The Notetakers

Zapier vs Make (2026): integrations, pricing and AI graded

Zapier is the pick. Zapier and Make both grade 3 of 3 on all four rows: triggers and actions, branching and error handling, AI steps and agents, and webhooks, API and MCP. Zapier shelves first on three of them because its pages name the plan each feature needs: Pro, from $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks. It also lists 10,433+ apps to Make's 3,500+. Make shelves first on AI steps and agents, which it offers on every plan, Free included.

What changed: Nov 2, 2026: first published; Zapier and Make graded on four rows.

Zapier vs Make: Zapier is the pick for 2026

Zapier is the pick under this page's grade, then plan, then price order. Both tools reach the top grade on every row, so the plan required and its price decide each row.

  • Zapier is grade 3 for triggers and actions, with 10,433+ apps, from $19.99 per month on Pro billed annually (zapier.com/pricing, zapier.com/apps).
  • Zapier is grade 3 for branching and error handling, with Paths and custom error handling on Pro, from $19.99 per month billed annually (Zapier Paths help).
  • Make is grade 3 for AI steps and agents on every plan, Free included, at $0 (make.com/en/ai-agents).
  • Zapier is grade 3 for webhooks, API and MCP, with MCP on every plan at two tasks per tool call and webhooks from Pro at $19.99 per month billed annually (zapier.com/mcp).

How we grade

Each tool gets a depth grade from 0 to 3 on four capability rows. Each row is then shelved in this order:

  1. Depth grade, highest first.
  2. Plan required, lowest first: Free, then the entry paid plan, then higher plans, then Enterprise or sales only.
  3. Price: the lowest list price for that plan, with its billing period.

A tie after all three steps goes alphabetical, which says nothing about which tool is better. When a vendor page is silent, the entry says "not documented", which never counts as "no". When the plan required has no published price, an entry with a published price shelves ahead of it. Every entry carries its own "Last checked" date, and every claim comes from the vendor's own pages.

Grade Triggers and actions Branching and error handling AI steps and agents Webhooks, API and MCP
0 None None None None
1 Single step only Filters only AI only through an HTTP call to a model provider One of the three
2 Multi-step workflows, no instant triggers Branching, no built-in error routes AI steps inside workflows, no agents Two of the three
3 Multi-step workflows plus instant or webhook triggers over a native app catalog Branching plus built-in error routes AI steps plus agents that use the platform's own actions or workflows as tools Inbound webhooks, a public API and an MCP server

Zapier vs Make at a glance

Shelved by depth grade, then plan required, then price. Last checked: Nov 2, 2026.

Row Zapier grade Zapier plan required and price Make grade Make plan required and price Shelved first
Triggers and actions 3 Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually (750 tasks) 3 Not documented on Make's webhook help page Zapier
Branching and error handling 3 Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually 3 Not documented on Make's router and error handler help pages Zapier
AI steps and agents 3 Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually (AI by Zapier); Agents also on Free 3 Free, $0 (AI Agents "Available on all plans") Make
Webhooks, API and MCP 3 Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually (webhooks); MCP on every plan 3 A paid plan ("Most Make API endpoints are reserved for our paid subscription plans") Zapier
Fact Zapier Make
App catalog 10,433+ apps (the same page also says 9,000+) 3,500+ apps, plus the HTTP app for any service with an API
Free plan 100 tasks/mo, two-step Zaps, 15 min update time 1,000 credits/mo, 1 MB of data storage, 1 data store
Billing unit Task; triggers, Filter and Paths steps use none Credit; by default 1 operation equals 1 credit
Over the limit New Zap runs held until the cycle resets (or extra tasks charged on pay-per-task) Scenarios stop until credits are added

The free plans use different units. A Zapier task skips the trigger, filters and Paths, while Make counts every operation, so 100 tasks and 1,000 credits do not compare one to one.

Zapier

Last checked: Nov 2, 2026.

  • Triggers and actions, grade 3 (Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually). Free runs two-step Zaps; Pro adds multi-step Zaps, unlimited premium apps and webhooks. The app directory lists 10,433+ apps, and the same page also says 9,000+. For example builds, see these Zapier workflows.
  • Branching and error handling, grade 3 (Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually). Paths runs different actions based on rules you define, with up to 10 branches per group and up to three levels deep. Custom error handling sends a failed step to a separate alternative workflow, on any step except the trigger and Paths steps. Both are on Professional, Team and Enterprise, not Free.
  • AI steps and agents, grade 3 (Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually). Pro includes AI by Zapier and AI fields. Agents run on Free with 400 activities a month and a per-run cap of 10, and on Pro with 1,500. Agents are billed apart from the task pool.
  • Webhooks, API and MCP, grade 3 (Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually). Catch Hook gives you a unique URL your app can POST to, on Professional, Team and Enterprise. The Workflow API lets developers "create custom workflow experiences". Zapier MCP gives AI clients such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor "30,000+ actions across 9,000+ apps", is included in every plan and uses two tasks per tool call. More on payloads in our webhooks guide.
  • Plans. Pro: 750 tasks/mo at $19.99 billed annually or $29.99 monthly; 1,500 tasks at $39.00 or $58.50. Team: 2,000 tasks/mo at $69.00 billed annually or $103.50 monthly, with 25 users, shared Zaps and folders, shared app connections and SAML SSO. Enterprise adds unlimited users and SCIM provisioning, priced through sales.

Best for: the largest native app catalog, with billing where triggers, filters and Paths use no tasks.

Limitation: Free is two-step only, and webhooks, Paths, custom error handling and AI by Zapier need Pro.

Make

Last checked: Nov 2, 2026.

  • Triggers and actions, grade 3 (plan not documented). Instant triggers carry an INSTANT label in an app's module list, and custom webhooks give you a URL that accepts any data. Make lists 3,500+ apps, and its HTTP app connects "any application or service that provides an API."
  • Branching and error handling, grade 3 (plan not documented). A router splits a scenario into several chains of modules, and a fallback route takes data that fits no other route. Five error handlers cover failures: Skip, Retry, Resume, Commit and Rollback. Rollback stops the run and reverts changes; Commit stops it and saves what was processed.
  • AI steps and agents, grade 3 (Free, $0). AI Agents are "Available on all plans." An agent can use three kinds of tools: module tools, scenarios and MCP tools. With your own OpenAI or Anthropic Claude connection, credits are based on operations; Make's own AI Provider bills on tokens and operations.
  • Webhooks, API and MCP, grade 3 (a paid plan). Webhooks queue up to 667 items for every 10,000 credits licensed per month, and Make processes up to 300 incoming requests per 10 seconds. The REST API is mostly on paid plans. The Make MCP server lets clients such as Claude and ChatGPT reach your account: scenario run scopes on all plans, management scopes on paid plans. For how agents use MCP and APIs, see MCP and API access.
  • Plans. Free, Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise. Free gives 1,000 credits a month. Annual payment costs less than monthly. Extra credits come in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000 at the price set in your subscription.

Best for: branching with rollback-style error handling, and AI agents on the free plan.

Limitation: about a third of Zapier's catalog (3,500+ apps against 10,433+), and most API endpoints sit on paid plans.

Tasks vs credits

Zapier bills tasks. A task is a step that runs; triggers, Filter steps and Paths steps never use one. When a plan without pay-per-task runs out, new Zap runs wait until the billing cycle resets. With pay-per-task, extra tasks are charged, up to three times the limit.

Make bills credits. By default one operation is one credit, whatever the data size. When credits run out, scenarios stop until more are added. If you plan automating follow-up or other high-volume flows, count steps per run on both before you compare plans.

Best for

  • Best for the largest app catalog: Zapier (10,433+ apps, Pro from $19.99/mo billed annually)
  • Best for branching with a published plan price: Zapier (Paths and custom error handling on Pro, $19.99/mo billed annually)
  • Best for error handling with rollback: Make (Rollback and Commit handlers)
  • Best for AI agents on a free plan: Make (AI Agents on all plans, $0)
  • Best for MCP access to apps: Zapier (MCP on every plan, 30,000+ actions, two tasks per call)

FAQ

Is Make easier than Zapier?

Neither vendor publishes an ease score. Zapier builds a Zap as a list of steps with Paths for branches, while Make builds a scenario from chains of modules split by a router.

Can Make do everything Zapier does?

Both grade 3 on all four rows here. Zapier lists 10,433+ apps to Make's 3,500+, and Make's HTTP app reaches any service that has an API.

Does Zapier have a free plan?

Yes: 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps and a 15 minute update time. Multi-step Zaps, webhooks and Paths start on Pro at $19.99 a month billed annually.

How many apps does Make integrate with?

Make lists 3,500+ apps. Its HTTP app connects any application or service that provides an API.

Do Zapier triggers count as tasks?

No. Zapier says "Zap triggers never use tasks", and Filter and Paths steps don't count either.

Do Zapier and Make have AI agents?

Yes. Zapier Agents get 400 activities a month on Free and 1,500 on Pro, and Make AI Agents are available on all plans.

Do Zapier and Make have MCP servers?

Yes. Zapier MCP is in every plan and uses two tasks per tool call; Make's MCP server gives run scopes on all plans and management scopes on paid plans.

What happens when you run out of Zapier tasks or Make credits?

Zapier holds new Zap runs until the billing cycle resets, unless pay-per-task is on. Make stops scenarios until credits are added.

Sources

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Written by
Stacy Wagner
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