The Setup Scenario: Form Submission to Email Notification
Simple automation: when someone submits a form, send you an email notification. This is basic enough to compare both platforms fairly, yet complex enough to show real differences.
Both platforms will: catch form submission, extract form data, send email to you with the data.
Zapier Setup (5 minutes)
Step 1 (30 seconds): Create account, log in, click “Make a Zap.”
Step 2 (1 minute): Choose Typeform as trigger app. Zapier asks which Typeform form. Choose your form. Done. Zapier automatically maps form fields (name, email, message, etc.).
Step 3 (1 minute): Choose email as action app. Zapier defaults to sending email to your address. Set subject and body. Use form fields in email: “New submission from [Name].” Zapier’s interface shows available fields as checkboxes or dropdown. Choose what you want in email.
Step 4 (1 minute): Test. Zapier makes a test submission to your form. Email arrives in 30 seconds. Done.
Step 5 (1 minute): Turn it on. Click “Publish” and the Zap is live.
Total: 5 minutes. Interface is linear, step-by-step. Very beginner-friendly.
Make Setup (5 minutes, Slightly Different Feel)
Step 1 (30 seconds): Create account, log in, click “Create new scenario.”
Step 2 (1 minute): Click “+” button to add first module. Search for Typeform. Choose “Watch Form Responses.” Authenticate with Typeform. Choose your form.
Step 3 (1 minute): Click “+” button to add action module. Search for email. Choose “Send an Email.” Choose which email service (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). Authenticate. Set recipient to your email.
Step 4 (2 minutes): In email subject and body, click to add form fields. Make shows you all available fields. Click each field you want to add. Build subject line: “New form submission from {{Name}}”
Step 5 (1 minute): Click “Run once” to test. Make sends test email. Done. Turn the scenario on via toggle switch.
Total: 5 minutes. Interface is visual (canvas view), module-based. Slightly more power, slightly more steps.
The Difference You’d Feel
Zapier: linear, sequential. You follow a path: trigger, action, test, publish. Very intuitive for simple workflows (1-5 steps).
Make: visual, modular. You see all steps at once on a canvas. Slightly more complex visually, but easier to modify complex workflows later (adding branches, routers, multiple paths).
Both take 5 minutes for this simple task. Difference emerges when workflows get complex.
If You Add a Condition (Simple Complexity)
Scenario: only send email if form submission came from a specific email domain (e.g., only people from “yourcompany.com”).
Zapier: Add a filter step. Click “Filter.” Set condition: email address contains “@yourcompany.com.” If false, don’t send email. Add step. Done.
Make: Add a router. Click “+” button between trigger and email action. Search “Router.” Drag router onto canvas between trigger and email. Click router to edit. Set condition: email contains “@yourcompany.com.” Route true path to email. Route false path to “Don’t do anything.” Done.
Both are straightforward, but Make’s visual router is easier to understand at a glance. Zapier’s filter feels like an extra step.
If You Add Another Email (More Complexity)
Scenario: if email is from yourcompany.com, send email to you. If email is from external, send email to your support team.
Zapier: Add another action after the filter. Choose different filter for second path. (Zapier can handle this but it’s awkward.) Interface becomes linear and long.
Make: Router branches naturally. True path sends to you. False path sends to support team. Visual on canvas.
Make shines here. Zapier is manageable but starting to feel clunky.
Real Scenario: 10 Email Addresses, Different Routing
Scenario: 10 different lead types, each goes to different person on your team.
Zapier: becomes very long sequence of filters and actions. Difficult to maintain visually. You’re scrolling constantly.
Make: one router with 10 branches. Visual representation of all paths at once. Easy to understand and maintain.
The Recommendation
For workflows under 5 steps: either platform works fine. Pick based on comfort. Zapier is slightly faster to learn.
For workflows 5-10 steps with simple logic: Make starts to pull ahead. Visual canvas makes it easier to understand your own automation weeks later.
For workflows over 10 steps or with complex branching: Make is clearly superior. Zapier becomes unwieldy.
Try both. This 5-minute setup takes the same time in either platform. Try the same scenario in both, then decide which interface feels more natural to you. That comfort is worth more than features when you’re first learning.
