Zapier vs Make: Which Automation Tool is Right for You?

You've heard the pitch: connect your apps, automate your workflows, stop doing repetitive tasks manually.

And it's true. Automation and integrations can save hours every week — moving data between tools, triggering actions automatically, eliminating the copy-paste busywork that eats up your day.

But when you go to pick a tool, you immediately hit a fork in the road: Zapier or Make?

Both do the same basic thing. Both are legitimate, well-established platforms. Both have free tiers. So how do you choose?

Here's the honest breakdown.

The short answer

Choose Zapier if: You want the simplest path to automation. You're not technical. You need something working in 15 minutes, not 2 hours. You value ease over flexibility.

Choose Make if: You need more complex workflows. You're comfortable with a steeper learning curve. You want more control over logic and data transformation. Budget matters and you're building a lot of automations.

Now let's dig into why.

What they actually do

Both Zapier and Make connect different apps so they can talk to each other. When something happens in one app (a "trigger"), it automatically does something in another app (an "action").

Simple example: When someone fills out your contact form (trigger), add them to your CRM and send you a Slack notification (actions).

More complex example: When a new order comes in, check inventory levels, update a spreadsheet, send a confirmation email to the customer, notify the warehouse via Slack, and create a task in your project management tool — all automatically.

The difference isn't what they do. It's how they do it. (We cover both tools in our guide to AI and automation tools for small business.)

Zapier: The easy button

Zapier is built for simplicity. If you've never automated anything before, Zapier will feel familiar within minutes.

What Zapier does well:

Dead-simple interface. The workflow builder is linear and obvious. Pick a trigger, pick an action, test it, turn it on. No flowcharts, no visual complexity. Just "when this, do that."

Massive app library. Zapier connects to 6,000+ apps — more than any competitor. If your tool has an integration anywhere, it probably has one with Zapier.

Templates everywhere. Don't want to build from scratch? Zapier has pre-built templates for common workflows. "New Typeform response → Add row to Google Sheets" is one click away.

AI features. Zapier has leaned into AI with features like natural language automation creation. You can describe what you want in plain English and it'll build the Zap for you.

Reliability. Zapier has been around since 2011. It's stable, well-documented, and rarely breaks.

Where Zapier struggles:

Linear thinking only. Zapier workflows go in a straight line: trigger → action → action → action. If you need branching logic (if this, do that; otherwise, do something else), it gets clunky fast. They've added "Paths" but it's bolted on, not native.

Limited data transformation. Need to reformat data, do calculations, or manipulate information between steps? Zapier can do it, but it's awkward. You'll hit walls.

Price scales quickly. Zapier charges by "tasks" — each action in a workflow counts. Complex workflows with multiple steps burn through your task quota fast. At scale, it gets expensive.

Less control. The simplicity is great until you need something specific. Then you're fighting the tool instead of using it.

Make: The power tool

Make (formerly Integromat) is built for flexibility. If you want to build sophisticated automations with complex logic, Make gives you the control.

What Make does well:

Visual workflow builder. Make uses a flowchart-style canvas where you can see your entire automation as a visual map. Branching, loops, error handling — it's all visible and editable.

Powerful data handling. Need to parse JSON, transform arrays, do date math, or manipulate complex data structures? Make handles it natively. It's built for people who need to actually work with data.

Branching and logic. If/then logic, routers, filters, iterators — Make treats these as first-class features, not afterthoughts. Complex workflows are actually manageable.

Better pricing at scale. Make charges by "operations" but gives you more bang for your buck. The same workflow often costs less to run on Make than Zapier. They also offer more generous limits on lower tiers.

HTTP/API flexibility. Need to connect to something that doesn't have a native integration? Make's HTTP module lets you call any API. It's more technical, but way more powerful.

Where Make struggles:

Steeper learning curve. Make is not intuitive if you've never seen it before. The visual canvas can feel overwhelming. There are more concepts to learn (modules, scenarios, operations, routers, aggregators).

Smaller app library. Make has 1,500+ integrations — plenty for most use cases, but less than Zapier. Niche apps might be missing.

More ways to break things. With great power comes great responsibility. Make gives you enough rope to hang yourself. Complex automations can become maintenance headaches if you're not careful.

Fewer templates. Make has templates, but not as many. You're more likely to build from scratch.

Head-to-head comparison

Real examples

Example 1: Simple lead capture

When someone submits a form, add them to HubSpot and notify sales on Slack.

Verdict: Either works perfectly. Use Zapier for faster setup. Use Make if you're already on it.

Example 2: Conditional routing

When a new order comes in, check the order value. If over $500, notify the sales manager and add to VIP list. If under $500, just log it to a spreadsheet.

Verdict: Make handles this naturally with routers. Zapier can do it with Paths, but it's more awkward. Make wins.

Example 3: Data transformation

Pull data from an API, filter out records older than 30 days, reformat the dates, calculate totals, and push to Airtable.

Verdict: This is painful in Zapier. Make is built for exactly this kind of work. Make wins decisively.

Example 4: Quick one-off automation

Save email attachments to Google Drive automatically.

Verdict: Zapier. Find the template, turn it on, done. No reason to overcomplicate it.

Which one should you choose?

Start with Zapier if:

• You're new to automation
• Your workflows are straightforward (trigger → action → maybe one more action)
• You value setup speed over flexibility
• You need an integration that only Zapier has
• You just want it to work without thinking too hard

Start with Make if:

• You have complex workflows with branching logic
• You need to transform, filter, or manipulate data between steps
• You're building a lot of automations and cost matters
• You're comfortable with a learning curve
• You need API flexibility for custom integrations

Consider using both:

This isn't as crazy as it sounds. Some teams use Zapier for quick, simple automations and Make for complex workflows. The tools aren't mutually exclusive.

A few more things to consider

Don't over-automate. The goal isn't to automate everything. It's to automate the repetitive stuff that's eating your time. Start with one workflow that saves you real hours, get it stable, then expand.

Document what you build. Six months from now, you won't remember why you set up that weird conditional. Write it down. Both tools let you add notes — use them.

Test before you trust. Run automations manually a few times before letting them run on autopilot. Broken automations can create messes — duplicate records, missed notifications, wrong data in wrong places.

Watch your costs. Both tools charge by usage. A runaway automation can blow through your quota fast. Set up alerts and check your usage regularly.

How we help

At DGK Technologies, workflow automation is one of our core services. We help businesses identify which processes are worth automating, pick the right tools, and build automations that actually work reliably.

Sometimes that means Zapier. Sometimes Make. Sometimes a combination. Sometimes neither — occasionally the answer is custom code or a different approach entirely.

We also help untangle automations that have gotten out of control. If you've built a web of Zaps and Scenarios that nobody fully understands anymore, we can audit, document, and clean it up.

If you're not sure where to start, a technology roadmap can help you identify the highest-impact automation opportunities before you pick any tools.