Zapier vs Make: Which Automation Platform Wins in 2026?

The Automation Showdown You've Been Waiting For

Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat) are the two biggest names in workflow automation. Both let you connect apps and automate repetitive tasks without code. But they take very different approaches.

We built the exact same 10 automations on both platforms to give you a definitive answer on which one to choose.

Quick Verdict

Choose Zapier if: You want the easiest setup experience and have a straightforward workflow (A triggers B triggers C). You're willing to pay more for simplicity.

Choose Make if: You want more power, visual workflow design, and better pricing. You're comfortable with a slightly steeper learning curve.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Ease of Use

Zapier wins here. The interface is dead simple — pick a trigger, pick an action, map your fields, and you're done. Anyone can build a basic Zap in under 5 minutes.

Make has a visual canvas-based builder that's more powerful but takes longer to learn. You drag modules onto a canvas and connect them. The learning curve is real, but once you get it, you can build far more complex workflows.

Pricing

This is where Make dominates. Zapier's pricing has gotten increasingly aggressive, and the free plan is very limited.

• Zapier Free: 5 Zaps, 100 tasks/month
• Zapier Starter: $19.99/month for 750 tasks
• Make Free: 2 scenarios, 1,000 operations/month
• Make Core: $9/month for 10,000 operations

Make gives you 10x more operations for half the price. For small businesses watching their budget, this matters.

Integrations

Zapier has 6,000+ integrations. Make has 1,500+. But here's the thing — Make lets you connect to any API with its HTTP module, so you're never truly stuck.

Complex Workflows

Make crushes Zapier for complex workflows. Need conditional logic, loops, error handling, or parallel processing? Make handles it natively. Zapier requires workarounds or their expensive "Paths" feature.

Our 10-Automation Test Results

We built these identical automations on both platforms:

1. New form submission → CRM + email — Tie
2. Social media cross-posting — Zapier wins (more native integrations)
3. Lead scoring pipeline — Make wins (better logic handling)
4. Invoice processing — Make wins (better data transformation)
5. Customer onboarding sequence — Tie
6. Content publishing workflow — Make wins (parallel processing)
7. Ecommerce order routing — Make wins (complex conditionals)
8. Meeting scheduler + follow-up — Zapier wins (calendar integrations)
9. Data sync between 4 tools — Make wins (visual clarity)
10. Error monitoring + alerts — Make wins (built-in error handling)

Final score: Make 6, Zapier 2, Tie 2

The Bottom Line

For most small businesses and solopreneurs, Make is the better choice in 2026. It's more powerful, significantly cheaper, and the learning curve is worth the investment.

Choose Zapier if you need specific integrations Make doesn't support, or if your team needs the absolute simplest tool possible and budget isn't a concern.