Zapier Too Expensive? The Honest Alternative for Small Business (Make.com Review)
⏱ 5 min read · Make.com Integration Guide
If you're paying $50–$100 a month for Zapier and quietly wondering whether you're getting your money's worth, you're not alone. This guide won't tell you to cancel Zapier immediately — it will give you honest math so you can decide for yourself.
Why Zapier Gets Expensive for Small Business
Zapier pricing is based on "tasks" — every individual action your automation performs counts as one task toward your monthly limit. On the surface, 2,000 tasks for $19.99/month sounds generous. The reality hits when you build a real workflow. A simple automation that receives a Facebook lead, adds it to Google Sheets, sends a Slack notification, and emails your sales team counts as 4 tasks — for a single lead. If you receive 200 leads per month, that's 800 tasks from one workflow alone. Most small businesses hit the ceiling within 60 days and upgrade to the $49/month Professional plan without fully understanding why.
Make.com Pricing Explained (Simple Math)
Make.com charges for "operations" instead of tasks, but the key difference is pricing structure. The Core plan at $9/month includes 10,000 operations. The same Facebook lead workflow — 200 leads, 4 steps each — runs comfortably on Make.com Core with room for 5-6 additional automations of similar complexity. For a small business running 3-5 active workflows, the monthly difference is typically $30-70. Over 12 months that's $360-840 saved.
Real Cost Comparison: Zapier vs Make.com
| Workflow | Zapier Tasks/mo | Make Operations/mo | Zapier Cost | Make Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook leads → Sheets → Slack → Email | 800 | 800 | $49/mo | $9/mo |
| Gmail → Drive + rename file | 400 | 400 | $49/mo | $9/mo |
| Calendly → Google Calendar + Slack alert | 300 | 300 | $49/mo | $9/mo |
| 3 workflows combined | 1,500 | 1,500 | $49/mo | $9/mo |
When Zapier Is Still the Better Choice
Zapier is not a bad product — stay on it if any of these apply. You use niche apps that Make.com doesn't support: Zapier connects 7,000+ apps versus Make.com's 2,400+. If your CRM or industry-specific software only has a Zapier integration, switching creates more problems than it solves. Your workflows are simple and your team built them — Make.com has a steeper learning curve and that comfort has real value. You're running fewer than 3 workflows and rarely hit task limits — the $30 monthly saving doesn't justify migration time.
When Make.com Saves You Real Money
Make.com becomes the clear winner when you run multi-step workflows with 4+ actions, process high volumes of data, or want visual control over your workflows. Make.com's drag-and-drop scenario builder shows you exactly how data flows between apps — useful when something breaks and you need to debug quickly. If you're just starting out, Make.com's free plan includes 1,000 operations monthly — enough to validate 2-3 workflows before spending anything.
How to Switch from Zapier to Make.com in One Weekend
- Log into Zapier and identify your highest-task workflow — the one consuming the most monthly tasks
- Create a free Make.com account at make.com — no credit card required
- Rebuild that one workflow in Make.com using the visual drag-and-drop builder
- Run both Zapier and Make.com versions in parallel for one week
- Confirm Make.com delivers identical results
- Pause the Zapier version and monitor for two additional weeks
- Once confident, migrate your remaining workflows one by one over 2-3 weekends
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Make.com cheaper than Zapier?
In most multi-step workflows, yes — typically 50-80% less per month. The biggest savings come when you have 4+ step workflows running at high volume.
Is Make.com harder to use than Zapier?
Slightly at first. Zapier is more linear and beginner-friendly. Make.com has a visual canvas that becomes easier once you learn it — most users feel comfortable within a few days.
Can Make.com replace Zapier completely?
For most small business workflows, yes. The only exception is if you rely on apps that Make.com doesn't support — check make.com/en/integrations before switching.
What happens to my Zapier automations if I switch?
Nothing — they keep running until you manually pause them. You can migrate one workflow at a time and run both platforms in parallel during the transition.
