The question "Zapier vs Make vs Power Automate" comes up almost every time a company gets serious about automation. The three are market leaders, they promise the same thing — removing manual work by tying your apps together — but they differ considerably in price, ease of use and the kind of logic they can handle. There's no universal winner: the right choice depends on your existing stack and on how complex your flows become. In this article we line the three up plainly, including a [comparison table](#vergelijkingstabel), so you make a well-founded choice instead of blindly picking a brand.
What do these tools actually do?
All three are iPaaS platforms (integration platform as a service): they let your systems talk to each other automatically without you having to program a connection yourself. You build a flow with a trigger (a new order comes in, someone fills in a form) and one or more actions (add a line in the accounting, send a Teams message, create a task). The difference with custom API integrations is that you do this visually, often without code.
The choice between Zapier, Make and Power Automate therefore rarely comes down to whether something is possible — usually it's possible in all three. It comes down to how pleasant, how reliable and how affordable you build and manage it as the volume and complexity grow. A simple connection today is often a flow with branches, error handling and thousands of runs per month a year from now — and that's where the platforms diverge.
Zapier: breadth and simplicity
Zapier is the entry point for many companies, and not without reason. It has by far the broadest integration catalogue — in practice thousands to many thousands of apps — so the chance that your niche tool is already in there is the highest. The interface is linear and self-explanatory: trigger at the top, actions below. A non-technical manager builds a working connection within an hour.
The pricing works on tasks: every action a flow performs counts. Indicatively, a paid plan starts around a few tens of euros per month, rising as you need more tasks and advanced features. That model is predictable at low volumes, but can become relatively expensive as soon as a flow runs multiple steps per run and you have thousands of runs per month.
Strong for: starting quickly, broad app coverage, teams without a technical background. Less strong for: heavy branching logic and high volumes — there you lose flexibility and the cost picture becomes less favourable than with Make.
Make: visual building and favourable per operation
Make (formerly Integromat) revolves around a visual canvas: you drag modules onto a map and literally see the data flow run. That makes it strong for flows with branches, loops, filters and data transformations — precisely the kind of logic where a linear setup becomes awkward. For more complex automation, Make is often the most pleasant of the three to think in.
The pricing model counts in operations (each individual module execution). The key difference: the cost per operation is indicatively considerably lower than Zapier's cost per task, which is why Make usually works out cheaper at high volumes and step-heavy flows. A ballpark is often in the same order of tens of euros per month for the entry level, but you get more movements for it.
Strong for: complex, branching workflows and cost-per-operation at scale. Less strong for: the learning curve is steeper than Zapier — the canvas requires a bit more thinking — and the integration catalogue is broad but just a touch less complete than Zapier's.
Power Automate: at home in Microsoft 365
Power Automate is strongest when your organisation already runs on Microsoft 365. It's baked into the ecosystem: SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Excel, Dataverse and the rest of the Power Platform talk to it effortlessly. For many companies there's another welcome added advantage: part of the functionality is already in existing Microsoft 365 licences, so the entry threshold in terms of cost can be low. Premium connectors and RPA (desktop automation) fall outside that and cost extra — we label this as indicative, because licences shift.
Beyond that, the picture is more nuanced. The integrations with non-Microsoft apps exist, but the catalogue and ease of use feel less fluid than with Zapier or Make, and the interface is somewhat messier and more enterprise-y for those coming from outside. For a pure Google Workspace company, Power Automate is rarely the logical choice.
Strong for: organisations deep in Microsoft 365, governance and desktop RPA. Less strong for: a mixed or non-Microsoft stack and users looking for speed and simplicity. If you're working on a Microsoft 365 migration with zero downtime, this is the platform you'll want to weigh in anyway.
Zapier vs Make vs Power Automate: the comparison table
The table below sums up the differences. All prices are ballpark/indicative and move with the providers' current plans — use them to orient, not to budget.
| Criterion | Zapier | Make | Power Automate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Broad app coverage, starting quickly | Complex flows, favourable on volume | Microsoft 365 companies, RPA |
| Pricing model (indicative) | Per task, predictable but pricier at scale | Per operation, more favourable at high volume | Partly in M365 licence, premium costs extra |
| Integrations | The broadest (thousands of apps) | Broad, just slightly less complete | Strong within Microsoft, narrower beyond |
| Complex logic | Limited, linear by design | Strong: visual, loops and branches | Good, but less intuitive |
| Microsoft 365 | Via connectors, not native | Via connectors, not native | Native and deeply integrated |
| Learning curve | The lowest | Medium to steeper | Medium, messier for outsiders |
So which do you choose? A plain conclusion
The honest outcome: it depends on your stack and your complexity, not on which brand shouts the loudest. As a rule of thumb:
We build and manage in both ecosystems — Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace — and therefore have no interest in one brand. That makes it possible to choose the tool that best fits per situation, instead of forcing the whole company around one platform. In practice we also see combinations: Power Automate for the Microsoft side, Make for the heavy integration work beyond that.
Still in doubt between platforms or want to look more broadly at the approach? Read automating business processes: tools and approach, or see what we build concretely in the Flow-Lab. If you want to hand the management over once the flows are live, that can be part of outsourced IT management.
- Does your niche app absolutely have to be in there and do you want to start quickly and simply? Zapier.
- Are you building complex, branching flows with lots of volume and watching the price per operation? Make.
- Does your organisation run on Microsoft 365 and do governance or desktop RPA play a role? Power Automate.
In short
- There's no absolute winner: the choice between Zapier, Make and Power Automate depends on your existing stack and the complexity of your flows.
- Zapier has the broadest integrations and the lowest learning curve; Make is visually strong and more favourable per operation at volume; Power Automate is unbeatable within Microsoft 365.
- Pricing models differ fundamentally: per task (Zapier), per operation (Make) or partly via your Microsoft 365 licence (Power Automate).
- A neutral partner who knows both ecosystems chooses the right tool per situation, sometimes even a combination, instead of blindly picking one brand.
Read more
- Business process automation: tools and approach
- Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: which do you choose?
- The Flow-Lab: automation & API integrations
- Outsourced IT management
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest difference between Zapier, Make and Power Automate?
The biggest difference is in where each platform excels. Zapier has the broadest integration catalogue and is the simplest to start with. Make is visually set up and excels at complex flows with branches, often priced more favourably per operation. Power Automate is strongest within Microsoft 365, because it is deeply woven into that ecosystem and partly sits in existing licences.
Which is the cheapest?
That depends on your volume and the number of steps per flow. At low volumes the difference is small and Zapier is often predictable. As soon as your flows have many steps and run thousands of times per month, Make in practice usually works out cheaper thanks to its per-operation model. If you run on Microsoft 365, Power Automate can be attractive because part of it is already in your licence. All prices are indicative and change regularly.
Is Power Automate only useful if you use Microsoft 365?
Power Automate works best within Microsoft 365, but can also connect with other apps via connectors. For an organisation that doesn't run on Microsoft it is rarely the logical first choice, because the integrations outside the Microsoft ecosystem are less broad and less fluid than with Zapier or Make. For a pure Google Workspace company, Zapier or Make usually make more sense.
Can I switch platforms later?
Yes, but flows aren't simply portable: each platform has its own structure, so you rebuild them. That's why it pays to choose well in advance based on your stack and the expected complexity. In practice some companies deliberately use multiple platforms side by side, for example Power Automate for the Microsoft side and Make for the heavy integration work beyond that.
Do I need a technical team to use these tools?
For simple connections, no. Zapier in particular is designed for non-technical users. As flows become more complex, with branches, error handling and data transformations, it does help to involve someone with experience, so it stays reliable and maintainable. Many companies have the initial setup built and hand the ongoing management over.
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