Windmill vs Make
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Windmill and Make.
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How to choose
Neither tool has user reviews on ToolSpotter yet, so we don't pick a winner. Compare them on what they're built for: Windmill — Engineering teams who want code-first internal tools, workflows and APIs on infrastructure they control, with no per-execution billing.; Make — Ops-minded individuals and small teams who want visual, branching automation with real debugging and do not need self-hosting..
Windmill Open-source workflow automation for developers | Make Visual automation platform for everyone | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2 (1 review) | 4.2 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting Price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best For | Engineering teams who want code-first internal tools, workflows and APIs on infrastructure they control, with no per-execution billing. | Ops-minded individuals and small teams who want visual, branching automation with real debugging and do not need self-hosting. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | open sourcefree tierapi access | no codefree tier |
| Visit Windmill → | Visit Make → |
Windmill
Pros
- + Script-first model: typed functions become endpoints, jobs and flow steps with auto-generated UIs — my nightly pipeline was rebuilt in one Docker session
- + Free self-hosted tier carries unlimited executions, not a trial disguised as a plan
- + Rust execution engine kept orchestration overhead sub-second between flow steps in my tests
- + Worker-group model scales throughput with replicas and tag routing instead of redesigns
- + Transparent per-unit Enterprise pricing ($20/builder, $10/non-builder, $50/worker) with published SLA terms
Cons
- - Zero no-code path — teams without developers cannot use it at any price
- - Prebuilt Community Edition images bundle proprietary Windmill Labs terms (no resale/wrapping/modifying), separate from the AGPLv3 source build
- - Worker groups and role configuration have a real learning curve before the platform pays off
- - Small vendor (under twenty employees in 2024 reporting, ~$15M raised) relative to the incumbents it replaces
- - Flow durability is lighter than Temporal for mission-critical long-running orchestration
Make
Pros
- + Visual bundle-level debugger: in my router test I traced dropped records to a timezone filter in under a minute, something Zapier's flat step log makes slow
- + Credit pricing stays cheap at realistic volumes — 10,000 credits/month tiers started at $9–$12/mo billed annually at time of writing (make.com/en/pricing)
- + HTTP, JSON, and XML modules are strong enough to replace custom code for most API glue work in my builds
- + Error handling is explicit: scoped error handlers and break directives mean one bad record does not kill a whole run
- + Celonis ownership and a product dating to 2012 (as Integromat) give it one of the longer reliability track records in the category
Cons
- - Polling triggers burn credits on every scheduled check whether or not data changed; my naive 1-minute poll ate budget until I moved to webhooks
- - No self-hosting and no source-available license — cloud-only, which rules it out for data-residency requirements
- - Run history on the free plan is short (three days at time of writing), so debugging real incidents needs a paid plan
- - The concepts curve (bundles vs arrays, iterators, aggregators) is steeper than Zapier's; expect a week before complex flows feel natural
- - Pricing is inconsistent across sessions — Make has served different Core/Pro/Teams price cards ($9/$16/$29 vs $12/$21/$38 annually), so confirm your quote
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Windmill or Make?▼
It depends on your specific needs — neither tool has user reviews on ToolSpotter yet, so we don't rank one above the other. Windmill is best for: Engineering teams who want code-first internal tools, workflows and APIs on infrastructure they control, with no per-execution billing.. Make is best for: Ops-minded individuals and small teams who want visual, branching automation with real debugging and do not need self-hosting..
What is the difference between Windmill and Make?▼
Windmill: Windmill is an open-source platform that turns scripts in Python, TypeScript, Go and other languages into workflows, internal apps and scheduled jobs. It is aimed at developers who prefer code over drag-and-drop builders. Make: Make is a visual automation platform where you connect apps and build multi-step workflows by drawing them on a canvas.
Is Windmill or Make more affordable?▼
Windmill starts at €0/mo, Make starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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