# Make or Zapier: which one fits a small business?

## At a glance

**How the billing difference plays out**Make counts a credit for each module that runs, and some modules use more than one.

**What to check before you choose**Write down each flow, the apps it touches and how many items it handles a month.

## Side by side

| | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Credits: by default one operation (one module run) uses one credit | Tasks: each action a Zap completes |
| Free option | Free plan with 1,000 credits a month | Free plan with 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps |
| Plans | Free, Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise plans | Free, Professional, Team and Enterprise plans |
| How you build | A visual canvas of connected modules | A step-by-step list of triggers and actions |
| Where it runs | Make's cloud | Zapier's cloud |
| Good fit | Flows that branch, loop over line items or reshape data | Short flows between well-known apps, owned by non-technical staff |

## How the billing difference plays out

Make counts a credit for each module that runs, and some modules use more than one. Zapier counts each completed action as a task. A flow that loops over 20 order lines uses a credit or a task per line on either tool, so estimate with your real volumes.

- Branching and list handling: Make shows the whole flow on one canvas

## What to check before you choose

Write down each flow, the apps it touches and how many items it handles a month. Confirm both tools connect to those apps, then price both against that number on their own pricing pages.

## Sources

- [Make pricing](https://www.make.com/en/pricing), checked 2026-11-04
- [Make Help Center: credits](https://help.make.com/credits), checked 2026-11-04
- [Zapier pricing](https://zapier.com/pricing), checked 2026-11-04

Updated 2026-11-04. General guidance, not advice for your situation; we scope each project in writing before any work starts.

## Questions people ask first

**Is Make cheaper than Zapier?**

It depends on your flows. Compare your monthly runs and steps against both pricing pages; Make's Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month and Zapier's 100 tasks.

**Can I move Zaps to Make?**

Each Zap is rebuilt as a Make scenario and tested side by side before the Zap is turned off.

**Which is easier to learn?**

Zapier, for most people: a flow is a short list of steps. Make's canvas takes longer to learn and pays off on flows that branch.

## Read next

[**Zapier vs Make vs n8n**](https://pushbuild.com/compare/zapier-vs-make-vs-n8n.html)[**Make**](https://pushbuild.com/tools/make.html)[**Zapier**](https://pushbuild.com/tools/zapier.html)[**Make expert**](https://pushbuild.com/services/make-com-expert.html)[**Zapier expert**](https://pushbuild.com/services/zapier-consultant.html)

## Tell us what you need built.

Tell us the process and the tools involved, or call. We reply with questions or a written scope.

[hello@pushbuild.com](mailto:hello@pushbuild.com?subject=Automation%20question)

[(617) 299-8887](tel:+16172998887)

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As of 2026-11-05. Source: https://pushbuild.com/compare/make-vs-zapier.html