Zapier vs. Make: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Own Automation

What is Zapier? An overview:

Zapier is, simply, a tool for connecting applications to each other. The aim of these tools is to automate the fruits of our labor.

This is but one example, here’s another use case you might relate to:

You can even add an intermediary step between these two: Qualify this lead and give them a score before pushing their info in a Slack channel:

Feel free to get even more specific with this and take it even further:

• If, in question 4, they fill in that their company employs over 1,000 people, then they get +50 points.
• Conversely, if they fill in another question that they already have marketing campaigns set up, I’ll take 50 points off. Since they already have a marketing agency, it won’t be so easy for me to do anything to help them.

You get the point: You can add and link all kinds of actions as you please!

Pros and Cons of Zapier:

Zapier is therefore a tool that can be used to automate workflows with a clear focus on simplicity.

Starting with the first benefit, Zapier is made for newbies, those who don’t have the know-how. Anyone who can read an interface can use Zapier.

It has made it so their automations are almost always linear. meaning when you have A, it implies B, which implies C, which implies D.

Their second asset is their insane number of integrations.

At the time of writing this article, the tool registers over a whopping 6,000 integrations including Google Calendar, Gmail, Spotify, LaGrowthMachine, and so on.

It’s by far the most integrated tool in the world.

It has so many integrations that when ChatGPT went into integrated plugins, they did it only with the one and only Zapier!

Their last benefit, in our opinion, is the ability to use custom code (JavaScript or Python code) or scripts for users with more specific and personalized requirements such as in the case of complex data manipulation for instance.

It’s simply the behemoth of the sector, the Salesforce of automation.

However, the tool is not without its drawbacks.

The main disadvantage of Zapier is its pricing:

Zapier charges you based on the number of tasks you run per month, and the more tasks you run, the more expensive it gets. It can quickly ramp up to become too much money for a tool that is supposed to save you time and money.

Moreover, Zapier doesn’t always use a linear structure for its Zaps as it does have Paths, which lets you create different branches based on filters.

However, the feature is not very optimized and has some limitations, such as only allowing up to three branches per zap and not supporting nested or combined conditions.

What is Make? An overview:

Formerly Integromat (it even says so on their logo), Make is Zapier’s most established competitor, but it operates differently.

They basically said: “Okay, Zapier got integration covered, now for us to stand out we’ll focus on expertise”.

Make is essentially a no-code platform that allows you to create and automate workflows with conditional logic and drag-and-drop blocks. Each block represents an app that you can configure and connect with other apps.

We’ll be able to deal with both cases, although they have different degrees of importance, thanks to this Branch system offered by Make.

Another example would be to use conditions with Stripe:

Pros and Cons of Make:

Unlike Zapier, instead of focusing on simplicity, Make decided to lean into their strengths and focus on providing control over complex workflows.

This was the perfect choice as it allows them to stand out from Zapier and make a name for themselves.

Their most powerful asset is their ability to let you create complex workflows with their powerful “Branch” feature.

Make is great for managing conditions, as it allows you to create branches based on different scenarios and outcomes. You can visually design your workflows and see how they will behave in different situations.

Which takes me to my next point: Their highly visually pleasing UI.

One of the better things about Make is that it’s more intuitive than Zapier and allows you to easily drag-and-drop blocks to create your automations.

Furthermore, Make is fully no-code-based, which means you don’t need any coding skills or knowledge to use it. You can focus on your business logic and goals, without worrying about the technical details.

Finally, Make’s last asset is that it is integrated with fewer apps, which means you can focus your workflow only on those you need. Yes, Zapier has over 6000 integrations, but not every one of those is useful to you.

That being said, as we mentioned earlier, Make’s advantages are also its weaknesses.

The main one is that the tool is fully no code, which means you can’t use custom code or scripts to extend its functionality or integrate with other apps. This limits your flexibility and customization options, especially if you have more complex or specific requirements.

Lastly, the second obvious drawback of Make is that it doesn’t have as many apps as Zapier, which means you might not find the app you need or want to use.

This also limits your possibilities and choices, especially if you want to connect with niche or specialized apps.

Overall, Make is a great tool if you need to create complex workflows with conditional logic and don’t have any coding skills.

Zapier vs. Make: Which solution to choose and why?

We’ve already covered both tools quite extensively, but now we’ll simply give you some pointers on how to choose the right tool for you.

As we’ve demonstrated, both tools are quite similar; Both enable you to automate your workflows but in very different ways.

However, there are also quite a few differences. Notably:

• The number of available integrations
• Their UI/UX
• But the main difference between Make and Zapier, and the most important one, is the conditions. 

So, your choice comes down to answering one simple question: How do you want to handle conditions in your automations? 

When it comes to handling conditions with Zapier, as you’ve seen, you’d rather use code. With Make, it would be totally no-code.

The advantage of no-code is that it’s simpler for people who don’t know how to code,

but it won’t be exhaustive. You won’t be able to do everything. The advantage of Zapier is that you’ll be able to do everything thanks to the code block.

In a nutshell, our experts recommend you start with Zapier and then move to Make as and when your needs become more complex.

We are a team of outreach specialists and we have helped 5000+ companies launch 36000+ multi-channel campaigns. We share our best practices and insights.

Based on 36000+ outreach campaigns and 5000+ clients

That’s the why, as for the how to choose, it’s not that hard really. You just need to consider your needs, skills, budget, process, and also think about scalability.

Do you plan to onboard more people on it later? Expand the scope of the workflow? etc.

And after all, remember that choosing a tool doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with it for life. Your needs might change, and so will the tool you’ll choose.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Zapier is a tool that focuses on simplicity and integrations, while Make is a tool that emphasizes conditions and visual design. Both tools have their pros and cons, and neither one is better than the other in every situation.

That’s why it’s important to choose the tool that best suits your needs. And to do that, you need to have a clear idea of what your needs are.

Of course, your choice is not set in stone. You can always switch tools or use more than one tool if you need to.

In fact, many users go through different stages of evolution when it comes to workflow automation. They start with a simple and easy tool like Zapier, then move on to a more advanced and conditional tool like Make, and finally end up with a more flexible and customizable tool like n8n.