Our verdict: Free fits event-driven scenarios, not frequent polling
1,000 credits a month is enough for a small scenario that runs only when something happens, such as a webhook from a form. [1] It is not enough for a scenario that checks another app on a short schedule, because each check costs credits whether or not it finds anything. [2]
Who Free fits: someone testing one or two workflows, or a small business with a low-volume, webhook-triggered handoff. Who should skip it: anyone who needs near-real-time polling, more than about 1,000 module operations a month, or a guaranteed way to keep running when the allowance runs out.
The documented Free limits
Figures from Make pages read on 2026-10-29. Where the official text did not state a number, the table says so instead of repeating third-party figures.
| Limit | Free plan | Source note |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | 1,000 per month | Pricing page [1] |
| Data storage and data stores | 1 MB, 1 data store | Pricing page [1] |
| Extra credits | Not available | Paid plans only [4] |
| Minimum scheduling interval | Plan-dependent; number not printed in fetched text | Help center [3] |
| Default schedule | Every 15 minutes | Help center [3] |
| Active scenarios cap | Not printed in fetched text | Check the live pricing grid |
| Data transfer | Paid allowances are 5 GB per 10,000 credits; Free figure not printed | Pricing page [1] |
| Make's AI Provider | Available for the AI Agents app | Help center [6] |
| Custom AI provider connection (AI Agents app) | Paid plans only | Help center [6] |
The schedule is where Free runs out
Make's tutorial gives the arithmetic for a scheduled trigger on its own: every 5 minutes is 288 credits a day, hourly is 24 a day or 720 a month, and once daily is 30 a month. [2] The same formula at the default 15 minutes is 96 credits a day, or about 2,880 in a 30-day month. [3]
Worked example, hypothetical: you activate a polling scenario at the default schedule and forget it. At 96 credits a day the trigger alone uses 1,000 credits by around day 10 or 11, and the scenario stops for the rest of the month. Changing the same trigger to hourly drops it to 720 credits, leaving 280 for the actions. Changing it to daily drops it to 30. [2]
Make itself recommends deactivating a scenario you activated only for testing, or changing its schedule, so it does not keep using credits. [2]
| Schedule | Trigger credits per day | Per 30-day month | Share of Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every 5 minutes | 288 | 8,640 | 864% |
| Every 15 minutes (default) | 96 | 2,880 | 288% |
| Hourly | 24 | 720 | 72% |
| Daily | 1 | 30 | 3% |
What happens when the 1,000 credits are gone
Scenarios stop until credits are added. Incoming webhooks queue up to the webhook queue limit, and polling scenarios pick up from their last successful run. [1] On a paid plan you could buy extra credits or turn on auto-purchase; on Free neither is available, so your choices are to wait for the next cycle or upgrade. [4]
If you later downgrade from a paid plan back to Free, Make says active scenarios using higher-plan features are stopped. Cancelling a paid plan keeps it until the end of the billing cycle and then moves the organization to Free. [1]
Signs you need to upgrade
- Your monthly credit count, including polling checks, is above about 800, leaving no room for retries.
- A scenario must keep running when credits run out, because Free cannot top up. [4]
- You want the Make AI Agents app to use your own AI provider connection instead of Make token credits; Make lists that as paid plans only. [6]
- You need more than 1 MB of data storage or more than one data store. [1]
- You need a shorter schedule than your Free account allows. [3]
Checklist: stay inside Free
- Use webhook or instant triggers where the app offers them, instead of scheduled polling.
- Set every scheduled trigger to the longest interval the job tolerates; hourly or daily is often enough for reports.
- Deactivate test scenarios once they work. [2]
- Use routers and error handlers freely; they do not consume credits. [1]
- Treat AI steps as variable cost, since Make's AI Provider adds token credits. [5]
- Check the credit counter in week one of each month and project the month-end total.
Watch demos / Official walkthroughs
See how the tools work.
Videos load from YouTube only when you press play. These are provider videos, not our own product tests.
Make / Official video
Make—Building Your First Automated Workflow from Scratch
What to look for: Follow how modules connect and how data moves through the first workflow.
Watch on YouTubeQuestions before you decide
What is the minimum scenario interval on Make Free?
Make's help center says the minimum interval depends on your plan and that scenarios run every 15 minutes by default. The page text we read on 2026-10-29 did not print the Free figure, so confirm it in the schedule settings of a free account. [3]
Can I buy more credits on the Free plan?
No. Make says extra credits are available to users on paid plans. [4]
Can I use AI on Make Free?
Yes, through Make's AI Provider, which charges credits for operations and tokens. For the Make AI Agents app, Make says custom AI provider connections are available on paid plans only. [6]
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Make pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Schedule your scenario (tutorial step 10) Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Schedule a scenario Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Extra credits Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Credits Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Make Help Center: Introduction to AI agents Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.