cost

• Apps: Zapier lists 9,000+ apps ^[2], Make 3,500+ ^[1]. If an app you rely on is only on one platform, that settles it.
• Run time: Make Free allows 5 minutes per execution and 40 on paid plans ^[1]. Zapier code steps get 1 second on Free and 30 seconds on Professional ^[2].
• Logs: Make keeps execution logs for 7 days on Free and 30 days on Core ^[1].
• Team use: Zapier's Team plan includes 25 users ^[2]. Make offers team features on its Teams plan ^[1].

Three small-business scenarios

These are illustrations using each vendor's published rules and our own arithmetic. Your numbers will differ.

Scenario 1: a newsletter signup goes to a spreadsheet

One trigger (new subscriber) and one action (add a row). On Zapier that's a two-step Zap, which the Free plan allows, and it uses 1 task per signup because the trigger is free ^[2]. 100 tasks cover about 100 signups a month. On Make it's two modules, about 2 credits per signup, so 1,000 credits cover about 500 signups ^[1]. Both free plans work; Make leaves more headroom.

Scenario 2: an online order updates three tools

A new order adds a sheet row, tags the buyer in your email tool, and posts to team chat. That's one trigger and three actions. Zapier Free can't do it in one Zap because it's limited to two steps ^[2]. On Professional it would use about 3 tasks per order. Make Free can run it as one scenario at about 4 credits per order, roughly 250 orders a month ^[1].

Scenario 3: a check every 15 minutes

Some workflows poll on a schedule, such as checking inventory. Zapier says polling and triggers don't use tasks ^[2]. In Make, a scheduled scenario uses credits for each module it runs, even when it finds nothing new, so a check every 15 minutes (about 2,880 runs a month) can use up the free plan's 1,000 credits on its own (our arithmetic based on Make's credit rules ^[1]). For frequent checks with few actions, Zapier's model can be cheaper. Make users can reduce the schedule to once or twice a day.

FAQ

Is Make really cheaper than Zapier? Often for multi-step workflows on a budget, because Make's free plan includes multi-step scenarios and 1,000 credits ^[1]. But Zapier doesn't charge for triggers or built-in tools ^[2], so for frequent polling with few actions the comparison can flip. Count your steps.

Do unused credits or tasks roll over? Make says credits expire at the end of the term ^[1]. Zapier's self-serve task allowance resets monthly, even on annual billing ^[2].

Can I switch later? Yes, but workflows don't transfer automatically between the two tools. You'd rebuild them, so start with the tool that fits the workflows you expect to run in six months.

Which should you choose?

• Choose Make if you're on a tight budget, your workflows have several steps, and the apps you need are supported.
• Choose Zapier if you need an app only Zapier supports, your workflows are simple two-step links, or you prefer to start with a full Professional trial.
• Try both free if you're unsure. Build the same small workflow in each and compare real credit and task use after a week.

A note on n8n

Many people also compare n8n. We haven't checked n8n's official pricing yet, so we don't include it here. We plan a separate comparison once we've verified its plans.

Bottom line

On free plans, Make gives more room for multi-step workflows (1,000 credits, routers and filters included ^[1]), while Zapier offers a larger app catalog and a 14-day Professional trial ^[2]. Count the steps in your real workflow, check both official pricing pages on the day you decide, and upgrade only when the time saved is worth the cost to you.

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