Make.com is cheaper than Zapier for most small businesses in 2026, often by 3-5x for comparable automation volume. Zapier's pricing is based on tasks (each action in a workflow counts), while Make.com charges by operations (similar concept, but you get dramatically more of them per dollar). A business running 10,000 actions per month pays roughly $49/month on Make.com versus $89-156/month on Zapier, depending on the plan. But price alone doesn't tell the full story — Zapier's simplicity and app library still make it the better choice for certain use cases. Here's the complete breakdown.
2026 Pricing Comparison: Make.com vs Zapier
Let's start with the numbers. Both platforms updated their pricing in late 2025 and early 2026, so older comparisons you find online may be outdated.
Zapier Pricing (March 2026)
| Plan | Monthly Price | Tasks/Month | Multi-Step Zaps | Features |
|---|
|------|-------------|-------------|-----------------|----------|
| Free | $0 | 100 | No (2-step only) | 5 Zaps, basic apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | $89.99 | 2,000 | Yes | Shared workspace, permissions, SSO |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Yes | Advanced admin, SCIM, dedicated support |
Additional tasks beyond your plan limit cost $0.01-0.03 per task depending on volume.
Make.com Pricing (March 2026)
| Plan | Monthly Price | Operations/Month | Features |
|---|
|------|-------------|-------------------|----------|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 | 2 active scenarios, 5-min intervals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $18.82 | 10,000 | Custom functions, priority execution |
| Teams | $34.12 | 10,000 | Team features, scenario templates |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | SSO, audit logs, dedicated support |
Additional operations can be purchased in blocks. The per-operation cost on Make.com is roughly $0.001-0.003 — about 10x cheaper than Zapier's per-task pricing.
Head-to-Head: Same Workflow, Different Cost
Let's make this concrete. Say you run a standard lead-to-CRM automation:
1. New form submission (trigger)
2. Look up existing contact in CRM
3. Create or update contact
4. Create deal
5. Send Slack notification
6. Send welcome email
On Zapier: This is a 6-step Zap. Each run consumes 6 tasks. If you get 50 leads/day, that's 300 tasks/day or 9,000 tasks/month. You'd need the Team plan ($89.99) and you'd be close to the limit.
On Make.com: This is a 6-operation scenario. Same 50 leads/day = 9,000 operations/month. The Core plan ($10.59) covers you with room to spare.
Cost difference: $89.99 vs $10.59 for identical functionality. That's 8.5x cheaper on Make.com.
This gap gets wider as you add more automations. A business running 20 workflows with moderate volume can easily spend $200-400/month on Zapier while staying under $50/month on Make.com.
Beyond Price: Where Each Platform Wins
Price matters, but it's not everything. Here's where each platform has a genuine edge:
Where Zapier Wins
App library breadth. Zapier supports 7,000+ app integrations versus Make.com's 2,000+. If you use niche industry software, Zapier probably has a native connector. Make.com might require a custom API call (which it handles well, but requires more setup).
Simplicity for basic workflows. Zapier's editor is point-and-click straightforward. If you're building simple 2-3 step automations and you're not technical, Zapier's learning curve is nearly flat.
Reliability and uptime. Both platforms are reliable, but Zapier has a longer track record and slightly better uptime history for premium plans.
AI features. Zapier's AI capabilities — including natural language automation building and AI-powered troubleshooting — are more mature than Make.com's as of early 2026.
Where Make.com Wins
Complex logic. Make.com's visual scenario builder handles branching, loops, error handlers, and parallel processing natively. Building the same logic in Zapier requires workarounds (Paths, Filters) that consume additional tasks and get messy fast.
Data transformation. Make.com includes robust data mapping, JSON parsing, array manipulation, and text functions within the platform. Zapier requires add-on steps (Formatter, Code by Zapier) that each count as tasks.
HTTP/API flexibility. Make.com's HTTP module and webhook handling are best-in-class among no-code platforms. If you're integrating with APIs that don't have native connectors, Make.com makes it painless.
Cost at scale. As shown above, Make.com's pricing model rewards volume. The more automations you run, the bigger the savings gap becomes.
Self-hosted option. Make.com has an on-premise version for businesses with strict data residency requirements. Zapier is cloud-only.
Which Platform Should You Choose?
Here's the decision framework we use at Sterling Labs when advising clients:
Choose Zapier If:
Choose Make.com If:
Consider n8n If:
For a detailed look at how these tools fit into a broader automation strategy, check our workflow automation services page.
Hidden Costs Most Comparisons Miss
Zapier's Hidden Costs
Task inflation. Every filter, formatter, and path step counts as a task, even if it doesn't produce an output. A "simple" 3-step Zap with a filter and formatter is actually consuming 5 tasks per run.
Premium app surcharges. Some Zapier integrations (Salesforce, Marketo, others) are only available on Team or Enterprise plans. You might need to upgrade your entire plan for one connector.
Multi-step pricing jump. Moving from Professional to Team to get multi-user features jumps from $29.99 to $89.99 — a 3x increase for what's essentially collaboration features.
Make.com's Hidden Costs
Learning curve. Make.com takes longer to learn. If your team's time is expensive and nobody wants to invest in learning the platform, the "savings" evaporate into training hours. This is where hiring a consultant often makes sense.
Execution time limits. Complex scenarios that run longer can hit timeout limits on lower plans, requiring optimization or plan upgrades.
Support response times. Make.com's support on Core and Pro plans can be slow. Zapier's support is generally faster, especially on paid plans.
Real-World Cost Scenarios
Here are three business profiles with realistic automation needs:
Scenario 1: Solo Consultant (Low Volume)
Scenario 2: Growing Agency (Medium Volume)
Scenario 3: Established Business (High Volume)
Migration: Switching from Zapier to Make.com
If you're on Zapier and the pricing doesn't work anymore, migration is straightforward but tedious:
1. Audit existing Zaps: List every active Zap, its trigger, steps, and monthly task consumption
2. Prioritize by volume: Migrate your highest-volume Zaps first for immediate cost savings
3. Rebuild in Make.com: Most Zaps translate 1:1 to Make.com scenarios. Complex Zaps often become simpler in Make.com thanks to better logic handling
4. Test in parallel: Run both platforms for 1-2 weeks to verify the Make.com scenarios match Zapier's output
5. Cut over: Disable Zapier Zaps, downgrade or cancel your plan
Most businesses can complete a migration in 2-4 weeks. If you'd rather not handle it yourself, Sterling Labs does Zapier-to-Make.com migrations as part of our automation services.
Key Takeaways
Need help choosing the right automation platform or migrating from Zapier to Make.com? Talk to Sterling Labs — we'll assess your workflow volume, recommend the right platform, and build it for you.