Step 1: Take Inventory (5 Minutes)
Start by listing every active automation in your account. Both Zapier and Make show this in the dashboard, but most people have never reviewed the full list.
- Zapier:Go to "Zaps" and filter by Status: On. Note the total count and sort by "Last Run" date.
- Make:Go to "Scenarios" and filter by Active. Note the total count and sort by last execution date.
- Write down: Total active automations, total tasks/operations used last month, current plan limit, and current monthly cost.
Step 2: Identify Zombie Automations (10 Minutes)
Zombie automations are workflows that are "on" but have not triggered in 30+ days. They are either broken, obsolete, or connected to workflows nobody uses anymore.
- Sort by last run date. Any automation that has not run in 30+ days is a candidate for removal.
- Check for broken triggers. A Zap connected to a form that no longer exists, or a scenario connected to a deleted spreadsheet, is wasting capacity even if it does not consume tasks.
- Turn off zombies immediately.Do not delete them yet — just turn them off. If nobody notices in 30 days, delete them.
Typical finding
Most teams find that 20–30% of their active automations are zombies. On Zapier Professional ($29.99/mo, 750 tasks), turning off zombies typically frees up 100–200 tasks per month. On Make Core ($10.59/mo, 10,000 ops), the operation savings are proportionally similar.
Step 3: Find Duplicate Workflows (10 Minutes)
Duplicates happen when someone creates a new automation instead of modifying the existing one, or when multiple team members build the same workflow independently.
- Group by trigger app. If you have three Zaps triggered by Typeform, check if they are doing similar things. Often two can be consolidated into one multi-step Zap.
- Group by action app. If you have five automations that all write to Google Sheets, check if some are writing to the same sheet from different triggers. These can often be merged.
- Look for test automations.Zaps or scenarios with names like "Test", "Copy of", or "V2" are often duplicates left over from testing.
Step 4: Optimize Multi-Step Workflows (5 Minutes)
On Zapier, each step costs a task. Reducing a 5-step Zap to 3 steps saves 40% of the tasks consumed per run. Here is how:
- Replace Zapier steps with native integrations. If HubSpot can natively send a Slack notification when a deal closes, remove the Zapier step. That is one less task per run.
- Move filters to triggers. Zapier trigger filters do not count as tasks. If you have a filter step mid-Zap, see if the same condition can be applied at the trigger level.
- Combine formatting steps. If you have multiple Formatter steps in a row, see if the same transformation can be done in one step using Formatter utilities.
Cost Savings Calculator
After completing the audit, calculate your potential savings:
| Action | Typical Savings (Zapier) | Typical Savings (Make) |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off zombie automations | 100–200 tasks/mo | 500–2,000 ops/mo |
| Consolidate duplicates | 50–150 tasks/mo | 200–1,000 ops/mo |
| Optimize multi-step workflows | 100–300 tasks/mo | 500–2,000 ops/mo |
| Total potential savings | 250–650 tasks/mo | 1,200–5,000 ops/mo |
On Zapier Professional (750 tasks/mo at $29.99/mo), saving 250–650 tasks could mean the difference between staying on Professional or downgrading. On Make Core (10,000 ops/mo at $10.59/mo), the ops savings may let you stay on Core instead of upgrading to Pro ($18.82/mo), saving roughly $99/year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I audit my automations?
Quarterly. Task consumption creeps up as you add new automations without removing old ones. A quarterly 30-minute audit prevents the slow climb toward the next pricing tier.
Should I delete old automations or just turn them off?
Turn them off first. Wait 30 days. If nobody asks about them, delete. This prevents accidentally breaking a workflow someone depends on that you did not know about.
Can this audit save me money immediately?
If you are near your task/ops limit and about to upgrade, yes. Cutting 30–40% of wasted tasks can delay an upgrade by months. On Zapier, that means avoiding the jump from Professional ($29.99/mo) to Team ($103.50/mo), saving $882/year.
Does this audit apply to n8n (self-hosted)?
The zombie and duplicate identification steps apply to any automation platform. The cost savings are most relevant for Zapier and Make because they charge by task/operation volume. n8n self-hosted has no per-task cost but still benefits from reduced complexity.
Explore Further on Sasanova
Comparisons