Activepieces vs Make
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings
Activepieces or Make: which should you choose?
| Dimension | Activepieces | Make |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free (1 person), paid plans for builders/teams | Freemium (paid tiers scale with operations) |
| Integrations | 700+ apps, including Gmail, OpenAI, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, MCP | 3,000+ apps, including OpenAI, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Canva |
| AI Features | AI agents with custom instructions, agent library (Lead Scorer, etc.), chat-to-automation, analytics | Make AI Agents, Library of Agents, MCP Server |
| Deployment | Cloud (SOC 2 Type II) or self-hosted (Docker, Helm) | Cloud (GDPR, SOC 2, SOC 3) |
| Best for | AI-first teams, cost-conscious, self-hosting needs | Complex workflows, broad app ecosystem, enterprise orchestration |
If your priority is AI agent automation on a budget with self-hosting flexibility, pick Activepieces. If you need the widest integration library and advanced workflow logic (routers, iterators) across a massive app ecosystem, Make is your safer bet. Both are solid, but Activepieces leans into AI-first innovation while Make excels in general-purpose automation scale.
Open-source AI automation you can self-host: chat a workflow into agents, flows, and tables across 770+ app connections.
Visit WebsiteMake is a visual automation canvas where branching workflows, AI agents and prompt-built scenarios run on the same map.
Visit WebsiteWhat do real users say about Activepieces vs Make?
Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.
Activepieces
62 mentions across 4 sources · 76% positive (averaged across 4 sources)
Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, GitHub
What users praise
- • True open-source license (MIT) allows free use in commercial apps
- • Drag-and-drop builder is praised for being easy and intuitive
- • Active and responsive team; feature requests implemented in a day
- • Very competitive pricing compared to Zapier and n8n
What frustrates them
- • Advanced features are gated behind paid tiers, limiting open-source claim
- • Fewer integrations than rivals (700 vs n8n's 1000+)
- • Community edition lacks some power features, pushing users to paid plans
- • Some users find n8n's workflow capabilities more advanced for complex automation
Researched Aug 21, 2026
Make
114 mentions across 8 sources · 50% positive — mixed (weighted across 8 sources)
Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, App Store, Bluesky, Stack Overflow, Lemmy, Tech Press
What users praise
- • Visual canvas makes branching logic with routers and filters readable at a glance
- • Hundreds of prebuilt app integrations cover most common SaaS stacks out of the box
- • Pricing comparable to Zapier but supports genuinely multi-step, branching scenarios
- • Custom JavaScript and Python code steps fill gaps the module library misses
What frustrates them
- • iOS app crashes within seconds and fails to sync in the background
- • Support tickets reportedly go months without a response or follow-up
- • No converger module, forcing awkward workarounds for advanced merge logic
- • Per-operation billing quickly inflates costs on branch-heavy workflows
Researched Nov 7, 2026
Who should pick Activepieces, and who should pick Make?
- Sales team wanting AI lead scoringPick: Activepieces
Activepieces includes a Lead Scorer agent, chat-to-automation, and human approval steps—ideal for sales teams that want AI without coding.
- Marketing team automating multi-channel campaignsPick: Make
Make's 3,000+ integrations (including Canva, Salesforce) and complex data transformation allow building deep, cross-platform workflows easily.
- Enterprise with strict data compliancePick: Activepieces
Self-hosting via Docker/Helm gives full data control; also supports SSO, SCIM, and advanced RBAC for enterprise governance.
- IT team automating incident responsePick: Make
Make's real-time execution logs, error handling with rollback, and webhook triggers enable reliable monitoring and response automation.
- Cost-conscious startup exploring AI agentsPick: Activepieces
Activepieces is positioned as a lower-cost alternative to Zapier/Make with advanced AI features; free tier supports one person to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Activepieces vs Make: which should you choose?
If your priority is AI agent automation on a budget with self-hosting flexibility, pick Activepieces. If you need the widest integration library and advanced workflow logic (routers, iterators) across a massive app ecosystem, Make is your safer bet. Both are solid, but Activepieces leans into AI-first innovation while Make excels in general-purpose automation scale.
Can I self-host Make like I can with Activepieces?
The data doesn't mention self-hosting for Make; it's cloud-based with compliance certifications. Activepieces explicitly offers self-hosting via Docker and Helm.
Which platform has more integrations?
Make connects to 3,000+ apps, while Activepieces has 700+. If you rely on niche apps, Make's broader ecosystem is a major factor.
Do both support AI agents?
Yes. Activepieces has AI agents with custom instructions and a library of agents, while Make offers Make AI Agents with real-time adaptation and MCP Server integration.
Are there human approval steps in Make?
The data for Make doesn't list human approval steps; Activepieces highlights them as a feature for controlled automation.
Which is better for a non-technical user?
Activepieces emphasizes drag-and-drop and chat-to-automation, making it accessible. Make's complexity with routers and iterators might be overwhelming for beginners.
How do the pricing models differ?
Both have free tiers, but Activepieces claims lower cost overall, especially for AI. Make's pricing scales with operations, which can increase costs at high volumes.
What else are Activepieces and Make compared with?
Pick Make if your problem is breadth: a messy multi-app stack with branching, data reshaping, and a team that would rather prompt Maia by Make than wire every node. Pick n8n if your problem is account
If your goal is to automate cross-app business processes (CRM, email, databases), Make is the clear choice with its 3,000+ connectors and visual logic. If you want to build a functional web or mobile
If you want visual control over complex, multi-step logic and have some technical comfort, Make is the better buy. If you prioritize sheer app count, minimal learning curve, and AI-assisted workflow g
If you're AI-forward, cost-sensitive, or need on-prem compliance, Activepieces wins—it's cheaper, open-source, and ships built-in agent orchestration. But if you live off sheer app breadth (9,000+ int
Pick Activepieces if your buyers are non-engineers and you need AI agents with human approval gates running without anyone touching a terminal — the chat-to-workflow drafting and per-step approval gat
Where can you read more about Activepieces and Make?
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Analysis generated by our model pipeline from live data: