Make Free Gives 1,000 Credits and Multi-Step Scenarios

Make free costs $0 and gives 1,000 credits a month, two active scenarios, 3,500+ app integrations, multi-step flows with routers and filters, and a 15-minute minimum interval between scheduled runs. Core at $9 a month removes the scenario cap and drops the interval to one minute.¹

Compare that with Zapier's free tier, which allows unlimited Zaps but only two steps each. Make goes the other way: proper multi-step scenarios, but only two can run at once.

For a small number of genuinely complex automations, Make's free tier is the better shape. For many simple ones, it is the worse.

What the free plan actually includes

Credits are consumed per module action. Every step in a scenario that executes costs one credit, so a five-step scenario running successfully uses five.

Two active scenarios

This is the binding constraint and it is stricter than it looks. You can build as many scenarios as you like; only two can be switched on.

Two automations is roughly one workflow: a trigger that fans out into a couple of branches counts as one scenario, so a well-designed single scenario can do a great deal.

But it means no separate automation for invoicing, onboarding and reporting at the same time. Most people who outgrow the free tier do so because they need a third thing running, not because they need more credits.

Fifteen minutes between runs

Scheduled scenarios cannot run more often than every fifteen minutes. For a form-to-spreadsheet flow that is fine. For anything approximating real-time, it is not.

Sequential runs of the same scenario also queue, so a slow scenario with a backlog can fall well behind fifteen minutes in practice.

Combined with the five-minute maximum execution time, the free tier is built for small, infrequent jobs. Anything heavier hits a ceiling before it hits the credit limit.

Credits, and what they buy

At 1,000 credits a month and one credit per module action, a four-step scenario can run 250 times. That is eight runs a day.

Data transfer is 512MB, which is small enough that anyone moving files rather than text will hit it before the credit count.

The 5MB file size limit reinforces that: free Make is for records and messages, not attachments.

Compared with the other two

Zapier free gives 100 tasks and two-step Zaps, which is a tighter structural limit but allows unlimited active Zaps. n8n's Community Edition is free without execution limits if you self-host, which makes both cloud tools look expensive at volume.

Between Make and Zapier, the choice on free comes down to whether you have two complex workflows or several simple ones. Make suits the first, Zapier the second.

Make's visual builder is also more legible for branching logic, which is why it gets chosen for scenarios with routers and error handling.

When the free plan is enough

Two automations doing real work, each running a few times a day, where the fifteen-minute delay is acceptable.

Testing whether a workflow is viable before committing to a paid tier. At 1,000 credits the free plan gives enough room to build and debug properly rather than to just sample.

Anyone replacing a manual process that happens a few times a day, rather than continuously.

When it stops being enough

The third automation you need running at the same time, which arrives faster than anyone expects.

Core at $9 a month removes the scenario cap, raises credits to 10,000 and drops the interval to one minute, which together change what the tool can be used for. It is the cheapest meaningful automation upgrade in this series.

Beyond that, self-hosting n8n is the answer for anyone with a server, and the cost curve goes flat.

Frequently asked questions

Is Make free?
Yes, permanently, with 1,000 credits a month and no card required.

How many active scenarios does Make Free allow?
Two. You can build more, but only two can be switched on.

What counts as a credit in Make?
Each module action executed in a scenario. A five-step scenario costs five credits per run.

How often do free scenarios run?
No more than once every 15 minutes.

Does Make Free support multi-step workflows?
Yes. Multi-step flows, routers and filters all work on the free plan.

How much does Make Core cost?
$9 a month with 10,000 credits and unlimited active scenarios.

Credit allowances, scenario limits, run intervals and pricing verified against Make's pricing page on 20 October 2026.

Sources

1. Make pricing: www.make.com/en/pricing. Used for: 1,000 credits, 2 active scenarios and the 15-minute minimum interval.

All sources are the vendor's own plan or documentation pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Plan terms change without notice, so confirm current limits before you rely on them.