How do you migrate workflows from Zapier to Make?

How to Migrate from Zapier to Make: Step-by-Step Guide

Migrating from Zapier to Make can save the team significant money and access more advanced automation capabilities. However, the migration requires careful planning since there is no automated migration tool between the two platforms. Here is a proven step-by-step process.

Step 1: Audit Your Existing Zaps

Before building anything in Make, create a complete inventory of your Zapier workflows:

1. List every active Zap with its trigger app, action apps, and number of steps
2. Note monthly task usage for each Zap to understand your volume requirements on Make
3. Identify critical Zaps that cannot have downtime during migration
4. Document any Zapier-specific features you use: Paths, Formatter, Looping, Digest, Storage
5. Check for Zapier-exclusive apps — verify that every app in your Zaps has a Make module equivalent

Create a spreadsheet with columns for: Zap name, trigger app, action apps, steps, monthly tasks, priority, and Make module availability.

Step 2: Map Zapier Apps to Make Modules

Zapier and Make use different terminology and sometimes different API scopes for the same services:

For each Zap, verify that Make has modules for every connected app. Make supports 1,800+ apps, so most Zapier apps have equivalents. For apps without native Make modules, check if users can use Make's HTTP module with the app's API.

Step 3: Recreate Workflows in Make

Start with your simplest Zaps and work toward complex ones:

1. Create the scenario in Make and add the trigger module matching your Zap's trigger
2. Authenticate your accounts — users will need to re-authorize every connected service
3. Add action modules and map the data fields. Make's visual data mapping is more powerful than Zapier's field mapping, but it takes time to learn the interface.
4. Convert Zapier Paths to Make Routers — Make's Router module splits scenarios into multiple branches, each with its own filter conditions
5. Replace Formatter steps with Make functions — Make has built-in text, date, math, and array functions that replace Zapier's Formatter
6. Handle errors — Add error handler modules to critical scenarios. Make's error handling is more sophisticated than Zapier's, offering retry, ignore, break, and rollback options.

Step 4: Test with Sample Data

Thorough testing is critical before going live:

• Run each scenario manually with the "Run once" button using real sample data
• Verify every output field matches what your downstream systems expect
• Test edge cases: empty fields, special characters, large data sets, and error conditions
• Check data formatting: dates, numbers, and currencies may format differently between platforms
• Validate webhook URLs if external systems send data to the automations (they will have new URLs in Make)

Step 5: Run Both Platforms in Parallel

For critical workflows, run Zapier and Make simultaneously for 1-2 weeks:

• Keep your Zaps active while new Make scenarios run alongside them
• Compare outputs to ensure Make produces identical results
• Monitor Make's execution logs for any errors or unexpected behavior
• For workflows that create records (e.g., new contacts, invoices), use a test environment to avoid duplicates

Step 6: Cut Over and Decommission

Once you are confident in your Make scenarios:

1. Update webhook URLs in any external systems that send data to the automations
2. Turn off Zaps one at a time, starting with non-critical workflows
3. Monitor Make scenarios closely for the first week after each cutover
4. Keep your Zapier account active for 30 days after full migration as a safety net
5. Cancel your Zapier subscription once everything is verified

Timeline Expectations

The biggest time investment is learning Make's interface and re-authenticating all your connected accounts. Once you are comfortable with Make, individual workflow recreation typically takes 15-45 minutes per Zap depending on complexity.