Comparison

Make vs Zapier for Contractors: Which Automation Tool Gives You More for the Money?

Prices last checked on vendor sites: October 29, 2026

Make and Zapier do the same basic job. Something happens in one app, like a new web form lead or a paid invoice, and the tool moves that information into another app so nobody has to re-type it. For a small contracting business, both can handle the everyday stuff: logging leads, texting you when a quote request comes in, and creating job folders. The difference is how each one charges you and what you get on the free plan. Prices and limits were checked on October 29, 2026, on each vendor's own pricing page and help center.

The short answer

• Want the most free usage? Make's Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month. Zapier's Free plan includes 100 tasks a month, and only for two-step workflows.
• Want the cheapest paid plan for real volume? Make Core is $12/month billed annually ($16 billed monthly) for 10,000 credits. Zapier's lowest paid tier is Professional at $19.99/month billed annually ($29.99 monthly) for 750 tasks.
• Want the biggest app list and the simplest setup? Zapier lists 9,000+ apps, and Make lists 3,500+. If an app you depend on only connects to Zapier, that decides it.

Pricing side by side

Both vendors sell larger blocks too. Make's slider goes up in steps (20,000, 40,000, 80,000 credits and more), and Zapier's tiers run from 750 tasks up to 2 million. For any size not listed here, see the Make pricing page or the Zapier pricing page.

Make also lists a Start-up Plan: businesses with fewer than 20 employees can check whether they qualify for 50% off Make's Business plan.

Credits vs tasks: what you're actually paying for

This is where the comparison gets real, because a "credit" and a "task" aren't counted the same way.

Zapier counts successful action steps. Its help center says triggers never use tasks, and neither do filters, paths, failed steps, or tests in the editor. Built-in tools like Formatter, Delay, and Digest are free too. So a Zap that gets a new form lead, adds it to a Google Sheet, and texts you uses 2 tasks per lead.

Make counts most module actions, including reading data. Make's pricing page says reading from an app or webhook, searching, creating, updating, and transforming data each count. Make's help center says operations include module runs that "process or check for data." Router and error-handler modules don't use credits. That same lead workflow in Make uses a credit for the trigger plus one for each action. A scenario scheduled to check for new data every 15 minutes uses credits each time it checks, so scheduling matters more in Make.

Even with that, the gap in allowance is big. On the entry paid plans, Make gives you 10,000 credits and Zapier gives you 750 tasks. A workflow that uses 3 credits in Make and 2 tasks in Zapier still gets you far more runs per dollar on Make.

AI steps cost extra on both. Make says some AI features that use Make's AI Provider can use more than 1 credit, based on tokens. Zapier prices AI by Zapier steps by model tier. If you plan to run AI on every lead, check Zapier's rates page and Make's credit docs first.

What the free plans really include

Make Free: 1,000 credits a month, the visual workflow builder, 3,500+ apps, routers and filters, and customer support, with a 15-minute minimum interval between scheduled runs. Core adds unlimited active scenarios and scheduling down to the minute, so the Free plan has a limit on active scenarios. See the pricing page for the current number.

Zapier Free: 100 tasks a month, unlimited Zaps, two-step Zaps only (one trigger, one action), and 15-minute polling. Filters, paths, Formatter, webhooks, and premium apps all require a paid plan. New accounts get a 14-day free trial of Professional, no credit card needed.

For a contractor, the two-step limit is the big one. "New lead → add to sheet → text me" is three steps, so it needs a paid Zapier plan. On Make's Free plan it works fine.

What happens when you run out

Make: scenarios stop until you add credits. Incoming webhooks queue up (up to your plan's limit) and run when you're back. You can buy extra credits in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000, or turn on auto-purchasing on Core, Pro, and Teams. Unused credits expire at the end of each term.

Zapier: on paid plans you can turn on pay-per-task billing so Zaps keep running. Zapier says overage costs 2.5x your base task rate on monthly plans and 1.25x on annual plans, and usage stops at 3x your plan's tasks. With pay-per-task off, runs are held, not lost, and you can replay them once tasks reset. Task allowances reset monthly, even on annual billing.

Which one fits a small contracting business

Pick Make if:

• You're cost-sensitive and want multi-step workflows on the free plan.
• You don't mind a more visual, flowchart-style builder that takes an afternoon to learn.
• Your apps (Google Sheets, Gmail, your field-service app) are in Make's app directory. Check before you build.

Pick Zapier if:

• You want the widest app support. Many AI receptionists and field-service apps list a Zapier integration, so check yours.
• You run low volume and want the simplest setup.
• Your office manager already knows Zapier.

Most small contractors don't need much of either. One or two workflows that stop you re-typing leads and forgetting quotes cover most of the value. For starter ideas, see Make for contractors: 5 automations that save office hours. To chase open quotes automatically, see Automated estimate follow-up for contractors.

Things to watch out for

• Count your steps before you pick a plan. Multiply steps per run by runs per month. Remember that Make counts the trigger and Zapier doesn't.
• Don't poll every minute unless you need to. In Make, frequent checks use credits. Once a day is plenty for a quote reminder.
• Test with fake data. Send yourself a test lead before you let a workflow text real customers.
• Prices change. Both vendors adjust tiers. Confirm on the pricing page before you pay for a year.

Verdict

See also: Best AI tools for contractors

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