Review of Make vs Zapier
Zapier has the best UX and the most integrations (7,000+ apps). Make has the best visual builder and the lowest price at scale. Pick Zapier if you want simplicity and breadth. Pick Make if you want power and value.
Zapier is the original no-code automation tool. You connect apps with 'Zaps' (triggers + actions), no code required. 7,000+ app integrations, easy UI, generous free tier. Pricing: Free (100 tasks/month), $19.99/month Starter, $49/month Professional, custom for Team and Company.
Make (formerly Integromat) is a more visual automation tool. Workflows are shown as flowcharts, making complex logic easier to understand. 1,500+ app integrations, lower price at scale, steeper learning curve. Pricing: Free (1,000 operations/month), $9/month Core, $16/month Pro, $29/month Teams.
Zapier is easier to learn. The 'Zap' model (trigger + action) is intuitive. Make's visual builder is more powerful but has a steeper learning curve. For first-time users, Zapier wins. For power users, Make wins.
Make's flowchart view is the best in the industry. You see the entire workflow as a diagram, with branches, loops, and error handlers. Zapier recently added a similar view, but Make's is more mature. Make wins for complex workflows.
Zapier has 7,000+ apps. Make has 1,500+. For niche apps, Zapier often has the only integration. For popular apps (Google, Slack, Notion, Airtable), both have full coverage. Zapier wins on breadth.
Make supports routers (if/else), iterators (loops), aggregators (group by), and error handlers natively. Zapier supports some of this with Paths, but it's more limited. For complex workflows, Make wins.
Make has built-in functions for text, math, date, and array manipulation. Zapier has Formatter by Zapier, but it's more limited. For data-heavy workflows, Make wins.
Zapier charges per 'task' (one action = one task). Make charges per 'operation' (one module execution = one operation). At low volume, prices are comparable. At high volume (100K+ operations), Make is 2-3x cheaper. Make wins on price.
Zapier has Zapier AI: a chat interface that lets you build workflows in natural language. It works for simple workflows but struggles with complex ones. Make has AI integration with OpenAI and Anthropic, but you build it yourself. Zapier wins for AI ease of use.
Both are reliable. Zapier has a 99.99% uptime SLA on paid plans. Make has a 99.9% SLA. Zapier is slightly more reliable, but the difference is small.
Non-technical users, small businesses, marketers, and anyone who needs the broadest app coverage. If you can describe your workflow in 2-3 steps and just want it to work, pick Zapier.
Power users, ops teams, and anyone who needs complex workflows with branching, looping, and data transformation. If you find Zapier's pricing too high or its logic too limited, pick Make.
Yes. Many teams use Zapier for simple integrations and Make for complex ones. They coexist well, and the cost is usually lower than using Zapier for everything.
Zapier and Make are both excellent. Zapier is easier; Make is more powerful and cheaper at scale. Pick based on your team's technical level and workflow complexity. There's no wrong answer.
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