Replace Zapier with Make (Same Automations, 65% Less)
Zapier Professional gives you 750 tasks/mo for $29.99. Make Core gives you 10,000 operations/mo for $10.59. That's 13x more volume at 65% less cost. The trade-off is a steeper learning curve — but if you're already building multi-step Zaps, you'll pick up Make quickly. Here's how to migrate your top workflows.
The Math
Zapier Professional: $29.99/mo ($239.88/yr) for 750 tasks/mo, unlimited Zaps, multi-step.
Make Core: $10.59/mo ($108/yr) for 10,000 ops/mo, unlimited scenarios.
Savings: $19.40/mo ($232/yr). At higher volumes the gap widens — Zapier Team at $103.50/mo (2,000 tasks) vs Make Pro at $18.82/mo (10,000 ops).
Exact Pricing Comparison
| Tool | Plan | Monthly Price | Volume | Annual Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Free | $0/mo | 100 tasks/mo, two-step only | $0 |
| Zapier | Professional | $29.99/mo | 750 tasks/mo, multi-step | $239.88/yr |
| Zapier | Team | $103.50/mo | 2,000 tasks/mo | $828/yr |
| Make | Free | $0/mo | 1,000 ops/mo, 2 scenarios | $0 |
| Make | Core | $10.59/mo | 10,000 ops/mo, unlimited scenarios | $108/yr |
| Make | Pro | $18.82/mo | 10,000 ops/mo, custom functions, priority | $192/yr |
What You Gain vs. What You Lose
| What You Gain | What You Lose |
|---|---|
| 65% lower cost at equivalent functionality | Zapier's broader app catalog (7,000+ vs 1,800+) |
| 13x more operations per dollar (10,000 vs 750) | Simpler UX — Make's visual builder has a steeper learning curve |
| Routers, filters, and error handling built in | Zapier's Tables (built-in database) and Interfaces (forms/pages) |
| No multi-step task multiplier penalty | Team familiarity — if your team already knows Zapier |
| Data stores (built-in key/value storage) | Zapier's AI actions for LLM-powered workflows |
Step-by-Step Migration: Top 5 Zaps
1. Form Submission → CRM Contact
Zapier:Typeform/Tally trigger → Create Contact in HubSpot/Pipedrive.
Make:Same trigger module (Typeform or Webhook) → CRM module (Create Contact). Direct 1:1 translation. Add a Router if you want to create the contact in both CRM and a Google Sheet simultaneously.
2. New Email Subscriber → Welcome Sequence
Zapier:Mailchimp trigger (new subscriber) → Add to drip campaign.
Make:Email platform trigger → HTTP module or email platform module to add tag or start automation. Most email platforms (ActiveCampaign, Kit, beehiiv) have native Make integrations.
3. Stripe Payment → Notification + Spreadsheet
Zapier:Stripe trigger (payment) → Slack notification + Google Sheets row. This is a 3-step Zap, consuming 3 tasks per run.
Make:Stripe trigger → Router → Branch 1: Slack message, Branch 2: Google Sheets row. In Make, both branches count as individual operations, but you have 10,000 ops to work with instead of 250 effective runs (750 tasks ÷ 3 steps).
4. Calendar Event → CRM Activity Log
Zapier:Google Calendar trigger → Create Activity in Pipedrive.
Make:Google Calendar module (watch events) → Pipedrive module (create activity). Direct 1:1 translation. Add a Filter to only log external meetings.
5. New Blog Post → Social Media Posts
Zapier:RSS trigger → Post to Twitter + LinkedIn + Buffer. A 4-step Zap consuming 4 tasks per run.
Make:RSS module → Router → 3 branches (Twitter, LinkedIn, Buffer). Each branch is 1 operation. Total: 4 operations per run out of 10,000/mo.
Who Should NOT Switch
- Teams with non-technical users who built the Zaps. Make's visual builder is more powerful but less intuitive than Zapier's step-by-step wizard. If the person maintaining automations has zero technical background, the retraining cost may outweigh the savings.
- Workflows depending on Zapier-exclusive integrations. Zapier connects to 7,000+ apps; Make connects to 1,800+. Check that all your current app connections exist in Make before committing. Niche or industry-specific apps are more likely to be missing.
- Low-volume users on Zapier's free plan. If you use fewer than 100 tasks/mo with simple 2-step Zaps, Zapier's free tier already costs you nothing. Make's free tier gives more (1,000 ops, but only 2 active scenarios). Switching adds complexity for no cost benefit.
- Teams using Zapier Tables or Interfaces. These are Zapier-only features with no Make equivalent. If you've built internal tools using Zapier Tables (database) or Interfaces (forms/pages), migration requires replacing those with separate tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Make count operations vs Zapier's tasks?
Zapier counts every step in a Zap as one task. A 5-step Zap uses 5 tasks per run, meaning 750 tasks/mo = only 150 runs of that Zap. Make counts each module execution as one operation, which sounds similar — but with 10,000 ops/mo on Core ($10.59), you get 2,000 runs of that same 5-step workflow. That's 13x more capacity at 65% less cost.
Is Make reliable enough for business-critical automations?
Yes. Make has built-in error handling (retry, break, ignore, commit), which is actually more sophisticated than Zapier's. You can set up error routes that trigger alerts or fallback actions. Make also offers execution logs and scenario history for debugging.
How long does migration take?
Plan 1–2 hours per Zap for simple workflows and 2–4 hours for complex multi-step Zaps with conditional logic. Most teams with 10–20 Zaps complete migration in a week of part-time work. Run both platforms in parallel during testing.
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