How to Migrate from Zapier to Make.com: Complete Guide

So you’ve decided to leave Zapier for Make.com. Maybe the cost got too high. Maybe you’ve seen Make’s visual builder and wanted in. Maybe you just heard Make’s free plan is better (it is).

Whatever the reason, moving your automations from one platform to another feels like a big undertaking. But it doesn’t have to be painful.

I’ve migrated dozens of workflows from Zapier to Make, and here’s the truth: it’s not that hard once you understand the differences. This guide walks you through it step by step.

Why People Switch from Zapier to Make

Before we dive into the how, let’s address the why. Understanding these differences helps you design better Make workflows from the start.

Cost Savings

Zapier’s pricing gets expensive fast. Their free tier is limited—750 tasks/month and only single-step Zaps. Need multi-step? That’s $19.99/month minimum. Add more Zaps and higher task volumes, and you’re quickly at $50-100/month.

Make’s free plan gives you 1,000 operations per month (more generous than Zapier’s 750 tasks), and their paid plans start at $9/month for 10,000 operations. For most small businesses, Make costs about half of what Zapier costs for equivalent functionality.

Visual Builder

Zapier is linear—you add steps in a row. Make gives you a visual canvas where you can see your entire workflow at once, with branching logic, loops, and parallel operations. It’s like the difference between reading a script and looking at a flowchart.

If your automation has any complexity (if/then branches, multiple paths, error handling), Make’s visual approach is significantly easier to build and maintain.

Better Free Tier

Make’s free plan lets you build complex scenarios with multiple steps, not just single-action Zaps. You can actually test real workflows without paying. Zapier’s free tier is basically a trial that limits you to one-step automations.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Zaps

Before building anything in Make, know what you’re migrating.

Photo by Jep Gambardella on Pexels

Export Your Zaps

1. Log into Zapier and go to your Dashboard

2. Click on each Zap and document:

   • Trigger: What starts the automation?
   • Actions: What happens after?
   • Filters: Any conditional logic?
   • Paths: Multiple action routes?
   • Usage: How many tasks does this run monthly?

3. Export if possible: Zapier doesn’t have a bulk export, so you’ll manually document each one. Focus on your critical automations first—probably 5-10 that run daily or handle important data.

Identify What’s Different

Zapier and Make use different terminology. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Step 2: Build Your First Scenario in Make

Now let’s recreate a Zap in Make. Let’s use a common example: New form submission → Create task in project tool → Send Slack notification.

Setting the Trigger

In Make, you don’t select from “Zaps”—you create a Scenario.

1. Log into Make and click “Create a new scenario”
2. Search for your trigger app (Google Forms, Typeform, whatever you use)
3. Select the trigger module (e.g., “Watch New Responses”)
4. Connect your account and configure the trigger
5. Click “Run once” to test and pull in sample data

Pro tip: Make’s interface shows you the data structure after the first run. This helps you map fields in subsequent modules.

Adding Actions

1. Click the small ”+” after your trigger module
2. Search for your action app (your project tool)
3. Select the action (e.g., “Create a Task”)
4. Map the fields from your trigger data:
   • Use the dropdowns to select which form fields go to which task fields
   • You can add static text too (e.g., prefix the task title)

Adding Notifications

1. Click ”+” again after your task creation
2. Add Slack (or your notification tool)
3. Configure the message using data from previous modules

This is where Make shines. Want to send different Slack messages based on form answers? Use a Router module to add conditional paths. In Zapier, this requires a separate Zap with a filter. In Make, it’s all in one scenario.

Step 3: Handle Advanced Logic

Here’s where Make beats Zapier for complex workflows.

Conditionals and Routing

Make has a Router module that works like a decision tree:

[Trigger] → [Router]
              ├─ Path A: If X → [Action 1]
              ├─ Path B: If Y → [Action 2]
              └─ Path C: Default → [Action 3]

You can add as many routes as you need. Each route has its own filters.

Error Handling

Make lets you add Error Handlers to any module. If something fails, you can:

• Retry the operation
• Skip to the next operation
• Fallback to an alternative action
• Log the error and continue

This is huge for production workflows. In Zapier, a failed action usually stops the entire Zap.

Iterators and Aggregators

Need to process multiple items? Make has:

• Iterator: Breaks an array into individual bundles
• Aggregator: Combines multiple bundles into one

Example: One form submission with 5 attachments → Send 5 emails, one per attachment. That’s an Iterator in Make.

Step 4: Test Everything

This is where most people rush and mess up.

Run in Make First

Don’t turn off your Zapier Zaps until you’ve verified the Make scenario works.

1. Click “Run once” in Make to test with real data
2. Check each action—did the task actually get created? Did the Slack message send?
3. Review the log: Make shows exactly what happened at each step

Compare Outputs

Compare Make’s output to Zapier’s. Are they identical? If not, adjust your field mappings. Make’s data preview makes this easier than Zapier’s.

Check Edge Cases

Test with different data scenarios:

• Empty fields
• Special characters
• Maximum field lengths
• Different trigger variations

Step 5: Switch Over

Now for the moment of truth.

Option A: Parallel Run (Recommended)

1. Keep your Zapier Zaps active but set them to “Off”
2. Turn on your Make scenarios
3. Monitor for 24-48 hours
4. If everything works, disable the Zapier Zaps

This gives you a rollback option if something goes wrong.

Option B: Direct Switch

If you’re confident or migrating at off-peak hours:

1. Turn off Zapier Zaps
2. Turn on Make scenarios
3. Watch closely for the first few hours

Either way, keep a backup of your Zapier Zaps for at least a week. Just in case.

Common Migration Pitfalls

Webhooks Are Different

If your Zapier Zap uses webhooks, Make handles them differently. Make has a dedicated “Webhook” module, but the setup is different. Test thoroughly.

Field Mapping Changes

Make uses slightly different field names than Zapier. What was “First Name” in Zapier might be “firstName” in Make. The mapping dropdowns help, but double-check everything.

Pricing Structure Differences

This catches people off guard:

• Zapier: Counts each action as one task. A 3-step Zap = 3 tasks per run.
• Make: Counts operations. Each module execution is an operation. A 3-module scenario = 3 operations per run.

The pricing looks similar until you realize Make’s “operations” align more closely with actual usage. For complex workflows, Make is usually cheaper.

Here’s a quick comparison at typical usage levels:

Making the Most of Make

Now that you’re migrated, here are some Make features worth exploring:

Blueprints

Make has a “Blueprint” feature to import/export scenarios. This is great for moving workflows between accounts or backing up your work.

Templates

Make has a template gallery. If you’re building something common, search the templates first—you might find a head start.

Organization

Use Make’s “Folders” feature to organize your scenarios. With many automations, this keeps things sane.

Ready to Make the Switch?

Migrating from Zapier to Make is a smart move for most small businesses. The cost savings are real, the visual builder is better, and you’ll have more flexibility for complex workflows.

The key is taking it one automation at a time. Don’t try to migrate everything in a day. Pick your most critical workflows first, test thoroughly, then move through the rest.

For a deeper breakdown of how Make compares to Zapier overall—including features beyond pricing—check out our Make vs Zapier comparison. Or if you’re also considering n8n as an option, here’s how all three platforms stack up.

Now go forth and automate something.