Make vs Zapier: 2026 comparison

Make and Zapier in brief

Make and Zapier connect applications, trigger actions and bring AI agents into automated workflows. Make highlights visual scenarios, data transformation and building or correcting scenarios from an instruction. Zapier emphasizes data transfers, sequences of actions and AI processing within workflows. Both have a free offering. One immediate distinction concerns pricing transparency: Make's entry price is not published in the supplied data, while Zapier provides an annual-payment price for Professional. That difference matters for budgeting without establishing which service costs less for your workload.

Make : Make lets teams connect applications in visual scenarios and trigger actions from events. It also transforms data between applications, creates AI agents, and builds or corrects scenarios from instructions.

Zapier : Zapier lets people automating their tasks connect applications and trigger sequences of actions. It also supports creating automations from instructions, adding AI processing, and building agents connected to applications.

They are often weighed against each other by people who hesitate. This page lines up their features point by point (10 criteria), with no partnership with either publisher.

Comparison table

Criterion by criterion

For each criterion: why it matters, each one's value and who has the edge. A criterion without data on both sides is not decided.

Free tier

A free tier lets you test the tool on your own examples before paying anything. Make : yes. Zapier : yes. A tie on this point.

Entry price

The first paid plan, per month, gives the minimum cost of regular use; higher plans cost more. Make : not published. Zapier : $19.99 per month. Cannot be decided: data missing on one side.

Public API

An API lets you connect the tool to your software, an automation tool or an AI agent. Make : yes. Zapier : yes. A tie on this point.

Data export

Being able to get your content back avoids lock-in the day you want to switch tools. Make : yes. Zapier : yes. A tie on this point.

Data hosting

Where data is stored matters for GDPR and client data: the EU or local processing make compliance simpler. Make : several regions. Zapier : United States. A tie on this point.

Interface languages

More interface languages make the tool easier to roll out across an international team. Make : 1. Zapier : 1. A tie on this point.

Platforms

The more platforms (web, desktop, mobile, extension), the better the tool fits your daily routine. Make : web browser and API. Zapier : web browser and API. A tie on this point.

Open source

Public code lets you audit the tool, self-host it and keep using it if the publisher changes course. Make : no. Zapier : no. A tie on this point.

Track record

A tool launched several years ago has a longer history: less risk of sudden shutdown, more user feedback. Make : launched in 2022. Zapier : launched in 2012. Edge: Zapier.

Recognition

The number of reference community lists citing the tool shows how well known it is among practitioners. Make : cited in 0 lists. Zapier : cited in 0 lists. Cannot be decided: data missing on one side.

In charts

Our analysis

Make presents automation as visual scenarios connecting applications. Its documented functions include transforming data between applications and building or correcting a scenario from an instruction. Zapier describes transferring data, triggering sequences of actions and creating automations from instructions, with AI processing explicitly included within workflows. Both list AI agent creation; Zapier's agents are described as connected to applications. These descriptions suggest useful points to examine against your own tasks. They do not establish a difference in learning difficulty or technical capability. No comparative tests are supplied, so visual construction or instruction-based creation should not be treated as evidence that one product performs better.

Make and Zapier both use a freemium model and provide a free offering. Make's entry price is not published in the supplied information, which prevents a supported comparison of paid starting costs. Zapier lists Professional at a USD 19.99 monthly equivalent with annual payment. Neither record specifies usage allowances, included capabilities or thresholds for the relevant plans. Make scores 65 for access and transparency, while Zapier scores 75. Their listed category positions are sixth and second out of eleven respectively. These figures describe access and transparency conditions; they do not measure automation quality or establish which service offers better value for your particular needs.

Both products are classified as closed source and both offer an API. Make lists mixed data hosting, while Zapier lists the United States. The mixed label does not identify the location that would apply to your own use. Retention periods and data reuse policies are also absent, limiting any privacy comparison. Make exports scenarios in JSON. Zapier exports workflows in JSON and execution history in CSV or JSON. Zapier therefore documents additional export categories in these records, but that does not demonstrate complete portability or a direct migration path between the tools. The available hosting and export facts should be interpreted within those limits.

For everyday work, Make aligns with visual scenario construction, data transformation and scenario correction from instructions. Zapier aligns with sequences of actions between applications and explicitly listed AI processing inside workflows. Both list web and API access, and both record one interface language with no French. The supplied information does not identify compatible applications, execution limits or feature availability by plan. A concrete workflow is therefore the useful starting point: what must trigger, which data must change and which outputs you need to retain. Make's unpublished entry price additionally limits financial comparison beyond the fact that both services have free offerings.

Depending on your situation

The right choice depends on use. For a few common situations, here are the criteria that matter and who wins (Make value / Zapier value).

Personal use on a tight budget

Neither stands out on the criteria for this situation (free tier (yes / yes), entry price (not published / $19.99 per month), and interface languages (1 / 1)): decide with a trial.

Business use with client data

Here, Zapier has the edge: it wins 1 of the 3 criteria that matter in this situation, namely data hosting (several regions / United States), data export (yes / yes), and track record (launched in 2022 / launched in 2012).

Integration with your software

Neither stands out on the criteria for this situation (public api (yes / yes), open source (no / no), and platforms (web browser and API / web browser and API)): decide with a trial.

Which one to choose?

Choose Make if…

Make does not lead on any measurable criterion; it is still relevant if you already use it or prefer it after a trial.

Make is a logical option if you want visual scenarios, data transformation and instruction-based help to build or correct those scenarios. A free offering provides an access route, although its limits are not specified here. Since the supplied data does not publish an entry price, you cannot yet establish the paid budget from this comparison alone.

Choose Zapier if…

• you value track record (launched in 2012)

Zapier suits needs involving sequences of actions between applications, instruction-based automation creation and AI processing within workflows. Execution history exports in CSV or JSON may also matter for your records. Its Professional price is published with annual payment, but the supplied information does not establish the volumes or features included for the workflow you have in mind.

Strengths and limits of each

Make

• + Free tier to try it
• + Public API
• + Established since 2022
• − Price not published

Zapier

• + Free tier to try it
• + Public API
• + Established since 2012
• − More expensive than its category median

The best test is still yours: take three real tasks from your day and give them to both for a week.

What about the others?

If neither suits you, look at n8n, Hexowatch, Shotstack Workflows, Nekton, Bardeen, and AI-Flow.

Related comparisons:

• n8n vs Make
• n8n vs Zapier

Conclusion

Make emphasizes visual construction, data transformation and correcting scenarios from instructions. Zapier documents AI processing, execution history exports and a Professional price. Your decision depends on the workflow you need and the conditions required to operate it. Free-plan details are missing, and Make's entry price is unpublished in the data. The score difference concerns access and transparency, so it should not be used as a verdict on automation quality.