Make (Formerly Integromat) is Better Than Zapier, and Zapier Admits It

Integration and automation platforms can work wonders for your small business. Zapier and Make are probably the best, and maybe the only, options for small businesses in this category.

According to 6sense, “Zapier has a 6.87% market share in the Integration category, while Integromat has a 0.80% market share in the same space.” That means Zapier is almost 10 times more popular than Make. However, popularity does not necessarily equate to quality.

The type of comparison that I will offer in this post usually ends with a lukewarm conclusion saying something along the lines of “both options are great, the best option depends on who you are and what your needs are, etc., etc.”. (Unless they are composed by one of the platforms themselves, and I will get to that). These conclusions are politically correct, but often not helpful, as the reader intends to choose one of the options. In this case, there is no need for a balanced conclusion – Make is better in every aspect that matters. Actually, Zapier sort of claims themselves that Make is better. We’ll get there soon.

Let’s dive in:

Advantages of Make (formerly Integromat) over Zapier

Better clarity

Getting a clear view of scenarios is key to understanding processes and improving them over time (when necessary). Make features a visual automation builder – the scenario editor – that is easier to use when compared to Zapier’s linear, table-like builder. The scenario editor makes it easy to rearrange, duplicate, share, copy, and maintain workflows. Make’s interface is more intuitive and makes more sense, especially with more complex scenarios.

Better error handling

Errors are inevitable. But errors are not necessarily a headache – if they are explained clearly. Seeing and locating errors where they happen is not only important but also vital to addressing issues on a granular level. Make is better than Zapier at error handling.

It’s best to demonstrate with an example. These are the error notices of the same error on both platforms. Make tells you what is wrong – the value was expected to be of a single line (and wasn’t), while Zapier sends you chasing a wild goose. Honestly, this by itself is a deal-breaker (or maker). Wild-goose chasing isn’t a fruitful occupation.

Easier testing – faster development

Make allows you to run a scenario or single module on-demand for testing, while Zapier requires you to wait until the next update – which can take up to 15 minutes. This leads to a much slower development process.

More API endpoints per app

Here it is best to simply quote Make:

It is well-known that Zapier features thousands of apps (5,000+), but it’s not the only platform to do so, as Make features 1,600+ apps itself (and counting).

However, the number of apps doesn’t tell the whole story in regard to possibilities. This is where API endpoints come into play.

Make currently features 2x more API endpoints per app than Zapier. Simply put, Make allows you to automate more actions within your apps.

Make vs Zapier: How Are We Different? | Make

Don’t worry, Make probably supports your apps, especially if you are a small business, using popular, not obscure apps. And even if it doesn’t, you can use Make’s HTTP module to connect to any app that has an API.

More functional free plan

Like most great technical solutions, Make’s free plan is giving access to its core functionality. It is mostly limited by quantity, not functionality. Zapier, on the other hand, only makes some of its functionality available for free users. For example, Zapier’s free plan doesn’t allow you to create multi-step Zaps, which is a real bummer – Make’s free plan does.

More features, tools, and capabilities

The list is long, but will probably mean more to you after you start experimenting with integrations.

What are users saying?

Both platforms have great reviews on review platforms – probably because integration platforms are such a great thing in essence – but still, Make has slightly better reviews in each one of the review platforms:

Review Platform	Zapier	Make
G2	4.5	4.7 🟢
GetApp	4.7	4.8 🟢
TrustRadius (out of 10)	9	9.3 🟢
Capterra	4.7	4.8 🟢
Product Hunt	4.8	5 🟢
Trustpilot	2.5	2.9 🟢

Another interesting type of review is supplied by Glassdoor – where employees can rate what it is like to work at their companies – Zapier gets 4.7 while Make gets 4.8.

I’ve used both Make and Zapier. Make feels better.

As I’ve used both platforms, I can weigh in – Make feels better than Zapier. I can try and break it down into points – and probably repeat the ones I already laid out – but sometimes the overall experiences are more important than a list of points. In this case, both the overall experience and the list of points lead to the same conclusion – Make makes more sense than Zapier.

But who’s to know better than Zapier themselves?

Zapier admits Make is better

Well, Zapier doesn’t actually say Make is better, but it very strongly implies it. See, most tech companies have a dedicated web page explaining how they are better than their competitors. Make has one, titled Make vs Zapier: How Are We Different?. It is concrete and helpful. I used it for writing this post. Zapier also has one, titled Make vs Zapier: Why more people choose Zapier. The page names some of Zapier’s capabilities, which aren’t unique in comparison with Make, in a generic form:

• “Get started in minutes with our intuitive editor” ⇀ Make’s visual editor is actually more intuitive.
• “Build powerful Zaps without limits” ⇀ Make also allows you to build powerful scenarios and actually has fewer limits.
• “Rely on a secure platform to scale your business” ⇀ There isn’t a reason to believe Zapier is more secure than Make. Anyway, Zapier doesn’t claim that it is.

Interestingly enough, despite its title, Make is only mentioned once on Zapier’s page – in one context: “Zapier never charges you to check for new data—Make does.” This is a very specific aspect of the pricing, which doesn’t mean Zapier is cheaper. It isn’t. (And again, its free plan is much less functional than Make’s). The fact that a page that is aimed at explaining why Zapier is better than Make only mentions Make once (and not effectively) – says a lot. Mainly, it doesn’t give an answer to the question presented in the title: “Why do more people choose Zapier?”, and leaves it an open mystery – why do they?

Anyway, don’t make the same mistake, opt for, or switch to, Make.