Zapier vs Make vs Den: Which is Best in 2026?
The honest breakdown from someone who's used all three.
Choosing between Zapier, Make, and Den is like choosing between a Swiss Army knife, a workshop, and a smart assistant.
They all "automate stuff," but they solve different problems. I've spent hundreds of hours in all three. Here's the honest truth about when to use each.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Zapier | Make | Den |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Simple A→B | Complex flows | AI agents |
| Learning curve | Low | Medium | Low |
| AI capabilities | Basic add-on | Basic add-on | Native GPT-5.2 |
| Free tier | 100 tasks/mo | 1,000 ops/mo | 100 runs/mo |
| Starting price | $29.99/mo | $10.59/mo | $20/mo |
| Integrations | 7,000+ | 1,800+ | 80+ |
Zapier: The Reliable Workhorse
Best for: Quick, simple "if this, then that" automations
Zapier pioneered no-code automation. It's been around since 2011 and has the most integrations of any platform.
Pros
- • Massive app library — 7,000+ integrations
- • Dead simple — Build your first Zap in 5 minutes
- • Reliable — Enterprise-grade uptime
- • Great docs — Huge knowledge base
Cons
- • Gets expensive — $29.99/mo for 750 tasks
- • Linear-only — Complex branching is painful
- • AI is bolted on — Not native
- • No intelligence — Just follows rules
Make: The Power User's Playground
Best for: Complex, visual workflows with branching logic
Make (formerly Integromat) is what developers reach for when Zapier isn't enough.
Pros
- • Visual builder — See as flowchart
- • Complex logic — Routers, filters, iterators
- • Better pricing — More ops per dollar
- • Data transformation — Manipulate between steps
Cons
- • Steeper curve — Takes time to master
- • Can get messy — Complex = spaghetti
- • Still rule-based — No AI decisions
- • Hard to debug — Finding bugs is painful
Den: The AI-Native Approach
Best for: Intelligent automation that actually thinks
Den takes a fundamentally different approach: instead of building flowcharts, you describe what you want in plain English and let AI figure out the rest.
Pros
- • Natural language — Just describe what you want
- • Actually intelligent — Powered by GPT-5.2
- • Handles ambiguity — "Urgent" means something
- • Built-in memory — Remembers context
Cons
- • Fewer integrations — 80 vs 7,000
- • Newer platform — Less battle-tested
- • AI costs — Intelligence costs more
When to Use Each
Choose Zapier when:
- → You need a specific integration they have and others don't
- → Your automation is simple: "When X happens, do Y"
- → You're a large enterprise with existing Zapier infrastructure
Choose Make when:
- → You need complex branching logic
- → You want to visually design intricate workflows
- → Budget is tight and you need more operations per dollar
Choose Den when:
- → You need AI that actually understands and decides
- → You want to describe workflows in plain English
- → Your automation requires judgment, not just rules
- → You're tired of maintaining brittle flowcharts
The Bottom Line
Zapier and Make are rule engines. They're great at "if this exact thing happens, do this exact action." They've served us well for a decade.
Den is an AI agent platform. It understands intent, makes decisions, and handles ambiguity. It's what automation looks like when you add actual intelligence.
The question isn't "which is best?" — it's "what kind of automation do you need?"
If you need to connect 7,000 apps with simple rules, use Zapier. If you need complex visual workflows, use Make. If you need AI that actually thinks, try Den.
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