The essentials · 30-second read
Make (ex-Integromat) connects apps and AI agents on a visual canvas. Free plan: 1,000 credits a month. Core from $9/month (annual) for 10,000 credits.
- Free plan: 1,000 credits a month with no time limit. Most module actions use 1 credit.
- For 10,000 credits a month, billed yearly: Core $9/month, Pro $16, Teams $29. Enterprise is on quote.
- Make's visual canvas handles branching, loops and data mapping better than most rivals at this price.
- Our verdict: the best value for complex automations, as long as someone owns and documents the scenarios.
Summarize this page with AI
Make is the automation tool we suggest most often when a workflow has more than three steps, a few conditions and data to clean along the way. It is visual, powerful and cheaper per action than Zapier. It is also easy to let grow into a tangle of scenarios nobody understands. This review covers what Make does, how its credit pricing works in 2026, its real limits and when to pick Zapier or n8n instead.
01What is Make?
Make (make.com, formerly Integromat) is a no-code automation platform. You build "scenarios" on a visual canvas: a trigger, then modules that read, transform and send data between apps. Each module is a bubble you can link, branch with routers, loop over with iterators and protect with error handlers. Make now presents itself as a place to "build and manage AI agents and automations in one visual landscape".
Make says it connects to more than 3,000 apps out of the box, and any API can be reached with its HTTP module. Integromat became Make in 2022; the company belongs to Celonis.
02How we use Make at BeBranded
We do not sell Make licences. We design automations for clients, and Make is one of the three tools we compare at the start of every automation project, with Zapier and n8n.
We recommend Make when:
- The logic is real. Branches, loops over lists, data mapping between a form, a CRM and a spreadsheet: the canvas shows the whole flow on one screen.
- Volume matters. Make's credit pricing is usually cheaper than Zapier's task pricing on multi-step scenarios.
- The client's team will maintain it. A visual scenario is easier to hand over than code.
We advise against it when a workflow becomes critical to the business (billing, customer data, compliance). Then we move the logic into code or a dedicated integration, with tests and logs. Before choosing, we often run a short process audit to decide what deserves automating at all.
03Key features
- Visual scenario builder: triggers, modules, routers, filters, iterators and aggregators on one canvas.
- Data mapping: pick any field from a previous step and transform it with built-in functions (text, dates, maths, arrays).
- AI agents: set goals, give tools and limits, and follow the agent's reasoning step by step.
- HTTP and webhooks: call any API or receive data from any app.
- Error handling: retry, ignore, roll back or route errors to a separate path.
- Data stores: small built-in databases to keep state between runs.
- Scheduling: run on a trigger, on a schedule or on demand.
04Make pricing in 2026
Prices checked on make.com on 14 November 2026, in US dollars, excluding tax.
Make's pricing page shows a credit slider and a monthly/annual switch. The prices below are for the entry tier of 10,000 credits a month with annual billing, as displayed on the page; monthly billing costs more (the page shows "Save 15%" on annual for each paid plan).
| Plan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Credits per month 1,000 | Price (annual billing) $0 | Extra credits Not available | Use case according to Make Exploring visual-first automation |
| Core | Credits per month From 10,000 | Price (annual billing) $9/month | Extra credits $0.90 per 1,000 credits | Use case according to Make Automating fundamental use cases |
| Pro | Credits per month From 10,000 | Price (annual billing) $16/month | Extra credits $1.60 per 1,000 credits | Use case according to Make Automating advanced use cases |
| Teams | Credits per month From 10,000 | Price (annual billing) $29/month | Extra credits $2.90 per 1,000 credits | Use case according to Make Automating and collaborating across teams |
| Enterprise | Credits per month Custom | Price (annual billing) On quote | Extra credits Custom | Use case according to Make Scaling automation across departments |
The price rises with the credit volume you choose on the slider. Extra credits are sold in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000, and companies under 20 employees can apply for a Start-up Plan with 50% off Business.
Is Make free? Yes: the Free plan gives 1,000 credits a month with no time limit and no card. Since most module actions cost one credit, a five-step scenario running daily uses about 150 credits a month, so the free plan covers testing and very light use, not a business process.
05Pros and cons
Advantages
- The most readable canvas on the market for complex, multi-step logic.
- Cheaper than Zapier per action once scenarios have several steps.
- Strong data tools: functions, iterators, aggregators and data stores.
- Fine-grained error handling and execution history to debug runs.
- AI agents and an HTTP module that reach any API.
Drawbacks
- Credit pricing is harder to forecast than a flat fee: loops and polling triggers consume credits quickly.
- The learning curve is steeper than Zapier's, especially on data mapping.
- Scenarios spread fast and become hard to maintain without naming rules and documentation.
- No self-hosting: your data passes through Make's cloud.
- The help center and documentation are in English.
06Our verdict
Who it's for
- SMEs and startups automating sales, operations or back-office tasks with several steps.
- Ops and marketing teams comfortable with logic but not with code.
- Agencies and freelancers delivering automations to clients.
- Teams that want visual AI workflows without hosting anything.
Who it's not for
- Very simple two-step automations: Zapier is quicker to set up.
- Teams that need self-hosting or full data control: n8n fits better.
- Business-critical processes that need tests, versioning and code review: build them in code.
- People who want a predictable flat monthly bill whatever the volume.
07Make alternatives
| Tool | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Make | Best for Complex visual scenarios | Billing model Credits per action | Self-hosting No |
| Zapier | Best for Simple automations, widest app catalogue | Billing model Tasks per action | Self-hosting No |
| n8n | Best for Technical teams, AI agents, data control | Billing model Executions per workflow run | Self-hosting Yes, free Community Edition |
| Airtable automations | Best for Automations around an Airtable base | Billing model Included in Airtable plans | Self-hosting No |
Our rule of thumb: Zapier for quick, simple links between popular apps; Make as soon as the logic branches; n8n when volume is high or data must stay on your servers. We go deeper in Zapier vs Make and Make vs n8n.
08How to keep Make scenarios maintainable
Name every scenario after its business outcome, not its apps ("New lead to CRM and Slack", not "Webhook 3"). Add notes on tricky modules, route errors to an alert, and keep a one-page inventory of what runs and who owns it. When a scenario grows past what one person can explain in five minutes, it is time to split it or move it into code. We handle that as part of our automation and AI agents work.
