Guide · Make Free vs Core
Make Free vs Core — when Core earns the upgrade
Plan step for people already on Make. Live scorecard: Totals are not published yet. Self-hosted is a separate lane. No new scores.
Use this page if the question is Free or Core
Use
Use this page if…
You already lean Make and need Free versus Core: scenarios, credits, and the limits that change. Quotes below were read 2026-10-02.
Skip
Skip if…
Core or Pro only: Make Core vs Pro. Pro or Teams only: Make Pro vs Teams. Three tools: When Make is the right pick. Words: Make credits and operations. Cross-tool free cliff: When free isn’t enough. Leaving another tool: Switching from Zapier to Make or Switching from n8n Cloud to Make.
A Free-or-Core check for a team already leaning Make.
- You already lean Make and the open question is Free or Core.
- You want the limits that change: scenarios, schedule, files, logs, and the Make API.
Partner signup. We may earn a commission. Rankings are not sold.Try MakeMake Core vs ProWhen free isn’t enoughMake credits and operationsWhen Make is the right pick
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What this page tells you. When Make Free is enough, and when Core earns the upgrade. This page shows dated plan limits from Make’s pricing page and Help Center, accessed 2026-10-02. It quotes the Free and Core listed prices from the pricing page, last re-read on 2026-10-29. Verify before buy. It does not add new scores.
GuideSome scores not shown yetMake pages accessed 2026-10-02Affiliate · pc=stackscorecardLive scorecard
This page vs the other Make reads
When Make is the right pick is whether Make is the product. This page starts after that yes.
When free isn’t enough is the cross-tool cliff: Zapier Free, Make Free, the n8n Cloud trial, and n8n self-host. This page stays on Make, and it walks Free against Core.
Make Core vs Pro is the next paid step: files, API rate, priority, and the annual credit package. This page stops at Core.
Make Pro vs Teams is teams and roles. This page does not walk that step.
Make credits and operations is the two-word lexicon. This page does not reprint what a credit counts.
This page is the Free vs Core step. When the free card is enough. When Core’s limits earn the price. The prices quoted here are the listed prices on the Make pricing page.
What each card says
These are the Free and Core cards on Make pricing, accessed 2026-10-02. The page also says there is no time limit on the Free plan.
Free
Free
For those looking to experience our visual-first interface and create the first scenario
Free includes:
- 1,000 credits/month
- No-code visual workflow builder
- 3000+ apps
- Routers & filters
- Customer support
- 15-minute minimum interval between runs
Core
Core
For those with fundamental AI and automation needs
Everything in Free, plus:
- Unlimited active scenarios
- More control with scheduled scenarios, down to the minute
- Increased data transfer limits
- Access to the Make API
Pricing page: Make pricing, accessed 2026-10-02. As of August 27, that page says credits are the billing unit.
When Free is enough
No time limit on the Free plan
Stay on Free when two active scenarios, 1,000 credits a month, a 15-minute schedule, a 5-minute run, 5 MB files, and 7-day logs cover the work. The pricing FAQ adds the storage line for that quota: 1,000 credits equals 1 MB of data storage and 1 data store.
The Free plan only supports one team.
The same cancel page says you will have one organization on the Free plan, and another Free organization becomes unlicensed. After a cancellation, the standard free subscription is 1,000 credits per month. You can have only one free organization under the account.
When Core earns the upgrade
Read a row only where the pricing page or the Help Center printed a difference. A blank on the 2026-10-02 read stays —.
Swipe sideways on a narrow screen. Not a scored table.
| Limit | Free | Core | Where it is printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credits on the card | 1,000 credits/month | — | The Free card lists 1,000 credits/month and “Up to 1,000 credits/mo.” Core does not print one fixed credit total. |
| Active scenarios | 2 | unlimited | Comparison table, “Maximum number of active scenarios.” The Core card lists unlimited active scenarios. |
| Minimum interval | 15 minutes | 1 minute | Comparison table, minutes between scheduled scenarios. The Core card says scheduled scenarios down to the minute. |
| Maximum scenario run | 5 minutes | 40 minutes | Comparison table, “Maximum scenario execution time (minutes).” |
| Maximum file size | 5 MB | 100 MB | Comparison table, row labeled in MB. |
| Data transfer | 512MB | 5GB | The same row says usage scales: 5 GB of data transfers per 10,000 monthly credits. The FAQ example for 150,000 credits per month is 75 GB of data transfer. |
| Execution log storage | 7 days | 30 days | Comparison table, “Execution log storage (days).” |
| Make API, calls per minute | — | 60 | Comparison table, “rate call limit/minute.” Free’s cell was blank. The Core card lists access to the Make API. |
| Make Code | — | 2 credits per 1 second | Free’s cell was blank. Core prints “2 credits per 1 sec of code execution time.” |
| Customer support | 90-day expert access to get started | Technical support from our expert team | Comparison table. The Free card also lists “Customer support” without the 90-day line. |
| Extra credits | Not a paid plan | A paid-plan purchase | Help Center: extra-credit purchasing is available on paid plans. On Core with annual billing, regular credits reset monthly, and extra credits expire at each monthly reset. |
| Listed price | $0/mo | $12/mo | On the Make pricing page, last re-read on 2026-10-29. Free is labeled “Up to 1,000 credits/mo.” Check the billing cycle and credit step on the pricing page. |
Plan limits: Make pricing. Extra credits: Make — extra credits. One free organization: Make — cancel your subscription. Accessed 2026-10-02.
What the upgrade does not buy
These cells are not a reason to leave Free for Core. They are on the same read, accessed 2026-10-02.
Swipe sideways on a narrow screen. Not a scored table.
| Limit | Free and Core | Where it is printed |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | AWS (EU/North America) | The Free and Core cells print the same line. |
| Priority scenario execution | — | Both cells were blank. The table prints High under Pro. The Core card does not list priority. |
| Custom variables | Not on either card | The Pro card lists custom variables under “Everything in Core, plus.” Check-mark cells did not come through as text: —. |
| Full-text execution log search | Not on either card | Same Pro card line. Check-mark cells: —. |
| Annual package of credits | Not this step | Help Center: with Core, you always have monthly allocated credits, even on an annual subscription. Only Pro and Teams have an annual package of credits. Free has no paid subscription. Stepping from Free to Core does not buy that package. |
| Data stores per organization | Up to 1,000, on any plan | Pricing FAQ: you can use up to 1,000 data stores per organization, regardless of plan. The minimum size of one data store is 1 MB. |
With the Core plan, you always have monthly allocated credits, even if you have an annual subscription. Only Pro and Teams plans have an annual package of credits.
Priority, custom variables, and full-text log search are on the Pro card. If that is the next question, see Make Core vs Pro.
Credits, storage, and extra credits
If you are on the Free plan, you have 1000 credits per month, which equals 1 MB of data storage and 1 data store.
The same FAQ says that for every 1000 credits you get 1 MB of data storage, which equals 1 data store, and that you can use up to 1,000 data stores per organization regardless of plan. Its usage-allowance header, per 10k, prints 5 GB of data transfer and 10 MB of data storage. A Free-only figure for the other allowance lines on that header: —.
There are several options if you run out of credits before the next billing cycle: You can upgrade your subscription before the end of the term, purchase extra credits in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000 at the fixed price defined in your subscription or activate the Extra credits auto-purchasing feature and automatically purchase 10,000 credits before your credits run out.
Help Center says extra-credit purchasing is available on paid plans. The ceiling across tools is on When you hit the meter. What a credit counts is on Make credits and operations.
Pro and Teams are later steps
Pro and Teams are still public columns, accessed 2026-10-02. This page does not walk them. The Pro card says everything in Core, plus priority scenario execution, custom variables, and full-text execution log search. The Teams card says everything in Pro, plus teams and team roles, and create and share scenario templates.
If the next question is Core or Pro, see Make Core vs Pro. If it is Pro or Teams, see Make Pro vs Teams. If it is Teams or a sales conversation, see Make Teams vs Enterprise. Enterprise is also on the pricing page. It is not this step.
How this sits on the scorecard
How this sits on the scorecard
Totals are not published yet.
If the question is whether Make is the product, see When Make is the right pick. If you are leaving another tool, see Switching from Zapier to Make or Switching from n8n Cloud to Make.
Product link
Affiliate
Make
Sources
Primary Make pages only. Access date for every limit on this page: 2026-10-02. The Free and Core prices are the listed prices on the Make pricing page, last re-read on 2026-10-29. We do not invent search volumes, testimonials, or a converted list.
- Make pricing · accessed 2026-10-02
- Make — monthly and annual subscriptions · accessed 2026-10-02
- Make — extra credits · accessed 2026-10-02
- Make — cancel your subscription · accessed 2026-10-02
FAQ
When is Make Free enough?
Make’s pricing page, accessed 2026-10-02, says there is no time limit on the Free plan. The Free plan is listed at $0/mo, up to 1,000 credits/mo, and lists 1,000 credits/month, a no-code visual builder, 3000+ apps, routers and filters, customer support, and a 15-minute minimum interval. The comparison table prints 2 active scenarios, a 5-minute maximum run, 5 MB files, 512MB of data transfer, and 7-day execution logs. The pricing FAQ says 1,000 credits equals 1 MB of data storage and 1 data store. Cancel help says the Free plan supports one team and one free organization. That is enough for the first scenarios inside those limits.
When does Core earn the upgrade?
Core earns the step when you need more than those Free cells. The Core card, accessed 2026-10-02, says everything in Free, plus unlimited active scenarios, scheduled scenarios down to the minute, increased data transfer, and access to the Make API. The table prints unlimited active scenarios, a 1-minute interval, a 40-minute maximum run, 100 MB files, 5GB of data transfer, 30-day logs, and 60 Make API calls per minute. Make Code on Core is 2 credits per 1 second. Support on Core is “Technical support from our expert team,” against Free’s “90-day expert access to get started.” Extra-credit purchasing is available on paid plans.
Does Core include a fixed number of credits?
No fixed Core total was printed. The pricing page asks how many credits per month. Free’s published quota is 1,000 credits per month.
Does Core add an annual package of credits?
No. Help Center, accessed 2026-10-02: with the Core plan you always have monthly allocated credits, even on an annual subscription. Only Pro and Teams have an annual package of credits. On Core with annual billing, regular credits reset monthly, and extra credits you purchase expire at each monthly reset. The annual credit package is the Pro step, on Make Core vs Pro.
What do Make Free and Core cost?
The Make pricing page lists Free at $0/mo, labeled up to 1,000 credits/mo, and Core at $12/mo, last re-read on 2026-10-29. The billing cycle and credit step are on that page. The annual control also prints “Save 15% or more.”
What happens if the credits run out?
The pricing FAQ says there are several options if you run out of credits before the next billing cycle: upgrade before the end of the term, purchase extra credits in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000 at the fixed price defined in your subscription, or turn on extra-credit auto-purchasing of 10,000 credits. Help Center says that purchase is available on paid plans. The cross-tool ceiling is on When you hit the meter.
Does this guide change the Make vs n8n vs Zapier scores?
No. Totals are not published yet.
Where should I go next?
If the question is Core or Pro, see Make Core vs Pro. If the question is Pro or Teams, see Make Pro vs Teams. If the question is whether Make is the product, see When Make is the right pick. For what a credit counts, see Make credits and operations. For the cross-tool free cliff, see When free isn’t enough. If you are near a cap, see When you hit the meter. Totals are not published yet.
Affiliate disclosure
Make is a live partner signup (pc=stackscorecard) and is marked affiliate; we may earn a commission. Rankings are not sold. This page does not add an n8n or Zapier affiliate ID (Affiliate disclosure · Disclosures).