The verdict in three sentences
Make and Zapier are unbeatable to get started: a few tens of euros a month, scenarios built in a day, no server to run. Beyond roughly 100,000 operations a month, or as soon as a flow becomes critical for billing or production, the 3-year cost and vendor lock-in tip the scales towards a custom integration at EUR 15,000 to 40,000 (about GBP 13,000 to 34,000). The best answer is often hybrid: keep simple scenarios in no-code and rebuild the 5 to 10 flows that concentrate volume and risk.
How Make and Zapier charge in 2026
Both tools bill on usage, but differently. Zapier counts tasks (each successful action), Make counts operations (each module run, including filters and lookups). A 6-module scenario triggered 1,000 times therefore consumes 6,000 operations on Make.
| Monthly volume | Make, order of magnitude | Zapier, order of magnitude | Custom, hosting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000 operations | EUR 0 to 10 | EUR 20 to 30 | EUR 50 |
| 10,000 operations | EUR 10 to 20 | EUR 70 to 100 | EUR 50 |
| 50,000 operations | EUR 60 to 100 | EUR 350 to 450 | EUR 50 |
| 100,000 operations | EUR 120 to 180 | EUR 700 to 800 | EUR 50 |
| 250,000 operations | EUR 250 to 300 | EUR 1,500+, Enterprise plan | EUR 50 to 80 |
| 500,000 operations | Enterprise, on quote | Enterprise, on quote | EUR 80 to 120 |
These are 2026 estimates on annual billing. Pricing changes regularly: check the public price list before deciding.
The full 3-year cost
The subscription is not the whole story. Add internal maintenance time (broken scenarios, reconnections, API changes), valued here at EUR 50 an hour, and for custom work, the maintenance contract.
| Monthly volume | Make over 3 years | Zapier over 3 years | Custom over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 operations | EUR 4,300 (EUR 720 subscription, 2 h a month maintenance) | EUR 6,100 | EUR 21,300 (EUR 15,000 build, hosting, EUR 1,500 a year maintenance) |
| 50,000 operations | EUR 8,300 | EUR 19,800 | EUR 26,300 |
| 100,000 operations | EUR 12,600 | EUR 36,000 | EUR 31,300 |
| 250,000 operations | EUR 19,800 | EUR 63,000 | EUR 37,800 |
| 500,000 operations | EUR 30,000+ | EUR 90,000+ | EUR 44,000 |
Against Zapier, custom becomes cheaper at around 100,000 operations a month. Against Make, the price break-even comes later, and the decision turns on reliability, complexity and data control.
Criteria that matter as much as price
| Criterion | Make or Zapier | Custom integration |
|---|---|---|
| Time to build a flow | A few hours | 1 to 3 weeks |
| Complex logic (loops, calculations, retries) | Possible but fragile | Natural, unit-tested |
| Error handling | Email alerts, manual replay | Retry queue, logs, monitoring |
| Data hosting | US or EU depending on plan | UK or EU server of your choice |
| Vendor lock-in | High: price rises or retired connectors | Low: code and documentation handed over |
| In-house skills needed | Trained operations profile | Supplier or developer for changes |
| Audit traceability | Time-limited history | Logs kept per your policy |
Mini case study
Tom, head of operations at an 80-person aerospace subcontractor in London, runs 40 Zapier scenarios consuming 120,000 tasks a month. Ten scenarios (orders, delivery notes, invoices) account for 85% of the volume.
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- Current situation: EUR 850 a month on Zapier plus 6 h of maintenance at EUR 55, i.e. EUR 1,180 a month and EUR 42,480 over 3 years
- Hybrid scenario: 10 critical flows rebuilt custom for EUR 22,000 plus EUR 50 a month hosting, 30 simple flows moved to Make for about EUR 40 a month, maintenance cut to 2 h a month
- Hybrid 3-year cost: 22,000 + (50 + 40 + 110) × 36 = EUR 29,200
- Saving: about EUR 13,300 over 3 years (roughly GBP 11,400), with monitored billing flows hosted where you choose
This remains a 2026 order of magnitude: a vendor price rise or volume growth shortens the payback further.
FAQ
From how many scenarios should we consider custom work?
The count matters less than volume and criticality. Ten scenarios at 100,000 operations a month justify a study, while 60 rarely used scenarios stay cost-effective in no-code.
Can we migrate gradually?
Yes, it is the recommended approach: rebuild the 3 to 5 most expensive flows first, in 4 to 6 weeks, then measure the saving before going further.
Is Make GDPR compliant?
Make offers EU hosting and a data processing agreement. You still need to document every scenario handling personal data in your records of processing, as required by UK GDPR.
Who maintains the custom code after delivery?
Your supplier under a maintenance contract, often EUR 1,500 to 4,000 a year, or your own team if the code is documented and delivered with its tests.
Is self-hosted n8n an alternative?
Yes for a technical team: free licence when self-hosted, EUR 20 to 60 a month for a server, but administration and updates are on you.
Let's scope your project. Send us an export of your scenarios and monthly volumes: we identify the flows worth rebuilding, the scope, 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.