Polar vs Make
Merchant of Record for devs — usage-based billing, MoR, 4% + 40¢
vs. Visual workflow automation (formerly Integromat) — deeper than Zapier
Pricing tiers
Polar
Pay-as-you-go
4% + 40¢ per transaction. Cheapest Merchant-of-Record. No monthly or setup fees.
$0 base (usage-based)
Enterprise
Custom. Volume discounts for high-growth teams.
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 payg on Polar vs free on Make.
| Metric | Polar | Make |
|---|---|---|
| No overlapping quota metrics for these tiers. | ||
Features
Polar · 15 features
- Customer Portal — Self-serve subscription management.
- Feature Flags — Simple flag mgmt tied to subscription tiers.
- Framework Adapters — Next.js, BetterAuth, TS, Python, Laravel, Ruby, 11+ more.
- Fraud Protection — Chargeback + fraud handling included.
- GitHub Sponsors Import — Import existing sponsors to Polar.
- Global Tax Compliance — VAT/GST/sales tax filed by Polar.
- Hosted Checkout — Polar-hosted + embeddable checkout.
- License Keys — Generate + validate license keys for software.
- Metering — Track API calls, tokens, custom units.
- One-off Purchases — Single purchases + digital downloads.
- Open-Source Backend — Full platform code on GitHub.
- Sandbox Environment — Test transactions without charging.
- Subscriptions — Tiered plans with upgrades/downgrades.
- Usage-Based Billing — Event ingestion → meter → invoice.
- Webhooks — Resource events with HMAC signatures.
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 | Polar | Make |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | — | Make CLI (for Apps SDK) |
| SDK | polar-sdk-python, @polar-sh/better-auth, @polar-sh/nextjs, @polar-sh/sdk | Apps SDK |
| REST | Polar REST API | Make API |
| MCP | Polar MCP | Make MCP |
| OTHER | Polar Checkout, Polar Webhooks | Custom Webhooks, Make Web Editor |
Staxly is an independent catalog of developer platforms. Some links to Polar and Make may be affiliate links — Staxly may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. Pricing is verified against vendor pages at publication time — reconfirm before buying.
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