In this guide
  1. Why people look for a Make alternative
  2. Before you leave: cut credit use in Make
  3. A worked example
  4. The alternatives
  5. Who should pick which
  6. FAQ

TL;DR: Make bills in credits, mostly one per action, and unused credits expire at the end of each term. If your scenarios run many steps, n8n bills per workflow run instead and can be self-hosted free. Zapier charges only for successful actions, with triggers free. Activepieces offers 1,000 free credits a month and a $20 flat Plus plan.

Disclosure: None of the links on this page are affiliate links. This is a sourced comparison from vendor pricing pages, checked October 18, 2026. We haven’t tested these tools for this guide.

Why people look for a Make alternative

From Make’s pricing page: “As of August 27, credits are the billing unit in Make.” That change took effect on August 27, 2025, according to Make’s help center. Most actions use 1 credit, some AI features use more, and router and error-handler modules use none. Credits “expire at the end of the term.” When you run out, scenarios stop until credits are added, though incoming webhooks queue up to your plan’s limit. Make’s Free plan includes 1,000 credits a month.

Before you leave: cut credit use in Make

Fewer modules per run means fewer credits. Filter early so later modules don’t run, and aggregate rows instead of iterating where you can. Make offers a Start-up Plan for companies under 20 employees (50% off Business, if you qualify).

A worked example

Take a 10-module scenario that runs 1,000 times a month. In Make that’s about 10,000 credits (most modules use 1 each; routers and error handlers are free). In n8n it’s 1,000 executions, which fits Pro (€50 a month billed annually for 10,000). In Zapier, a trigger plus 9 actions is 9,000 tasks, because triggers are free. On Activepieces, a run costs 1 credit however many steps it has, so 1,000 runs fit easily within Plus’s 10,000 included credits ($20 a month); AI steps cost extra, from 2 to 20 credits each.

The alternatives

n8n

Cloud plans are priced by “monthly workflow executions, regardless of complexity.” Starter is €20 a month billed annually for 2,500 executions; Pro is €50 for 10,000. The Community Edition is free to self-host.

Zapier

“Each successful action in a Zap counts as a separate task,” and checking for new data is free. Free: 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps. Professional starts from $19.99 a month.

Activepieces

Free: 1,000 credits a month, unlimited flows, up to 5 users. Plus: $20 a month flat for 10,000 credits, then pay-as-you-go. Open source; cloud or on-prem.

Pipedream

Free to build and test in development. The Startup plan includes 10,000 usage credits a month, then $0.012 per credit, and 100 external users, then $2 each.

Power Automate

Premium is $15 per user per month, paid yearly. Per-user pricing suits teams already on Microsoft 365.

Who should pick which

  • Many steps per run → n8n.
  • Short workflows, widest app coverage → Zapier.
  • Free, open-source, simple upgrade → Activepieces.
  • Developer-built integrations → Pipedream.
  • Microsoft shop → Power Automate.

Comparing against Zapier instead? See Zapier alternatives.

FAQ

Do Make credits roll over? No, they expire at the end of the term. Extra credits expire after one month on monthly plans.

What’s the cheapest Make alternative? Self-hosted n8n Community Edition or Activepieces cost nothing in licence fees; you pay in hosting and upkeep.

Sources & method

Method. Last checked October 18, 2026. Make’s plan prices didn’t show on our copy of its pricing page, so this guide doesn’t quote them. No affiliate links on this page. How we work.