Zapier vs Make: Which HubSpot Integration Tool Should You Use?

Why This Decision Matters for HubSpot Starter Users

If you're using HubSpot Starter, you have access to a solid CRM but lack the automation capabilities available in higher tiers. Features like automated workflows and email sequences are reserved for Professional and Enterprise users. This limitation makes external automation platforms necessary.

Zapier and Make are the two leading options, each connecting HubSpot to thousands of applications via visual builders. The platforms differ in pricing structure, user experience, complex logic handling, execution speed and community support.

How Both Tools Work: The Trigger-Action Model

Both platforms operate on trigger-action principles — an event in one application causes an action in another.

Zapier approach: automations, called "Zaps", follow a linear, step-by-step interface. You can add filters, formatters and conditional paths between steps. Polling typically occurs every 1–15 minutes.

Make approach: automations, called "Scenarios", use a visual canvas with connected modules. This visual approach makes it easier to see the overall flow, especially for complex automations with branches, loops and error handling paths. Make supports scheduled execution and instant webhooks.

Detailed Feature Comparison

Ease of use: Zapier — very easy, linear builder. Make — moderate, visual canvas.
Learning curve: Zapier — low. Make — moderate.
Pricing model: Zapier — tasks (actions executed). Make — operations and execution time.
Free plan: Zapier — 100 tasks/month, 5 Zaps. Make — 1,000 operations/month, unlimited scenarios.
Paid plans start: Zapier — around £16/month (Starter). Make — around £8/month (Core).
Task/operation limits: Zapier — 750–2M tasks/month. Make — 10,000–800K+ operations/month.
Multi-step automations: Zapier — paid plans only. Make — all plans.
Execution speed: Zapier — polling (1–15 min). Make — instant webhooks plus scheduled.
Complex logic: Zapier — Paths feature. Make — Routers and filters.
Error handling: Zapier — basic. Make — advanced.
Data transformation: Zapier — Formatter tool (limited). Make — extensive functions.
HubSpot triggers: Zapier — New Contact, Deal, Stage Change, etc. Make — Watch Contacts, Deals, Events.
App integrations: Zapier — 6,000+. Make — 1,800+ (plus HTTP module).
Community support: Zapier — large, extensive docs. Make — active, growing.
Templates: Zapier — large library. Make — growing library.

Five Specific Zapier Automation Examples for HubSpot

New form submission to Slack notification: when prospects submit website forms captured in HubSpot, Zapier sends Slack notifications with contact details, enabling rapid sales team responses.
Deal closed-won to Xero invoice: when a deal moves to the closed-won stage, Zapier creates a draft invoice in Xero with the correct client details, amount, line items and payment terms.
New contact to Google Sheets backup: every new HubSpot contact automatically appears as a row in Google Sheets, creating a backup and analysis foundation.
Deal stage change to Asana task: when deals reach specific stages, Zapier creates Asana tasks assigned to relevant team members for workflow coordination.
New HubSpot contact to Mailchimp subscriber: new HubSpot contacts automatically sync to Mailchimp audiences, eliminating manual list maintenance.

Five Specific Make Scenario Examples for HubSpot

Multi-step client onboarding automation: when a deal closes in HubSpot, a Make scenario triggers a sequence — create a project in Monday.com, generate a welcome email draft in Gmail, add the client to a Google Sheet tracker, and send a summary to Slack.
Real-time lead routing with conditional logic: webhooks evaluate new lead properties and route them to the appropriate sales representative via HubSpot owner updates and Slack notifications.
Invoice reconciliation between HubSpot and Xero: daily scheduled scenarios compare closed deals against invoices, flagging discrepancies in Google Sheets for finance team review.
HubSpot form to custom PDF proposal: form submissions trigger automatic Google Docs template population, PDF conversion and attachment to contact records.
E-commerce order sync from Shopify to HubSpot: new Shopify orders create or update HubSpot contacts with order details, lifetime value updates and purchase category tags.

Pricing Deep-Dive: Real Tier Comparisons

Zapier Pricing

Free plan: 100 tasks monthly, 5 Zaps, single-step only.
Starter (~£16/month): 750 tasks, multi-step Zaps, filters.
Professional (~£40/month): 2,000 tasks, conditional paths, webhooks.
Team (~£55/month): 2,000 tasks, shared workspace.
Enterprise: custom pricing for high-volume organisations.

Make Pricing

Free plan: 1,000 operations monthly, unlimited scenarios.
Core (~£8/month): 10,000 operations, 1-minute intervals.
Pro (~£14/month): 10,000 operations, priority execution.
Teams (~£26/month): 10,000 operations, collaboration features.
Enterprise: custom pricing with advanced security.

Make's free plan offers ten times more operations than Zapier's free plan, and Make's paid plans generally provide more operations at a lower monthly cost.

When to Choose Zapier

Zapier suits situations that prioritise simplicity and rapid deployment. Its linear interface appeals to non-technical users, and its 6,000+ app ecosystem provides superior niche application support. Choose Zapier if your automations are relatively straightforward — a trigger, maybe a filter, one or two actions — and if your team prefers simplicity over flexibility.

When to Choose Make

Make excels at complex logic requirements and cost efficiency. If your automations involve conditional branching, loops for processing multiple line items from a single trigger, or sophisticated error handling with retry logic and fallback paths, Make handles these scenarios more elegantly.

Can You Use Both? The Hybrid Approach

Yes. Many organisations use Zapier for quick, simple automations and Make for complex, multi-step processes: Zapier for something like a form submission to Slack notification, and Make for complex, multi-step processes.

Migration Considerations

No automated migration path exists between the two platforms — rebuilding manually is necessary. Task and operation counting differs across platforms, requiring volume recalculation, and app integrations function differently, necessitating thorough testing.

A phased migration is usually the safest approach: build new automations in the new tool while keeping existing ones running in the old tool.

How REVIO Helps Clients Choose and Implement

REVIO audits current processes, identifies automation opportunities, assesses complexity and volume, and recommends the appropriate tool. Implementation includes building, testing, documentation and team training.

Ready to Automate Your HubSpot Setup?

Every automated process frees team capacity for higher-value activities. REVIO specialises in helping HubSpot Starter users build effective automations using both platforms, understanding their capabilities, limitations and how to design reliable automations.