CircleCI vs Make
Fast, configurable CI/CD with Docker, ARM, GPU runners and orbs
vs. Visual workflow automation (formerly Integromat) — deeper than Zapier
Pricing tiers
CircleCI
Free
$0. 6,000 build minutes/mo (Linux medium). 30 users. Unlimited projects.
Free
Performance
$15/mo (3 users). Credit-based: 80K-240K credits/mo bundles. More concurrency.
$15/mo
Scale
$2,000/mo+ (custom). High concurrency, self-hosted runner support, SSO.
$2000/mo
CircleCI Server
Custom. On-prem deployment of CircleCI. Enterprise only.
Custom
Make
Free
$0. 1,000 operations/month. 3,000+ apps. Basic support. Min 15-min scheduling interval.
Free
Core
$9/mo. 10,000 operations. Unlimited active scenarios. Sub-minute scheduling. API access.
$9/mo
Pro
$16/mo. 10,000 operations. Priority execution. Custom variables. Full-text log search.
$16/mo
Teams
$29/mo. Team roles. Scenario templates. Share with team.
$29/mo
Enterprise
Custom. Custom functions, 24/7 support, overage protection, advanced security.
Custom
Free-tier quotas head-to-head
Comparing free on CircleCI vs free on Make.
| Metric | CircleCI | Make |
|---|---|---|
| No overlapping quota metrics for these tiers. | ||
Features
CircleCI · 17 features
- ARM + GPU Runners — ARM64 + T4 GPU resource classes.
- .circleci/config.yml — Single source of truth (YAML 2.1).
- Contexts — Org-scoped shared env vars.
- Deploy Markers — Track deployments + rollback.
- Docker Layer Caching — Reuse Docker layers.
- Dynamic Config — Generate config based on changed paths.
- Manual Approval — Gate workflows with manual step.
- Matrix Jobs — Parameterized parallel jobs.
- Orbs — Packaged reusable jobs + commands.
- Parallelism — Split a job across N parallel containers.
- Rerun with SSH — SSH into failed job.
- Restricted Contexts — RBAC for secrets.
- Scheduled Pipelines — Cron-triggered runs.
- Self-Hosted Runners — On your infra.
- Test Insights — Flaky test detection + trends.
- Test Splitting — By timings, filenames, classnames.
- Workflows (DAG) — Fan out, fan in, conditional.
Make · 16 features
- 3,000+ Apps — Huge integration catalog.
- Custom Apps SDK — Build your own app integrations with Apps SDK.
- Custom Functions (Ent) — Enterprise-only: define reusable functions.
- Custom Webhooks — Webhook triggers + responses.
- Data Stores — Make-native DB for cross-scenario state.
- Data Structures — Shared schemas for mapping.
- Error Handlers — Per-module error routes (rollback, resume, ignore).
- Execution Log — Per-operation input/output detail.
- Formula Editor — Rich formula language for data transformation.
- HTTP Module — Generic HTTP client — call any API.
- Iterator + Aggregator — Loop over arrays + collect results.
- Make AI Agents — Autonomous AI agents that invoke Make modules as tools.
- Router — Branch scenarios into multiple paths with conditions.
- Scenario Templates — Pre-built templates + community marketplace.
- Scheduling — Sub-minute scheduling on paid. 15-min min on Free.
- Visual Scenario Editor — Node-based canvas with curved connections.
Developer interfaces
| Kind | CircleCI | Make |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | circleci CLI | Make CLI (for Apps SDK) |
| SDK | — | Apps SDK |
| REST | CircleCI REST API v2 | Make API |
| MCP | — | Make MCP |
| OTHER | .circleci/config.yml, CircleCI Orbs Registry, CircleCI Webhooks, CircleCI Web UI, Self-Hosted Runner | Custom Webhooks, Make Web Editor |
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Outbound links to CircleCI and Make are plain references to their official websites. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.
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