How to Calculate Your Potential Savings by Migrating from Zapier to Make.com
Migrating automation platforms can seem daunting, but for many businesses, the potential for significant cost savings and enhanced operational efficiency makes it a strategic imperative. This guide provides a step-by-step methodology to quantify the financial benefits of moving your workflows from Zapier to Make.com. By systematically evaluating your current usage, mapping to Make.com’s structure, and accounting for all costs and efficiencies, you can build a compelling business case for migration and unlock substantial savings that directly impact your bottom line.
Step 1: Inventory Your Current Zapier Workflows and Usage
Before calculating potential savings, you need a clear picture of your existing automation landscape. Begin by logging into your Zapier account and documenting every active Zap. For each Zap, identify its purpose, the number of tasks it executes monthly, and any premium app connectors it utilizes. Pay close attention to Zaps that run frequently or handle high volumes of data, as these are often the primary drivers of cost. Also, note any Zaps that chain multiple steps together, as this can be a key differentiator when comparing with Make.com’s operation model. A thorough inventory provides the baseline for your comparative analysis.
Step 2: Map Your Zapier Workflows to Make.com Scenarios and Operations
With your Zapier inventory complete, the next step is to translate these into Make.com’s operational framework. In Zapier, automations are called “Zaps” and are priced primarily by “tasks.” Make.com, however, uses “scenarios” (analogous to Zaps) and prices based on “operations,” where each module action within a scenario counts as one operation. A single Zapier task might translate to multiple Make.com operations depending on its complexity. Carefully map each Zap to a potential Make.com scenario, estimating the number of operations each would require. This step requires a good understanding of Make.com’s module-based design.
Step 3: Calculate Your Current Monthly and Annual Zapier Costs
Now, gather all financial data related to your Zapier usage. This includes your base subscription plan (e.g., Starter, Professional, Team, Company), any overage charges for exceeding your monthly task limit, and costs associated with premium app usage or advanced features. Review your billing history for the past 6-12 months to identify peak usage periods and average monthly spend. Don’t forget to account for any hidden costs, such as the time spent manually managing overages or optimizing Zaps to stay within limits. Sum these figures to get your total current monthly and annual expenditure on Zapier.
Step 4: Estimate Your Corresponding Monthly and Annual Make.com Costs
Based on your mapped Make.com scenarios and estimated operations from Step 2, you can now project your Make.com expenses. Refer to Make.com’s pricing tiers (e.g., Free, Core, Pro, Teams, Enterprise) and determine which plan best accommodates your estimated number of operations and data transfer needs. Factor in the cost of data transfer, which can be a consideration for high-volume integrations. It’s often beneficial to choose a plan slightly above your initial estimate to allow for growth and avoid immediate overage fees. Compare this projected cost against your current Zapier spend to begin seeing the potential for direct savings.
Step 5: Factor in Opportunity Costs and Efficiency Gains
Beyond direct subscription costs, consider the significant “soft savings” that Make.com can offer. Make.com’s visual builder and more granular control often lead to more efficient, robust, and easier-to-maintain automations. This translates to reduced development time, fewer errors, and improved reliability. Quantify the time your team currently spends on troubleshooting Zapier issues, optimizing Zaps, or manually bridging gaps in automation. Estimate how much of this time could be reallocated to higher-value activities with Make.com’s more powerful capabilities. These efficiency gains represent real cost reductions and productivity improvements.
Step 6: Perform a Comparative Cost Analysis and Scenario Modeling
With all your data collected, create a detailed side-by-side comparison. List your current Zapier costs next to your projected Make.com costs, clearly itemizing subscription fees, task/operation costs, and any additional feature expenses. Develop a “best-case,” “worst-case,” and “most-likely” scenario for Make.com usage to account for fluctuations. This modeling helps you understand the range of potential savings. Also, consider the scalability aspect: how much more will it cost to grow your automations by 20% or 50% on each platform? This long-term view strengthens your argument for migration.
Step 7: Project Your Return on Investment (ROI) and Summarize Potential Savings
Consolidate all your findings into a comprehensive ROI projection. Calculate the net difference in annual costs between Zapier and Make.com. Add to this the quantified value of the efficiency gains and reduced opportunity costs from Step 5. Present your total estimated annual savings. Beyond the financial figures, highlight the strategic benefits: increased scalability, greater control, and the ability to build more complex and resilient automations. This final summary provides a clear, actionable insight into the financial advantages of migrating, empowering your organization to make an informed decision based on solid data.
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