Make vs Zapier: Which Workflow Automation Tool Is Right for Your Business?

Two Tools, One Job

Make (formerly Integromat) and Zapier both connect your apps and automate repetitive tasks. But they take very different approaches - and the one you choose affects what you can build, how much you pay, and how much technical skill you need.

Quick Comparison

What Zapier Is Good At

Zapier's strength is speed and simplicity. If you have a clear "if this, then that" task and you want it running in 20 minutes, Zapier wins.

• Straightforward app-to-app connections (form submission → CRM entry → email notification)
• Non-technical users who want automation without a learning curve
• Businesses with simple, linear workflows
• Quick one-off automations that need to work today

Real example: A Canberra mortgage broker uses Zapier to automatically add new Typeform leads to their HubSpot CRM and send a personalised welcome email. Took 30 minutes to set up, saves an hour of admin every week.

The catch: Zapier's pricing is based on "tasks" (each action counts). As your volume grows, costs scale fast. A busy business can easily hit $200-$500/month on Zapier.

What Make Is Good At

Make's visual canvas lets you build automations that look like flowcharts. You can create branches, handle errors, transform data, run loops, and build genuinely complex workflows that Zapier can't match without workarounds.

• Multi-step workflows with branching logic ("if X, do Y, otherwise do Z")
• Data transformation (reformatting, filtering, aggregating before sending to another app)
• High-volume automations where Zapier would get expensive
• Technical users or businesses with a developer involved
• Workflows that need robust error handling

Real example: An accounting firm uses Make to automate their client onboarding: new client signs → Stripe payment created → Xero invoice generated → Google Drive folder created → welcome email sent with all relevant links → Slack notification to account manager. Seven steps, multiple apps, conditional logic - Zapier would require workarounds; Make handles it cleanly.

The catch: There's a steeper learning curve. If you're not comfortable with concepts like data mapping and iterators, Make can be frustrating at first.

Pricing: The Real Numbers

• Free: 100 tasks/month
• Starter: ~$39 AUD/month (750 tasks)
• Professional: ~$99 AUD/month (2,000 tasks)
• Team: ~$399 AUD/month (50,000 tasks)

• Free: 1,000 operations/month
• Core: ~$14 AUD/month (10,000 operations)
• Pro: ~$36 AUD/month (10,000 operations + advanced features)
• Teams: ~$66 AUD/month (10,000 operations + team features)

The key difference: Make's "operations" count individual actions, but Make is significantly more efficient per operation than Zapier is per task. For most businesses, Make is 3-5x cheaper at equivalent volume.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Zapier if: - You're new to automation and want to get started fast - Your automations are simple and linear - You have low-to-medium volume - You're connecting mainstream apps (Google, HubSpot, Slack, Salesforce) - Time-to-setup matters more than long-term cost

Choose Make if: - You need complex logic with branches and conditions - You're dealing with high volume and cost is a concern - You want to transform or manipulate data between steps - You're happy to invest a few hours learning the tool - You want a developer-level tool without needing to write code

Use both if: - You have different types of automations serving different teams - You started on Zapier and want to migrate complex workflows to Make without rebuilding everything

Common Automations and Which Tool Works Better

Getting Started

With Zapier: Sign up, connect two apps you already use, and build your first "Zap" (their term for an automation). Start with something you do manually every week.

With Make: Sign up, watch one or two tutorial videos before diving in, then build a simple two-step scenario first. The visual canvas clicks once you've built one workflow.

Not sure where to start? The easiest entry point for most businesses is automating lead follow-up: new lead arrives → CRM entry → immediate email or SMS response. Both tools handle this well, but Zapier is faster to configure for this specific use case.

Want It Set Up for You?

Our workflow automation service covers both Make and Zapier - we'll tell you which is right for your situation and build it properly.

Get in touch if you want a second opinion on what you've already built, or want to start from scratch.