Zapier vs Make: Which One Should I Use?

Zapier and Make.com are two of the most popular no-code automation platforms that help users connect various applications and automate repetitive workflows without writing code.

Zapier is a no-code automation platform founded in 2011 by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop. It was created to help non-technical users automate repetitive tasks by connecting different web applications without the need for coding.

The platform allows users to create automated workflows called Zaps, enabling seamless integration between tools like Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, and over 7,000 other apps. Zapier is widely known for its simplicity and user-friendly interface, making it ideal for beginners or small teams who want to automate tasks such as sending emails, updating spreadsheets, or creating calendar events.

Make.com was originally launched as Integromat in 2016 by a Czech company named Celonis (formerly Integromat s.r.o.). The platform was rebranded as Make.com in 2022.It was designed to offer a more visual and advanced automation experience, targeting both technical and non-technical users who need powerful multi-step workflows.Make allows users to build complex scenarios using a drag-and-drop interface, enabling automation with logic, iterations, and advanced data handling.

Which One Should You Choose?

That depends on what you’re trying to do, but I’ve compiled a few key points below to help you decide:

1. 📱 Number of Supported Apps

• Zapier supports over 7,000 apps, while Make.com offers integrations with over 2,000.

• Both platforms include popular tools like Gmail, OpenAI, Notion, and many others.

You can use xray.tools to check which platform supports a specific app.

2. 💸 Pricing and Plan Comparison

• Zapier offers Free, Professional, and Team plans.

• Make.com provides Free, Core, Pro, and Teams plans.

🔍 Task vs. Operation

• In Zapier, every successful action is counted as a task. For example: if a form is submitted and an email is sent, that counts as 1 task.

• In Make.com, every module run is considered an operation.

  
  

  For the same example: retrieving the form data, sending the email, and evaluating a condition would count as 3 operations.

Because of this, Make.com typically consumes more operations for the same workflow.

However, it is significantly cheaper.

💰 Plan Pricing Example:

10,000 operations in Make.com ≈ 3,000–5,000 tasks in Zapier.

• Zapier (Professional Plan): 10,000 tasks / month → $129/month

• Make.com (Pro Plan): 10,000 operations / month → $16/month

3. 🧭 Ease of Use

• Zapier offers a clean, linear, and beginner-friendly interface.

• Make.com is more advanced, with a visual, branched structure that can be harder to understand at first.

4. ✨ Unique Features

• Make.com supports routers, iterators, aggregators, and custom API requests, making it ideal for building complex, multi-step workflows.

• Zapier features an AI-generated automation builder, where you can describe what you want, and it will build the automation for you.

  
  

  (Make.com is currently testing a similar AI feature in beta.)

📞 5. Support & Community

Zapier has a larger and more established user community and help documentation. It offers:

• A comprehensive knowledge base with step-by-step tutorials.

• An active forum where users ask and answer questions.

• Priority support for paying users, with generally quick response times.

• In-app support chat available on higher-tier plans.

Make.com, while newer and smaller in scale, also has:

• A growing community forum (community.make.com) that’s gaining popularity.

• An extensive help center, though more technical in language.

• Support through tickets (no live chat on most plans).

• Scenario templates shared by the community and team for quicker onboarding.

Also, Both Zapier and Make.com offer "How-to" guides on their official websites, which explain how to perform specific actions or build automations step by step.

💬 If you're a beginner, Zapier's support ecosystem is often easier to navigate.If you're more technical, Make.com’s documentation and developer-focused articles may feel more powerful.

👨‍💻 6. Customization & Code Integration

Make.com is often preferred by developers or advanced users because of its flexibility:

• Custom code modules using JavaScript.

• Built-in HTTP module to make custom API calls easily.

• Support for Webhooks, JSON parsing, data mapping, and error handling with visual logic.

• Ability to loop through data with iterators, split flows with routers, and combine data with aggregators.

Zapier also offers customization, but it’s more limited:

• You can use the Code by Zapier module to run small snippets in JavaScript or Python.

• Webhooks by Zapier lets you send/receive HTTP requests, but it's less visual and more linear.

• No native iterators or routers (some can be simulated but not as easily as in Make.com).

• Easier for simple tasks, but complex logic is harder to manage.

 In summary:

• Make.com gives you more control for complex, technical automations.

• Zapier focuses on making simple automations accessible and easy to build.

👋 About the Author

Işıl Benek

Computer Engineering Student | Tech Enthusiast | Digital Explorer

Interned with Ecodation, Europe Coding School, and Velo Games. Proficient in Python, Java, HTML/CSS. Proud data analyst, creative coder, and community builder.

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