How do I objectively compare Make and Zapier for our use case?

Marketing pages contradict each other. The only fair benchmark is rebuilding your flow in both and measuring real cost and time. Half a day of work gives a 3-year decision.

Try this first

1. 1Pick 1 or 2 representative flows from your shortlist: a small one and a complex one. Not the simplest, that says too little.
2. 2Build exactly the same flow in both tools with same error handling and notifications. Time per flow per tool.
3. 3Run both flows in parallel for a week with production data: count task/op usage, success rate, p95 latency.
4. 4Count concrete numbers in a table: cost per month, build hours, maintenance hours per month, integrations needed vs offered.
5. 5Decide on numbers, not vibes. Both tools are good, your use case decides which fits.

None of the above fits?

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