Make
Visual automation platform to connect apps and automate workflows
What it does
Make is a visual, node-based automation platform that connects apps and moves data between them without code, similar to Zapier but built around a canvas where you can see the whole workflow branch, loop, and route in one view instead of a linear step list. It handles more complex logic natively (routers, iterators, error handlers, data transformation) than Zapier's simpler trigger-action chains, which is why operations-heavy users prefer it once workflows get past basic "when X happens, do Y."
Free tier
Yes
Starts at
$9/mo
Setup
medium
Key features
Integrates with
Google Sheets, Slack, Shopify, HubSpot, Notion, Airtable, 1000+ more
Who this fits
- Agencies and ops teams building multi-branch automations (not just single trigger-action chains)
- E-commerce operators syncing inventory, orders, and fulfillment across Shopify, sheets, and shipping tools
- Technical marketers who want visual logic without writing code but need more control than Zapier gives
- Anyone already comfortable with Zapier who has hit its per-zap complexity ceiling
- Budget-conscious teams — Make's paid tiers are meaningfully cheaper per-operation than Zapier's per-task pricing
Who it does NOT fit
- Non-technical users who want the absolute simplest trigger-action setup (Zapier's UI is more forgiving)
- Teams needing guaranteed real-time triggers on every app — some Make integrations poll on an interval rather than using instant webhooks
- Anyone who wants to "set and forget" without ever checking a dashboard — operation overages bill automatically and silently if unwatched
- Teams needing built-in AI agent orchestration as the primary use case (n8n or a dedicated agent framework fits better)
Pricing
Real gotchas
- Filters cost an operation even when they stop the flow — unlike Zapier where a filter is free. Heavy-filter scenarios burn ops faster than expected (Source: DEV Community Make.com pricing breakdown, https://dev.to/trackstack/makecom-pricing-2026-what-operations-actually-cost-and-the-math-most-guides-skip-50bn)
- Polling triggers (Gmail, some CRMs) check on an interval — Pro-tier minimum is roughly every minute — and EVERY poll counts as an operation whether or not anything new was found. A 1-minute Gmail poll alone can burn over 40,000 ops/month before a single action runs (Source: same DEV Community article)
- Exceeding your included operations doesn't stop the scenario, it bills overage at roughly a 25-30% markup over the base rate — the first surprise overage invoice is a common first-month experience
- The operations-to-credits terminology shift (rolled out mid-2025 to some plans) means older guides and even some Make documentation use inconsistent units — confirm which model the client's account is actually on before estimating cost
- No native mobile app for building/editing scenarios — monitoring only
Integrations that matter
Otto’s take on this tool
Recommend Make when: the user needs multi-branch or conditional automation logic that Zapier's linear Zaps can't cleanly express, is price-sensitive on a per-operation basis, or is already technical enough to be comfortable with a visual canvas. Especially strong for e-commerce order/inventory sync and agency ops. Do NOT recommend as the first automation tool for a fully non-technical solo user — start them on Zapier's simpler UI, graduate to Make once they hit a real complexity wall. Always flag the polling-trigger operation trap and the filter-cost gotcha before estimating a client's monthly operation budget, since both cause real bill surprises.
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Editor's curated reviews
170 reviews across TrustPilot - avg 2.8/5Curated by Otto from TrustPilot public reviews (fetched 2026-08-31). G2 and Capterra were consulted for aggregate context but not directly cited here (source-access limits). TrustPilot skews toward billing and support complaints for B2B SaaS; G2 and Capterra typically show higher aggregate scores. Not user-submitted on Ottomately.
“Make is an excellent automation platform. Powerful, flexible, and allows you to build workflows for almost any use case.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Extremely frustrated with this solution. Even with ai the limitation of it could not make a simple action.”
TrustPilot2.0/5“Our account somehow got hacked and spent several thousand dollars and they keep just sending us to an outdated wiki.”
TrustPilot1.0/5“Make offers this for free, and their plans are reasonable. It's the only one that worked for me.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“Make.com changed my life. Simplicity of how it works, it has everything I need and saves so much time.”
TrustPilot5.0/5“The core workflow capabilities allow for rapid initial deployment, but the platform's UI latency is a constant bottleneck.”
TrustPilot3.0/5
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