How the calculator works
Make bills in credits. An operation is one module run, and for normal (non-AI) modules 1 operation = 1 credit. Make's Help Center explains two rules that drive almost every bill:
- A trigger runs once per run or check, however many items (bundles) it returns. A polling trigger ("Watch …") also runs on checks that find nothing. Make calls these check runs.
- Every module after the trigger runs once per bundle. If the trigger returns 10 new rows, the next module runs 10 times. An Iterator splits an array into bundles, so the modules after it run once per item.
The calculator uses a 30-day month, the same as Make's own examples (every hour = 720 trigger credits a month, once a day = 30).
runs per month = runs per day × 30
trigger credits = runs per month (1 per run or check)
runs with data = runs per month × % of runs that find new data
(instant triggers: every run has data)
credits per item = other modules per item
+ modules on the routes the item goes down (router itself: 0)
+ iterator or multi-row search: 1 + items × modules after it
+ aggregator: 1 + modules after the aggregator
work credits = runs with data × items per run × credits per item
+ runs with data × other credits per run (AI, Code app …)
monthly credits = trigger credits + work credits, summed over all scenarios,
then + safety margin
Schedule helper: runs per day = 1,440 ÷ interval in minutes. Every 15 minutes = 96 runs a day = 2,880 a month; every hour = 24 a day = 720 a month.
What counts, and what doesn't
| In your scenario | Credits |
|---|---|
| Polling trigger check (also when nothing is new) | 1 per check |
| Instant trigger / webhook run | 1 per run |
| Any normal module (read, search, create, update, delete, built-in tools) | 1 per bundle it processes |
| Iterator | 1 per array, then the next modules run once per item |
| Aggregator | 1 per aggregated result |
| Router | 0 (the modules on its routes count) |
| Error handlers (Retry, Skip, Resume, Commit, Rollback) | 0 |
| Modules after a filter that stops the bundle | 0 (they don't run) |
| Make AI Agents / AI Toolkit on Make's AI Provider, AI Web Search, AI Content Extractor | Varies with tokens and usage (not in this calculator) |
| Make Code app | 2 credits per second of run time (paid plans) |
Sources: Operations, Credits, Types of modules, Filtering and the FAQ on make.com/pricing, checked 3 October 2026.
Make plans at a glance (3 October 2026)
| Plan | Credits per month | Active scenarios | Shortest schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 | 2 | 15 minutes |
| Core | 10,000 to 300,000 | Unlimited | 1 minute |
| Pro | 10,000 to 8,000,000 | Unlimited | 1 minute |
| Teams | 10,000 to 8,000,000 | Unlimited | 1 minute |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | 1 minute |
Paid tiers listed on the pricing page: 10k, 20k, 40k, 80k, 150k and 300k credits a month, then 500k up to 8M on Pro and Teams. Pro adds priority execution, custom variables and full-text log search; Teams adds teams and team roles and shared scenario templates. Annual billing is cheaper than monthly. With annual billing, Pro and Teams get the year's credits up front, while Core still gets them monthly. Unused credits don't roll over. Extra credits cost 25% more than plan credits. Current prices: make.com/pricing.
Ways to use fewer credits
- Use an instant trigger instead of polling. If the app has an instant trigger (lightning icon, "instant" tag) or can send a webhook, the scenario only runs when something happens. No empty check runs. A ready example: our free Webhook to Google Sheets template (tested at 3 credits per new row).
- Lengthen the schedule interval. Every 5 minutes is 8,640 trigger credits a month; every hour is 720; once a day is 30 (Make's own numbers). The items still get processed, just in bigger batches.
- Filter right after the trigger. Bundles that fail a filter stop there, so the modules after it don't run.
- Aggregate instead of acting per item. In Make's own example, adding a Text aggregator so 10 new contacts go out as one email cut a run from 11 to 3 operations.
- Set the Limit on triggers and searches to what you actually need. Every bundle returned multiplies the modules after it.
- Put shared modules before a router. The router is free, but a module copied onto several routes runs on each route a bundle goes down.
- Switch off test scenarios or slow their schedule. Make recommends this to avoid using credits unnecessarily.
- Check AI modules. On Make's AI Provider, credits grow with tokens: longer prompts, files and answers use more.
- Upgrade instead of buying extras every month. Extra credits cost 25% more, and Make itself recommends moving to a plan that matches your usage.
For worked examples (form to Slack, a daily invoice digest, Shopify orders) and 12 ways to save, read Make credits explained.
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