Compare real monthly cost on Zapier and Make for the same workflow volume — including the counting-model difference that makes the two quotes non-obvious.
| Platform | Units / month | Plan selected | Monthly | Per run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier tasks · trigger free | 25,000 | Company + 3 add-on pack(s) incl. $57.00 add-on | $160 | $0.0320 |
| Make operations · trigger billed | 30,000 | Teams + 2 add-on pack(s) incl. $18.00 add-on | $47.00 | $0.0094 |
Zapier bills task (action steps only; trigger excluded). Make bills operation (every module executed, including trigger). Because the units differ, the same workflow consumes a different number of units on each platform — the comparison below converts both from your raw run and step counts.
This is the part that makes "which is cheaper" harder than it looks. Zapier bills in tasks, and a task is an action step only — the trigger that starts the workflow is free. Make bills in operations, and every module that executes counts, including the trigger. So for the identical 6-step workflow, Zapier meters 5 units per run while Make meters 6 — Make's usage number is structurally ~20% higher before any price comparison happens. Comparing the sticker prices of the two plans directly therefore tells you very little. This calculator derives each platform's own unit count from your raw numbers first, then applies that platform's tier ladder and add-on pricing, so the two columns are finally measured in a comparable way. Note also that Zapier's add-on packs are larger and pricier per unit than Make's, which is why trimming waste does not always reduce the bill on either side.
The trigger module is free on Zapier and billable on Make. That single rule shifts every downstream number, including which plan tier you land on.
One workflow with a trigger plus 5 actions, executed 5,000 times per month.
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