# Make vs Zapier for New Zealand businesses.

URL: https://levystreet.com/compare/make-vs-zapier/
Updated: 2026-10-19

Make vs Zapier for NZ businesses: credits versus tasks, what each counts, prices in October 2026, what happens at the limit, and a Shopify cost example.

## Short answer

Make is usually cheaper per workflow run and handles complex, branching scenarios well, provided someone watches credit use. Zapier is easier for non-technical staff, connects to more apps and does not charge for triggers, filters or formatting. As listed on 19 October 2026, Make Core is $9 a month for 10,000 credits on annual billing, and Zapier Professional starts at US$19.99 a month for 750 tasks.

- Compare per workflow run: Make counts more steps, Zapier charges more per step.
- Make credits cover each module action per bundle, including polling checks.
- Zapier tasks exclude triggers, filters, paths, formatter, delay and looping steps.
- Make stops scenarios when credits run out; Zapier bills extra tasks until three times the limit.
- Neither shows NZD; Zapier states USD and Make shows an unlabelled dollar sign.

## How do Make and Zapier compare in October 2026?

Both are hosted, no-code automation platforms, and both moved to new billing in the past year. Make [now bills in credits](https://www.make.com/en/pricing), converted 1:1 from operations. Zapier moved AI steps, code and its SDK onto [task-based pricing](https://zapier.com/pricing/rates).

| As listed on 19 October 2026 | Make | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Credit: each module action, per bundle; a trigger uses one per check | Task: each successful action step |
| Free to run | Routers and error handlers | Triggers, filters, paths, formatter, delay, looping, storage, tables, forms; failed steps |
| Free plan | 1,000 credits, two active scenarios, 15-minute interval | 100 tasks, two-step Zaps |
| Entry paid plan | Core $9 a month annually ($10.59 monthly) at 10,000 credits | Professional from 750 tasks at US$19.99 a month yearly (US$29.99 monthly) |
| Team plan | Teams $29 a month annually ($34.12 monthly) at 10,000 credits | Team from 2,000 tasks at US$69 a month yearly; 25 users, SAML SSO |
| Price per 1,000 units at entry | $0.90 | About US$26.65 (US$19.99 ÷ 0.75) |
| AI | Third-party AI modules 1 credit per operation; Make AI Provider bills token-based credits; AI Agents (beta) | AI steps 1, 3 or 5 tasks by model tier; tool calls extra; Agents add-on in activities |
| AI builder | Maia (public beta), billed in credits after 70 free messages | Not covered in our check |
| MCP | Make MCP Server on all plans, Free included | Zapier MCP on all accounts, 2 tasks per call |
| At the limit | Scenarios stop until credits are added | Pay-per-task at a higher rate; Zaps stop at three times the limit |
| Data location | US1, US2, EU1 or EU2 zones | Not verified; assume offshore |
| Strongest at | Cost per run and complex branching | App breadth and ease for non-technical staff |
| Weakest at | Charges for triggers, searches and iterators | Higher price per unit; overage billed at a higher rate |

## Where is each one stronger?

**Make** is stronger on cost at volume and on complex logic. Routers that split a scenario into branches cost nothing, and its visual editor shows exactly how data bundles flow between modules. It also exposes your scenarios to ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor through its [MCP Server](https://www.make.com/mcp) on every plan. See our [Make guide](/tools/make/).

**Zapier** is stronger on breadth and simplicity. It says it offers integrations for more than 9,000 apps, which matters when a niche industry tool only has a Zapier connector. Because filters and formatting are free, a well-built Zap spends tasks only on the steps that do real work. See our [Zapier guide](/tools/zapier/).

## How do you test Make and Zapier on the same workflow?

Build one workflow in both: a new [Shopify](/integrations/shopify/) order adds a row to a Google Sheet, an AI step writes a short care note for the products bought, and a Gmail draft is created for a person to check and send.


1. **Build it and time it.** Record build time and whether the person who will own it understood each step.
2. **Probe the meter.** Run 20 orders with one product and 20 with six. Read the usage logs and record credits and tasks per order. This is where the two tools diverge.
3. **Cause an outage.** Disconnect the Gmail account for an hour while orders arrive. Check who is alerted, whether failed runs can be replayed, and whether any order was silently skipped.


## What do Make and Zapier cost over a year?

Worked example: 800 orders a month, prices as listed on 19 October 2026. Assumptions: the Make trigger uses one credit per order, Zapier uses a Standard-model AI step (one task), and both write one care note per order.

- **Make:** trigger, Sheets, AI and Gmail = 4 credits an order, or 3,200 a month. That fits Core's 10,000 credits at $9 a month, or $108 a year. Using your own OpenAI or Claude connection adds token charges paid to that provider.
- **Zapier:** Sheets, AI and Gmail = 3 tasks an order, or 2,400 a month. That is beyond Professional's 750-task starting tier; Team starts at 2,000 tasks for US$69 a month on yearly billing, or US$828 a year.

Now write one note per product, with an average of three products an order. In Make, an iterator (1 credit) plus AI and Sheets per product (6 credits) plus the trigger and Gmail make 9 credits, or 7,200 a month, still inside 10,000. In Zapier, looping is free but the AI and Sheets steps run per product, giving 7 tasks an order, or 5,600 a month. Both bills grow, but Zapier's grows from a higher base.

Costs that appear later:

- **Running out.** Make's scenarios [stop until credits are added](https://www.make.com/en/pricing); auto-purchase is available on Core, Pro and Teams, and unused credits expire at the end of the term. Zapier keeps running at a higher [pay-per-task rate](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/15279018245901-Metered-tasks-in-Zapier) shown only in your billing settings.
- **Builder AI.** Make's Maia uses credits per message after the first 70, which are free for 30 days on paid plans; Make's own examples show about 140 to 160 credits a message.
- **Currency.** Zapier bills in USD; Make's "$" is unlabelled. Budget for exchange-rate movement.
- **Switching.** Neither imports the other's workflows. A written specification makes a rebuild faster; see [writing a workflow specification](/learn/writing-a-workflow-specification/).

Our [AI cost calculator](/resources/ai-cost-calculator/) helps you run the same arithmetic on your own volumes.

## Which should you choose?

### Choose Make if

- Volumes are high or rising and cost per run matters.
- Scenarios branch a lot, so free routers save real money.
- Someone on the team is comfortable thinking in bundles and iterators.
- You would rather a scenario stop at the limit than run up an unplanned bill.

### Choose Zapier if

- Non-technical staff will build and change the automations.
- You need a connector only Zapier offers.
- Most steps are filtering and formatting, which Zapier does not charge for.
- You want SAML single sign-on and shared workspaces for up to 25 users on Team.

## Where do both fall short?

- **Hidden multipliers.** Loops, polling and per-item steps multiply usage in both. Re-check usage logs after every change.
- **AI steps without checks.** A care note or reply that is wrong one time in twenty still reaches customers if nobody reviews it.
- **Personal data in run history.** Both keep logs of the data that passed through. Under the [Privacy Act 2020](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/31/en/latest/), IPP 9 says not to keep personal information longer than needed.
- **Offshore processing.** Make's [EU zone does not guarantee EU AI processing](https://help.make.com/ai-providers-and-data-zones-in-make), and neither tool offers a New Zealand region. If that matters, compare [n8n versus Make](/compare/n8n-vs-make/) for the self-hosted route.

For workflows that touch money or customers, our [AI workflow automation](/services/ai-workflow-automation/) service builds in review steps and monitoring from the start.

## Questions people ask

### Is Make cheaper than Zapier?

Per unit, by a long way: Make Core was listed at $9 for 10,000 credits on annual billing on 19 October 2026, while Zapier Professional started at US$19.99 for 750 tasks. But Make charges for triggers, searches and iterators that Zapier treats as free or does not have. Count credits and tasks for one real run of your workflow before comparing. In our Shopify example, Make still came out well ahead.

### What is the difference between a Make credit and a Zapier task?

A Make credit is used each time a module performs an action, once for every bundle of data it processes, and a trigger uses one per check. Routers and error handlers are free. A Zapier task is one successful action step. Triggers, filters, paths, formatter, delay, looping and storage steps do not count, and failed steps are not charged.

### Which is better for AI automations?

Both now bill AI. Zapier prices an AI step at one, three or five tasks depending on the model tier, plus any tool calls. Make charges one credit per operation for third-party AI modules such as OpenAI or Claude, with tokens paid to the provider if you use your own connection, or token-based credits on Make's own AI Provider. Test your actual prompts and count usage.

### Can Make or Zapier keep data in New Zealand?

No. Make places each organisation in a US or EU data zone, and its help centre warns that an EU zone does not guarantee AI requests are processed in the EU. Zapier is a hosted service whose region we did not verify in our 19 October 2026 check; assume offshore. If data location is the deciding factor, self-hosted n8n in a New Zealand cloud region is the usual alternative.


## Sources

- [Make pricing](https://www.make.com/en/pricing)
- [Operations](https://help.make.com/operations)
- [Credits](https://help.make.com/credits)
- [Maia by Make pricing](https://help.make.com/maia-by-make-pricing)
- [AI providers and data zones in Make](https://help.make.com/ai-providers-and-data-zones-in-make)
- [Make MCP Server](https://www.make.com/mcp)
- [Zapier pricing](https://zapier.com/pricing)
- [Zapier pricing rates](https://zapier.com/pricing/rates)
- [How is task usage measured in Zapier](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496196837261-How-is-task-usage-measured-in-Zapier)
- [Metered tasks in Zapier](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/15279018245901-Metered-tasks-in-Zapier)
- [Privacy Act 2020](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/31/en/latest/)

Published by Levy Street (https://levystreet.com), Wellington, New Zealand.