The verdict in three sentences
Make remains the cheapest tool for an SME starting out with automation, Zapier the easiest for non-technical teams. Beyond 50,000 tasks a month, or as soon as sensitive data (payroll, health, detailed customer records) flows through your scenarios, custom code costs less over 3 years and lowers risk. The right architecture is often hybrid: no-code for light flows, code for the 3 or 4 critical ones.
What 80,000 operations a month cost
The two platforms count differently: Zapier bills per task (each successful action), Make per operation (each module run, including filters and triggers that poll a service). The same scenario can therefore consume 1.5 to 2 times more Make operations than Zapier tasks.
| Monthly volume (2026 public pricing, order of magnitude) | Zapier | Make | Custom (hosting only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 tasks | $30 to $70 | $10 to $20 | EUR 30 |
| 10,000 tasks | $100 to $200 | $20 to $40 | EUR 30 to 50 |
| 50,000 tasks | $350 to $450 | $100 to $180 | EUR 50 to 80 |
| 80,000 tasks | $500 to $600 | $180 to $300 | EUR 60 to 100 |
| 150,000 tasks | $900 to $1,300 | $350 to $500 | EUR 80 to 120 |
| Users included | limited on Team plan | unlimited depending on plan | unlimited |
| Annual cost at 80,000 tasks | $6,000 to $7,200 | $2,200 to $3,600 | EUR 720 to 1,200 |
On top of this come the subscriptions of connected apps and the internal time spent maintaining scenarios, often 2 to 4 hours a week for 25 automations.
Full 3-year comparison
| Criterion | Zapier | Make | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront investment | EUR 0 to 3,000 (setup by a contractor) | EUR 0 to 4,000 | EUR 8,000 to 25,000 |
| Annual recurring cost | $6,000 to $7,200 | $2,200 to $3,600 | EUR 720 to 1,200 + EUR 1,500 to 3,000 maintenance |
| 3-year total cost (80,000 tasks) | $18,000 to $25,000 | $6,600 to $14,800 | EUR 14,700 to 37,600 |
| Complex logic (loops, conditions, retries) | limited | good | unlimited |
| Error handling and retries | basic | decent | tailored, Slack or email alerts |
| Data location | US by default | EU available | region of your choice |
| Vendor lock-in | high | high | low (you own the code) |
| Time to build a new flow | 1 h to 1 day | 2 h to 2 days | 2 to 5 days |
Custom code is therefore not always more expensive: against Zapier, it becomes competitive from year two at this volume. Against Make, it is justified mainly by reliability, GDPR compliance and expected volume growth.
Signals that you should switch
| Observed signal | Indicative threshold | Recommended decision |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly volume | over 50,000 tasks | move the 3 heaviest flows to code |
| Payroll or health data | from the first flow | custom build with controlled hosting |
| Failed scenarios | over 2% a month | rebuild with proper error handling |
| Internal maintenance time | over 4 h a week | consolidate or go custom |
| A flow drives revenue | orders, invoicing | tested code, 24/7 monitoring |
| Volume growth | over 30% a year | plan the migration ahead |
Mini case study
Julien, managing director of a 40-employee trading SME in Nantes, runs 25 automations on Zapier for 80,000 tasks a month, around $550 a month ($6,600 a year). He keeps 21 light flows on Make ($90 a month, $1,080 a year) and has the 4 critical flows (orders, invoicing, stock sync, accounting export) built for EUR 14,000, with EUR 80 a month hosting and EUR 2,000 annual maintenance. Over 3 years: Zapier alone costs about $19,800, the hybrid setup about $3,240 plus EUR 22,880. The cost gap is modest, but the 4 critical flows drop from 3% failures to under 0.2%, and volume can double with no increase in the bill.
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FAQ
Is Make really cheaper than Zapier?
Yes, usually 2 to 3 times cheaper at equal volume in 2026. Watch the operation count though, which can multiply consumption by 1.5 to 2 on scenarios with filters and routers.
What happens to custom code if the contractor disappears?
You own the code and the hosting. A Node.js or Python developer can take over a documented project in 2 to 5 days.
Can we start no-code and migrate later?
That is the recommended path: prototype on Make for 2 to 3 months, measure real volumes, then code the flows that exceed 10,000 tasks a month or carry revenue.
Are Zapier and Make GDPR compliant?
Both offer a DPA, and Make provides EU hosting. For payroll or health data, controlled hosting in your own region is still easier to justify in an audit.
How much does custom maintenance cost?
Budget EUR 1,500 to 3,000 a year for 4 to 6 flows, covering third-party API updates and monitoring.
Let's scope your project. Send us your list of automations and monthly volumes, and we will tell you which flows to keep in no-code and which to code, with an indicative budget and migration timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
