Make and Power Automate are both popular tools in their category, but they serve different needs and audiences. This guide compares their features, pricing, and best use cases to help you choose the right one.
Make (formerly Integromat) and Microsoft Power Automate are both serious workflow automation platforms, but they serve different organizational profiles. Make is the indie developer’s favorite — visual, flexible, and priced for builders. Power Automate is Microsoft’s enterprise automation suite, deeply embedded in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
Quick Decision Guide
Choose Make if:
- You need complex, multi-step workflows with precise data transformation
- Your stack includes non-Microsoft tools (HubSpot, Airtable, Slack, Notion, Shopify)
- You want visual scenario building with clear data flow visibility
- You are a freelancer, agency, or small team building automations for multiple clients
Choose Power Automate if:
- Your organization runs on Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Dynamics 365)
- You need enterprise-grade compliance, data residency, and governance
- Your IT department manages software procurement (Power Automate is often already licensed)
- Non-technical business users need to build automations without coding
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Make | Power Automate |
|---|---|---|
| Visual editor | Yes (canvas-based) | Yes (flow-based) |
| Available integrations | 1,800+ apps | 900+ connectors |
| Native Microsoft 365 | Limited | Deep native |
| Complex data transforms | Excellent | Limited (JSON/expressions) |
| On-premise data sources | No | Yes (on-premise gateway) |
| AI actions | Basic | Copilot in Power Automate |
| Error handling | Advanced | Basic |
| Free plan | Yes (1,000 ops/month) | Yes (Office flows, limited) |
| Starting price | $10.59/month | $15/user/month |
Where Make Wins
Visual Clarity
Make’s canvas shows every module, every data path, and every transformation in a single view. When a scenario breaks, you can see exactly where in the flow the error occurred and what data was flowing at that point.
Power Automate’s list-based interface obscures complex flows — nested conditions and loops become difficult to debug as workflows grow.
Non-Microsoft Integration Depth
Make has native integrations for 1,800+ apps, with dedicated modules for most popular SaaS tools. Integrations with Notion, Airtable, HubSpot, Shopify, and Webflow are first-class, not afterthoughts.
Power Automate’s non-Microsoft connectors often use generic HTTP calls or “premium connectors” that require higher licensing tiers.
Pricing for Volume Operations
Make charges per operation (a specific action in a scenario), not per user. For high-volume automations running on a small team, Make can be significantly cheaper.
A scenario running 50,000 operations/month costs $16.59/month on Make. Power Automate’s equivalent would require the $40/user/month premium plan.
Flexible Scheduling
Make supports scheduling down to 1-minute intervals on paid plans. Power Automate’s minimum interval on standard plans is 1 minute, but some connectors have higher minimums.
Where Power Automate Wins
Microsoft 365 Integration Depth
Power Automate’s integration with the Microsoft ecosystem is unmatched. Native triggers and actions for Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Dynamics 365, and Azure services work without custom connectors or webhooks. For organizations where work happens in Microsoft tools, the automation surface area is enormous.
Included in Microsoft 365
Many Microsoft 365 plans include Power Automate for Office-connected flows at no extra charge. Organizations already paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium often have Power Automate included. Make is always an additional cost.
Enterprise Compliance
Power Automate supports data residency (EU, US, UK), Microsoft Purview compliance labels, DLP policies, and audit logging that meet enterprise and government compliance requirements. Make does not have equivalent enterprise compliance features.
AI Builder and Copilot
Power Automate’s AI Builder lets you add AI models to flows: document processing, form recognition, object detection, and natural language classification. Copilot in Power Automate (2024) lets users describe what they want in plain English and generates a flow automatically.
On-Premise Data Gateway
Power Automate can connect to on-premise databases and file servers via the on-premise data gateway. This is essential for enterprises with legacy systems that cannot expose public APIs. Make has no equivalent.
Pricing Comparison
Make
| Plan | Price | Operations |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 ops/month |
| Core | $10.59/month | 10,000 ops/month |
| Pro | $18.82/month | 10,000 ops + advanced features |
| Teams | $34.12/month | 10,000 ops, multi-user |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom ops |
Power Automate
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free (Office) | $0 | Office 365 flows only |
| Premium | $15/user/month | Premium connectors, RPA |
| Process | $150/bot/month | Unattended RPA |
| Hosted Process | $215/bot/month | Cloud-hosted bots |
Note: Standard Power Automate flows (no premium connectors) are included in most Microsoft 365 plans.
The Real Cost Comparison
For a 10-person team running moderate automations:
- Make Teams: $34.12/month (flat rate)
- Power Automate: $0 (if already on Microsoft 365) or $150/month (premium connectors for all 10 users)
If your organization pays for Microsoft 365, Power Automate’s standard tier is free. Make always costs extra. That changes the ROI calculation significantly.
When to Use Both
Some organizations use both: Power Automate for Microsoft-internal workflows (Teams notifications, SharePoint document processing) and Make for automations involving external SaaS tools. The integration complexity is manageable if the workflows are clearly separated.
Verdict
- Independent / SaaS-heavy stack → Make wins on flexibility, visual debugging, and non-Microsoft integration depth
- Microsoft 365 organization → Power Automate wins on cost (often free), compliance, and native depth
- Enterprise with on-premise data → Power Automate is often the only viable choice
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Make or Power Automate better?
It depends on your needs. Make and Power Automate excel in different areas — compare features, pricing, and use cases above to find the best fit for your workflow.
Can I use Make and Power Automate together?
Yes, many teams use both. Make and Power Automate can complement each other depending on your workflow requirements.
Which is cheaper, Make or Power Automate?
Check the pricing comparison table above for current plans. Both offer free tiers, but paid plan pricing varies significantly based on team size and features needed.