Make.com — The complete guide to automating your processes

Make.com (formerly Integromat) is a platform forvisual automation that allows you to connect applications and automate tasks without writing a line of code. Unlike tools like Zapier, Make.com is distinguished by its advanced granularity (embedded conditions, complex data management) and its competitive pricing model for intensive workflows.

Its target audience :

· Startups looking to automate lead acquisition.

· E-shops that need to synchronize stocks, orders and CRM.

· Tech teams who want to replace manual scripts with visual workflows.

What is Make.com?

Make.com is a visual automation platform that makes it easy to connect applications together, without writing code. Thanks to an intuitive interface like Drag-and-drop, users can create automated workflows called scripts. This makes it possible to automate repetitive tasks, synchronize data, or trigger actions according to specific conditions.

A bit of history

• 2012 — Launch under the name Integromat, with a clear positioning: simplifying automation through “automated integrations”.
• 2022 — Change of name to Make.com, a more accessible and universal brand, aimed at a wider audience, including non-technical profiles.
• 2023 — Acquisition by Celonis, a company specialized in the optimization and automation of business processes, strengthening the legitimacy of Make in the B2B ecosystem.

How does Make.com work?

The key elements:

• Scenarios : these are automated chains of actions that are built visually, by connecting logical blocks.
• Modules :
  
  • Triggers : they launch a scenario (e.g. “New answer in Google Forms”).
  • Actions : tasks to be executed following the trigger (ex: “Create a row in Google Sheets”, “Send a Slack message”).
  • Aggregators/Processors : to group, filter, or modify data before continuing with the scenario.

Execution engine:

• Execute the scenarios in Real time Or in a way Planned (for example every 15 min, 1 hour, etc.).
• Integrate a advanced error management : detailed logs, automatic resuses, notifications in case of failure.

Example of simple architecture with Make.com:

Let's imagine a need for automated commercial follow-up:

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1. Google Forms → (New customer response)

2. Make.com → Check if the “Budget” field > €1000

3. Slack → Send an alert to the sales representative

4. Google Sheets → Add the answer to a lead database

The result: an automated workflow that is quick to set up, without any line of code.

Make.com Key Features: Detail and Power

Make.com is not just a tool for connecting apps: it's a real complete toolbox to create intelligent, robust, and 100% customizable automations. Here are its main features in detail:

Creation of automated scenarios

Creating a scenario in Make.com is child's play thanks to its visual interface. The process follows step-by-step logic:

1- Choose a trigger. Example: New file added to Dropbox.

2- Add filters. Example: Only take into account files in PDF format.

3- Configure an action. Example: Convert the file to.JPG using CloudConvert.

4- Add a conditional step. Example: If the conversion is successful → Email the file.

 [Imaginary screenshot] : a clear interface where each block represents a logical step in the scenario, easily modified by drag and drop.

Connectors: more than 1500 compatible applications

Make.com offers a vast catalog of connectors to integrate the most popular tools on the market. These connectors are grouped by categories:

• CRM & customer relationship : Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive.
• E-commerce : Shopify, WooCommerce.
• Productivity tools : Notion, Airtable, Trello, ClickUp.

Advanced features:

• Webhooks : custom triggers to integrate applications not present in the catalog.
• Custom API : possibility of connecting any external service via an API, with secure authentication (OAuth 2.0 or API Key).

Data Management and Transformation

One of Make.com's great assets is its ability to finely manipulate data passing between apps.

Integrated logic functions & operators:

• map (): to transform data tables (e.g. modify the structure of a set of rows).
• ifempty (): to provide a default value if a field is empty or absent.

Supported formats:

Make.com supports multiple data formats:

• JSON : standard for modern APIs
• XML : widely used in older systems
• CSV : ideal for exporting structured data

The Make.com engine includes built-in syntax analysis and transformation tools, which eliminates the need to use an external tool to change formats.

Concrete Make.com use cases

Make.com doesn't just connect tools: it intelligently automates business workflows. Here are two common business scenarios where Make.com saves valuable time and improves efficiency.

B2B marketing: no longer losing any leads

Problem:

Sales teams regularly receive messages on LinkedIn, but these are not automatically centralized in the CRM. The result: potential leads go unnoticed.

Solution with Make.com:

1. Trigger : New message received on LinkedIn (via a custom webhook).
2. Filter : The message contains the keyword “quotation”, “price”, or “offer”.
3. Chained actions :
   
   • Automatically add the contact in HubSpot with information taken from the message.
   • Sending a personalized follow-up email from Gmail or Sendinblue, integrating dynamic variables: {{first_name}}, {{company}}, etc.

Impact : centralization of leads, boosted reactivity, and a more professional customer experience.

E-commerce: automating logistics and stock

Problem:

Each new Shopify order requires a manual inventory update (often managed in Google Sheets) and a manual alert sent to the logistician. An oversight can lead to delays or breakdowns.

Solution with Make.com:

1. Trigger : New order placed on Shopify.
2. Smart actions :
   
   • Automatically update inventory in Google Sheets : the quantity is decremented according to the product ordered.
   • Condition : if the stock of a product falls below a critical threshold (e.g.: < 10), then:
     
     • Automatic sending of a Alert SMS via Twilio to the logistician or to the stock manager.

Impact : better stock management in real time, elimination of oversights, automation of logistics communication.

Make.com pricing: what you need to know before choosing

Make.com offers a price list pliable, designed to adapt to the needs of freelancers, startups and more structured companies. Here is a critical analysis of the offerings available.

The plan Free (0€/month)

Perfect for tests or ultra-simple projects. This plan allows you to launch up to 1,000 transactions per month, to create 2 scenarios maximum, with an execution time every 5 minutes. Ideal for discovering the platform, but limited for professional use.

The plan Core (9€/month)

An excellent entry point for small projects in production, especially for e-commerce sites or freelancers. With 10,000 monthly transactions, up to 10 scenarios configurable and a 1-minute turnaround time, this plan is suitable for a volume of approximately 100 orders/day or basic marketing automations.

Recommended for:

• Beginner e-commerce sites
• Light automation freelancers
• Small marketing teams

The plan Pro (16€/month)

This plan is for those who need power, speed and flexibility. It gives access to 40,000 transactions per month, allows you to create up to 20 scenarios, with treatment every 15 seconds. It also includes advanced features like Webhooks, custom API calls, and advanced error management.

Recommended for:

• Web agencies or no-code
• Startups in the advanced automation phase
• Multi-tool architectures and critical projects

To remember : in Make.com, an “operation” corresponds to each step executed in a scenario (for example, sending an email = 1 operation). Properly sizing your scenarios therefore makes it possible to optimize your consumption... and your budget 💡

Make.com: Strengths and Weaknesses to Know Before You Start

Like any platform, Make.com has its strengths... and its limits. Here is an overview to make an informed choice according to your needs.

The strengths of Make.com

1. An unbeatable quality/price ratio
Compared to competitors like Zapier, Make.com is up to twice as cheap for an equivalent volume of operations. A real advantage for freelancers, SMEs and agencies that automate on a large scale.

2. Great flexibility for advanced users
Thanks to its “HTTP” modules, Make.com allows you to connect to practically any API, even if it is not supported natively. It is a tool powerful for technical profiles or specific projects.

3. A very complete debugging system
Each stage of a scenario is accompanied by detailed logs : input data, output, errors, HTTP status codes, etc. An essential asset for testing, correcting and making your automations reliable.

Limits to take into account

1. An interface that can be confusing at first
Unlike other more “visual” tools like Zapier, Make.com requires a learning time, especially for beginners. Its interface can seem complex, with numerous technical options as soon as a scenario is created.

2. Latency on very complex scenarios
If your automations exceed 30 steps, the execution time can become significant (sometimes several minutes). This is not always a problem, but it can be a problem in cases where the Responsiveness is crucial (real-time notifications, quick synchronizations, etc.).

In summary: Make.com is a very powerful and affordable tool, but which is more aimed at users who are a bit technically comfortable. It excels as soon as your needs go beyond simple “point-to-point” automations.

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Automatically notify your Facebook leads in Slack

Do you receive leads via Facebook Ads and do you want to be notified in real time in Slack as soon as a high-potential prospect enters? Here it is a simple and effective scenario to create with Make.com, without writing a single line of code.

Objective of the scenario

Receiving a automatic notification in Slack when a new Facebook lead has a budget of more than €5,000

Step 1: Create a new scenario

In Make.com, start by clicking on “Create a new scenario”, then select the module Facebook Lead Ads as a trigger.

• Trigger : “New Facebook Lead Ads”
• Choose the right page and form.

Step 2: Add a filter

Let's only filter qualified prospects.

• Condition : {{form.field.budget}} > 5000
• This filter makes it possible to ignore leads with a smaller budget.

Step 3: Set up to send a Slack message

Now add the Slack module, and choose the action “Send a message”.

• Canal : #leads -premium (or any other dedicated channel)
• Message :

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New premium lead detected!

E-Mail: {{form.field.email}}

Budget: {{form.field.budget}} €

This allows your sales team to respond quickly.

Step 4: Test and activate the scenario

Test with a fictional or real lead. Verify that the message has arrived in Slack, then activate the scenario.

 Final result

Each time a lead enters via Facebook Lead Ads with a budget of more than €5,000, a instant alert is sent to your Slack:

New premium lead detected!
E-Mail: jean.dupont@email.com
Budget: 6,200€

Conclusion: Make.com, automation without limits

Make.com is establishing itself as an essential platform for all businesses, freelancers or agencies looking for powerful, flexible and accessible automation.

It is The ideal solution if you:

Wish automate complex processes, with scenarios involving conditions, filters, loops, and advanced API integrations.
Search a scalable pricing model, which adapts to the growth of your business without exploding costs.
Hold on to stay in control of your data, with total transparency on each stage and detailed logs to diagnose errors.

Whether you are a demanding developer Or a non-tech entrepreneur, Make.com allows you to save time, limit human errors and speed up your business processes.

So, ready to create your first scenario and unleash the full potential of automation?

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