Want all three compared? If you are also considering n8n, read our comprehensive three-way comparison: → n8n vs. Make vs. Zapier
Overview: Make and Zapier compared
Zapier is the incumbent among automation tools. Founded in the US in 2011, it is now used by more than 2 million companies worldwide to connect apps with each other. Its greatest strength: more than 7,000 supported apps and an extremely simple interface.
Make (formerly Integromat) comes from Prague and has established itself since 2016 as a more powerful alternative. Make offers a visual workflow editor that allows more complex automations than Zapier — and often at considerably lower cost.
Both tools work on the same basic principle: they connect your existing software systems (CRM, accounting, email marketing) and set rules for when which action should run automatically. Both are suitable for getting started with workflow automation — the differences are in the detail.
Feature comparison
The table below shows the most important differences in features. We assess them from the perspective of a mid-sized company that wants to automate its first workflows.
| Criterion | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Supported apps | 2.000+ | 7.000+ |
| Visual workflow editor | Fully visual with drag and drop, branching and loops | Linear (step by step), simpler but less flexible |
| Complex logic | Router, filter, iterator, aggregator, error handling | Paths (branching), filters — less powerful |
| HTTP/API connection | Full HTTP client with authentication | Webhooks and code steps possible |
| Data transformation | Extensive functions for text, date, JSON, arrays | Formatter steps, but less flexible |
| Ease of getting started | Medium learning curve — powerful, but more complex at first | Very simple — feels like filling in a form |
| Error handling | Built-in error handlers, retry logic, break/resume | Basic — error notifications by email |
| Execution history | Detailed logs with input/output per module | Task history with basic information |
Price comparison (as of March 2026)
Make and Zapier differ clearly on price. Make charges by operations (individual actions within a workflow), Zapier by tasks (successful executions of a workflow step). A direct 1:1 comparison is therefore difficult, but the following table gives you some orientation:
| Plan | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 ops/month, 2 scenarios | 100 tasks/month, 5 Zaps |
| Entry (paid) | from €10.59/month (10,000 ops) | from $29.99/month (750 tasks) |
| Business-ready | from €18.82/month (10,000 ops, Teams) | from $73.50/month (2,000 tasks) |
| Price per unit | approx. €0.001 per operation | approx. $0.01 - 0.04 per task |
| Cost at high volume | Considerably cheaper — 5 to 10x | Gets expensive at scale with many tasks |
Worked example: A mid-sized company with 10 automated workflows and about 5,000 executions per month pays around €18 a month with Make. With Zapier, the same workflows would cost between $73 and $150 per month, depending on the plan. That is a price difference of a factor of 4 to 8.
Which tool suits whom?
Zapier is the better choice if:
- You need to connect a specific niche app that only Zapier supports (e.g. highly specialised industry software)
- You only need 2 to 3 simple workflows (e.g. "new contact in the CRM → automatic welcome email")
- You want to start without an agency and need maximum simplicity
- Your team works in English — Zapier has the better English documentation
Make is the better choice if:
- You plan more than 3 workflows or want to extend existing ones
- Your workflows need branching, conditions or loops
- You want to keep costs under control — Make is 5 to 10x cheaper as volume grows
- You work with an agency that handles the setup
- You want to set up error handling and monitoring professionally
Our recommendation
For most mid-sized companies we recommend Make. The reason is simple: as soon as you go beyond the simplest automations, Zapier quickly reaches its limits — both functionally and in price.
Make offers the flexibility you need as processes become more complex: conditional branching ("if the invoice amount is over €5,000, then approval by management, otherwise post automatically"), loops for bulk data processing and professional error handling.
At the same time, Make is drastically cheaper as automation volume grows. A company running 20 workflows with a total of 50,000 operations per month pays around €30 with Make — with Zapier the same volume would be $200 to $500, depending on the plan.
The only legitimate reason for Zapier: you need an app integration that only exists with Zapier. In that case, check whether Make can still integrate the app via an HTTP connection — in most cases it can.
Our approach: We work platform-independently and use the tool that best fits your specific use case. In roughly 80 percent of cases that is Make. Sometimes we also combine Make with AI agents to build even smarter automations.
Further reading
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