Make

What it is

Make (formerly Integromat) is a visual automation platform. Like other tools in this category, it connects apps so that data moves between them without manual copying, but it does it through a visual, node-based workflow builder rather than a simple linear list of steps. You lay out triggers, actions, and logic on a canvas, connecting them into a workflow (Make calls this a "scenario") that runs automatically once it's built. It connects over 3,000 apps.

Make covers the same underlying problem as automating repetitive admin work: the routine, manual movement of data between systems that eats hours across a week without actually requiring a person's judgment.

Who it's for (and who it isn't)

Make is a good fit for people who want more control over how a workflow branches, transforms data, or handles multiple paths at once, and who are comfortable working in a visual canvas to build that out. Its direct integrations with Google Sheets, Gmail, Pipedrive, and Airtable cover common day-to-day tools for sales pipelines, spreadsheets-as-databases, and general record keeping.

It's less of a fit for someone who wants the fastest possible path from "I have a repetitive task" to "it's automated," with no interest in building visual logic. Make's canvas is more powerful than a simple trigger-action list, but that power comes with more to learn upfront. If you'd rather move faster on simple automations and worry less about the interface, it's worth weighing against Zapier, which trades some of that visual flexibility for a more linear setup flow.

Pricing

Make is freemium, with a free plan that includes 1,000 operations a month, a meaningfully higher free ceiling than some competitors, which matters if you're testing several automations before committing to a paid plan. Paid plans start from $9 a month for the Core tier on monthly billing; annual billing saves 15% or more, though the exact annual rate isn't published on-site.

Set it up

Official guide: Create your first scenario

1. Create a Make account on the Free plan, which includes 1,000 operations a month (Make calls them credits and counts one each time a module runs). Have a Google account and a Slack workspace ready. You now have a Make account.
2. In Google Sheets, start a new spreadsheet and rename it "Prospects". Add the columns First Name, Last Name, Country, Email, Phone Number and Details, plus one row of sample data. You now see your sample row in the sheet.
3. In Make, click "+ Create a new scenario" in the top-right corner. A scenario is one automation, built from modules (small building blocks). Click the large plus sign on the canvas, search for "Google Sheets", select it, and choose "Watch New Rows". Click "Create a connection", name it, click "Sign in with Google", choose your account, and click "Continue". You see a Google Sheets module on the canvas.
4. Select your Drive from the dropdown. In the "Spreadsheet ID" field, use "Click here to choose file" to pick "Prospects". Select "Sheet1" in "Sheet Name", select "Yes" for "Table contains headers", and click "Save". In the "Choose where to start" window, select "All". Make now reads your existing rows first, then any new rows you add.
5. Click the + icon on the right side of the Google Sheets module, search for "Slack", select it, and choose "Send a Message". Click "Create a connection", select "Slack (user)" for "Connection type", click "Save", and click "Allow" in the Slack window. You now see the settings of the Slack module.
6. Choose "Public channel" in "Channel type", then pick a channel in the "Public channel" field where a test message does no harm. Click the "Text" field, type "New prospect added", and click values such as First Name and Email in the panel that opens. Click "Save", then the Save icon on the toolbar. You now see two connected modules: Google Sheets and Slack.
7. In the toolbar, click "Every 15 minutes" to open the schedule settings and pick a slower schedule, such as once a day, because every check spends credits. Click "Save", then "Activate scenario". The scenario is now on, and its first check posts your sample row to the channel.

When this works, Make checks your Google Sheet on its schedule and posts a Slack message for each new row. To see it straight away, click "Run once" in the toolbar. To use it for your own work, pick the two apps you want to link and rebuild this scenario with them.

Strengths and limitations

The strength is a combination of pricing and flexibility. The free plan's 1,000 operations a month goes further than many alternatives before you need to pay, and the visual scenario builder lets you construct workflows with branching and conditional logic that a simple linear automation tool would struggle with. The named integrations, Google Sheets, Gmail, Pipedrive, Airtable, cover common small-business and sales workflows out of the box.

The real limitation is that visual, node-based building has a steeper learning curve than a simple trigger-and-action list. Someone who just wants to connect two apps quickly may find the canvas more setup than they need for a simple job. And because Make's exact annual pricing isn't shown on-site, you won't know the discounted rate until you're further into checkout, which makes it harder to budget for at a glance compared to a platform with fully transparent published rates. If you already know you want branching logic and conditional paths, that tradeoff is usually worth it; if you just need one app to talk to another, it may be more setup than the job requires.