Contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission — it never changes the verdict. Details
The Stack / Automation
Make
04 AutomationYes as the value pick in automation — Make's visual scenario builder handles branching and iteration Zapier charges dearly for, at $12–21/month. The trade: a steeper learning curve than Zapier and less ownership than n8n. Paid tiers rose about a third in 2026, so it is no longer the runaway bargain it was; against Zapier at the same workload it still wins on logic per dollar. For most solo operators graduating from simple zaps, this is the right next seat.
The job in the stack
The visual-automation seat: complex multi-branch scenarios at prices Zapier can't touch, without n8n's self-hosting homework.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 credits/mo, 2 active scenarios, 15-min minimum interval |
| Core | $12/mo | 10,000 credits, unlimited scenarios, 1-min scheduling; $16/mo billed monthly |
| Pro | $21/mo | Priority execution, custom variables, full-text log search |
| Teams | $38/mo | Shared scenarios and roles; annual billing saves 25% across tiers. Base rate is for 10,000 credits, and every tier scales up on a credit selector |
Pricing verified 2026-10-19. Plans change — the source of truth is Make's own pricing page.
Models & versions
- Scenario builder Visual flows with routers, iterators, aggregators across 3,000+ apps; AI modules included
- Make AI Agents Agentic scenarios on all plans (shipped Feb 2026); agents consume credits per module call, so budget them like any multi-module flow
- Model updates (Sep 2026) Added Sep 25: Claude Opus 5.5, GPT-6 Sol and Luna, Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash, Grok 4.7. OpenAI video modules were retired Sep 24 when OpenAI shut down the Videos API and Sora. Legacy OpenAI models are deprecated from Sep 28, so older scenarios need a model swap.
The honest read
What works
- + Visual builder handles genuinely complex logic — routers, loops, error paths
- + Priced by credits per module, not per task: still cheaper than Zapier at volume
- + 3,000+ app catalog covers most mainstream stacks
- + Free tier is a real sandbox, not a teaser
What breaks
- − The visual paradigm has its own learning curve — budget an afternoon, not ten minutes
- − Credit accounting surprises first-timers: standard modules cost 1 credit, but code runs bill 2 credits/second and AI modules burn at variable rates
- − Top-up credit packs bill about 25% above your plan's included rate — size the plan right rather than leaning on auto-purchase
- − No self-hosting: your automation layer lives on their infrastructure
Use it for
- →Operators whose Zapier bill outgrew the simplicity it bought
- →Multi-step scenarios with branching and data transformation
- →Budget-conscious automation at real volume
Skip it if
- ×First automation ever — Zapier's ten-minute start still wins
- ×Data sovereignty or extreme volume — n8n self-hosted owns that lane
Questions operators ask
?Where does Make sit between Zapier and n8n?
Exactly in the middle, and that's its value: more logic per dollar than Zapier, less operational burden than self-hosted n8n. If Zapier feels expensive and n8n feels like a project, Make is the answer to both complaints.
What changed
- Freshness sweep: we read the rendered make.com/pricing at the 10,000-credit base and found no price change. Core is $12, Pro $21 and Teams $38 (annual), and Free has 1,000 credits. Correction: the annual discount is 25% (the page reads 'Save 25%' on each tier; Core is $16 monthly), not the ~15% we listed. The page now promotes a Start-up Plan for teams under 20 employees at 50% off a Business plan. Business isn't listed among the self-serve tiers, so it isn't recorded.
- Freshness sweep: checked make.com/en/pricing and found no price change. Free has 1,000 credits and 2 active scenarios; Core is $12, Pro $21 and Teams $38, each at a 10,000-credit base; Enterprise is a custom quote. The pricing page now lists per-plan limits. Max file size is 5 MB on Free, 100 MB on Core, 250 MB on Pro and 500 MB on Teams. Logs are kept for 7 days on Free and 30 on paid plans. From Make's September release notes: OpenAI video modules were retired Sep 24 along with OpenAI's Videos API and Sora. Legacy OpenAI models are deprecated from Sep 28. New models were added Sep 25: Opus 5.5, GPT-6 Sol and Luna, Gemini Omni 1.1 Flash and Grok 4.7. Audit any scenario that still calls an older OpenAI model.
- Freshness sweep: verified directly on make.com/en/pricing — no change. Free 1,000 credits, Core $12/mo, Pro $21/mo, Teams $38/mo (annual), all at 10,000 credits base; Enterprise remains custom quote.
- Price rise found: Core $9 → $12/mo annual ($16 monthly), Pro $16 → $21, Teams $29 → $38. Confirmed on make.com/en/pricing and corroborated by independent trackers. Free tier holds at 1,000 credits / 2 active scenarios. Two mechanics added: base rates buy 10,000 credits and every tier scales on a credit selector, and top-up packs bill about 25% above the included rate. Verdict and the automation ranking rewritten — Make is still the value pick, but no longer at the old price.
- Re-verified: tiers unchanged (Free 1,000 credits / Core $9 / Pro $16 / Teams $29 annual). Added Make AI Agents (live on all plans since Feb 11, 2026) and the credit-burn detail that matters: code execution bills 2 credits/second and AI-native modules consume at variable rates, so agentic scenarios cost more than their module count suggests.
- Added to the stack (visual-automation seat). Verified: Free 1,000 credits, Core $9, Pro $16, Teams $29 (annual).
Give Make a job
The visual-automation seat: complex multi-branch scenarios at prices Zapier can't touch, without n8n's self-hosting homework.
Try Make →Alternatives with different jobs
Zapier
04 AutomationThe glue seat: moving data between the tools that don't talk to each other, on triggers you define.
n8n
04 AutomationThe heavy-automation seat: complex, high-volume workflows and AI agent pipelines, self-hosted or cloud.