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Zapier bill/mo (— tasks)—Zapier ÷ Make
Bill by volume, same workflow shape
Same action-step count per run, scaling only the number of runs.
The trigger is the whole difference
Both platforms charge per unit of automation work, but they don't agree on what a "unit" is. Zapier's task counts only the action steps that fire after the trigger — a Zap with a trigger and 3 actions burns 3 tasks per run, not 4. Make's operation counts the trigger check itself, so the identical workflow burns 4 operations per run on Make. That means Make always counts slightly more billable units than Zapier for the same logic.
What flips the comparison is the per-unit price: Zapier's list price per task is typically 5-10x higher than Make's price per operation, even before volume discounts. The extra unit Make counts for the trigger is a rounding error next to that gap — which is why, at almost any real workflow volume, Make comes out several times cheaper even though it's nominally billing more units. The one case where the math tightens is very high branching workflows (many filters/routers per run) at very low monthly runs, where the fixed plan-price floor dominates over the per-unit rate on both platforms. Compare the per-run automation cost against what the same task would cost via a direct API stack call if you're choosing between low-code and custom-built.
How this calculator works
Free Zapier vs Make.com cost calculator — Zapier bills action steps as tasks (trigger free), Make bills every module including the trigger as an operation. Enter your real workflow shape and see the actual monthly bill, not headline plan prices.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Make.com usually cheaper than Zapier for the same workflow?
Partly the unit price, but mostly the unit definition. Zapier bills a 'task' for every completed action step in a Zap — the trigger itself is free, but each subsequent step consumes one task per run. Make bills an 'operation' for every module execution, and in most scenarios that includes the trigger check itself. So Make counts one more billable unit per run than Zapier for an identical workflow, yet its per-unit list price is roughly 5-10x lower — the lower per-unit rate more than offsets the extra counted step, which is why real-world comparisons usually find Make 3-8x cheaper at the same workflow volume.
What counts as a Zapier task vs a Make operation?
A Zapier task is one successfully completed action step — if your Zap has a trigger plus 3 actions and it runs once, that's 3 tasks (the trigger doesn't count). A Make operation is one module execution — the same workflow with a trigger plus 3 action modules typically counts as 4 operations per run, because Make bills the trigger check as well. Filters, formatters and router steps also consume a unit on both platforms, so a workflow with more branching logic costs more on either tool, just at very different per-unit rates.
Are these exact Zapier and Make prices?
The defaults are representative starting points based on each platform's public self-serve plans as of mid-2026 (Zapier per-task rate, Make per-operation rate), not a live price feed — both platforms revise plans and add AI-specific pricing tiers periodically. Every field is editable: plug in your own plan's included volume and overage rate from your account or the official pricing page for an exact number.