BuildShip vs Make
We give BuildShip a 2.8 GPA and Make a 3.6, out of 4.0. Make grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BuildShip
Visual builder for backend workflows, APIs and AI agents
Make
Visual automation builder for multi-step scenarios and AI agents
How we grade them
| 2.8GPABuildShipGood | 3.6GPAMakeExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $19 a workspace a month billed yearly ($225), or $25 monthly, about what this category charges. It's a fair bundle: 20,000 credits, 20 flows, 10 agents, 3 team members and 50 GB of storage. Each extra workspace is billed separately. | A$9 a month billed annually buys 5,000 credits, unlimited active scenarios, teams and roles, and API access. That's well under what most automation tools start at. Do note that credits expire at the end of each term. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. Signing up starts a 7-day trial of the paid features, and the subscription begins by itself when the trial ends unless you cancel. Set a reminder. | BFree with no time limit, but tight: 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios and at least 15 minutes between scheduled runs. Good for learning the canvas and running a job or two. |
| Features | AFlows start from an API call, a schedule, a database event, a Stripe payment, an email or a bot message. Add AI agents, a built-in database, file storage and logs, and the code of every node is open to edit. You can even export a flow as JavaScript. | AA visual canvas with routers and filters, more than 3,000 pre-built apps, AI agents, the Maia assistant that builds from a conversation, an MCP server, and Make Grid for mapping a team's whole setup. That's the job covered, and then some. |
| Ease of use | BDescribe a flow in plain words and the AI builds it, or connect ready-made nodes on a canvas. Keyless Nodes run AI models without separate API keys. It's still backend building, mind. No rating on record, so a B. | BYou place modules on a canvas and link them, so the branching is visible at a glance, and Maia will build a scenario from a chat. You still have to think in modules and credits. No rating on record, so a B. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt's a web app. Flows can be called as REST APIs, and there are nodes for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Sheets, Airtable, Firebase, Stripe and GitHub. The listing shows no phone or desktop app, and hosting it yourself sits under Enterprise. | AIt runs on the web with iPhone and Android apps, lists more than 3,000 app integrations, and the paid plan opens up more than 300 Make API endpoints. The MCP server lets outside AI assistants trigger your scenarios too. |
| Best for | building a backend or API without starting from code | branching automations you can see on a canvas |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BuildShip and Make. How we grade
Where they differ
- BuildShip starts at $19 per workspace / month, billed yearly ($225); $25 billed monthly. Make starts at $9 / month, billed annually, for 5,000 credits.
- Make has a free plan. BuildShip does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Make lists iOS and Android apps.
- BuildShip is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- BuildShip also covers databases, templates, AI agents and no-code.
At a glance
| BuildShip | Make | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per workspace / month, billed yearly ($225); $25 billed monthly | $9 / month, billed annually, for 5,000 credits |
| Free plan | None | Free plan with no time limit: up to 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios, a 15-minute minimum interval between runs, 512 MB of data transfer and 7 days of execution logs. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of paid features at sign-up; the subscription starts when it ends unless canceled | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Rowy Inc. | Celonis, Inc. |
| Price read from | buildship.com | make.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
BuildShip
- Front-end and no-code app builders who need a backend API quickly
- Teams wiring AI models into workflows without managing API keys
- Developers who want visual flows but still edit the underlying code
Make
- Building multi-step, branching automations on a visual canvas
- Individuals and small teams that want unlimited scenarios at a low entry price
- Trying automation on a free plan with no time limit
Worth knowing
BuildShip
- There is no free plan: sign-up starts a 7-day trial, and the subscription begins automatically when it ends unless canceled.
- Nodes use 1 credit for their first 3 seconds and 1 per second after that. Executions stop when credits run out unless you top up at $10 per 100,000.
- Pricing is per workspace, and each additional workspace is billed separately.
- A custom domain ($80 a year) and No Cold Start ($29 a month) are paid add-ons, and self-hosting is listed under Enterprise.
Make
- The Free plan allows only 2 active scenarios and 1,000 credits a month, with at least 15 minutes between scheduled runs.
- Credits expire at the end of each term, and extra credits cost 25% more than those included in the plan.
- Teams and roles, custom variables and enterprise apps are not part of the Free plan.
- The $9 price applies to annual billing; the pricing page says annual billing saves 15% or more over monthly.
Key features
BuildShip
- Prompt-to-flow builder
- Describe a flow in plain language and the AI builder generates its logic and nodes. It can also create a new node, modify an existing one or work from an uploaded API spec.
- Visual editor with code access
- Flows are edited and tested on a canvas of ready-made nodes with connected inputs and outputs. The code of every node and flow is open to edit, and custom scripts can be added.
- Triggers for APIs, schedules and events
- A flow can start from a REST API call, a cron schedule, a database event, a payment event from Stripe, an email, or a Telegram or WhatsApp bot message.
- AI agents and Keyless Nodes
- Each plan includes a set number of AI agents, 10 on Starter. Keyless Nodes run AI models from the credit balance without separate API keys, or you can bring your own keys.
- Built-in database and storage
- Each workspace has a built-in database with a set number of tables and file storage from 50 GB on Starter, alongside nodes for Firebase, Airtable and other data sources.
- Hosted or exported
- Flows deploy to BuildShip's cloud with logs, a status page and failure alerts, or export as JavaScript to run on your own infrastructure such as Vercel, GCP, AWS or Azure.
Make
- Visual scenario builder
- Scenarios are built by placing app modules on a canvas and linking them with routers and filters, so branching logic is visible at a glance.
- 3,000+ pre-built apps
- Make lists more than 3,000 app integrations, among them OpenAI, HubSpot, Salesforce and Slack. Access to enterprise apps comes with the paid plan.
- Credit-based billing
- Most module actions use 1 credit. The paid plan starts at 5,000 credits a month, and extra credits are sold in bundles of 1,000 or 10,000 at 25% more than plan credits.
- AI agents, Maia and MCP
- AI agents can be built to orchestrate workflows, Maia builds automations from a conversation, and the Make MCP server lets outside AI assistants trigger scenarios.
- Make Grid
- Make Grid gives a map of an organization's scenarios and how they connect, to keep a large automation setup under control.
- Teams, variables and API
- The paid plan adds teams and team roles, custom variables, full-text search of execution logs and access to more than 300 Make API endpoints.
Plans
BuildShip
Starter$19
per workspace / month, billed yearly ($225); $25 monthly
20,000 credits a month, 20 active flows, 10 agents, 3 team members, 10 database tables, 50 GB of storage and 7 days of logs.
Pro$59
per workspace / month, billed yearly ($711); $79 monthly
100,000 credits a month, 150 flows, 50 agents, 10 team members, 50 database tables, 500 GB of storage, 14 days of logs and priority support.
Business$449
per workspace / month, billed yearly ($5,391); $599 monthly
300,000 credits a month, 300 flows, 100 agents, 25 team members, 5 TB of storage, 30 days of logs, webhook alerts and a dedicated support channel.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom credits, self-hosting or your own cloud, Git-based version control, support SLAs, engineering consultation and compliance reports.
Make
Free$0
Up to 1,000 credits a month, 2 active scenarios, a 15-minute minimum interval between runs and 7 days of execution logs.
Make Plan$9
per month, billed annually, for 5,000 credits
Unlimited active scenarios, 1-minute minimum interval, teams and roles, custom variables, high-priority execution and Make API access. Credit tiers go up to 8 million and beyond.
Company (Enterprise)Custom
Custom functions, 24/7 enterprise support, overage protection, advanced security and 60 days of execution logs.
Ways to pay less
BuildShip
- Annual discount
25% off with yearly billing
The pricing toggle marks yearly billing as 25% off: Starter is $19 a month billed yearly ($225) against $25 billed monthly, and Pro is $59 against $79.
Make
- Annual discount
Save 15% or more with annual billing
Make's pricing page says annual billing saves 15% or more compared with paying monthly. The $9 starting price is the annual rate.
- Nonprofit
Support for non-profit organizations
The pricing page says Make supports non-profits and asks NGOs and NPOs to contact it for details. No discount figure is published.
