how to connect all your apps with Make (beginner tutorial 2026)

I spent years doing the same repetitive tasks every day. copying data from spreadsheets, sending notification emails, updating Slack channels manually. it was boring and it was eating into time I could have spent growing my business.

then I discovered Make (formerly Integromat) and everything changed. in this make automation tutorial, I will walk you through exactly how the platform works and help you build your first scenario from scratch. no coding required.

for more on this, see our guide on 5 workflows every solo founder should automate in 2026.

what is Make and why should you care?

Make is a visual automation platform that connects over 3,000 apps. think of it as a way to make all your tools talk to each other without writing any code. you build automated workflows called “scenarios” by dragging and dropping modules on a visual canvas.

the platform was originally called Integromat, and it rebranded to Make in 2022. since then, it has grown into one of the most powerful no code automation tools available. in 2026, Make also includes AI agents, an AI toolkit, and connections to over 350 AI apps like OpenAI, Claude, and Google Gemini.

what makes Make special is the visual canvas. unlike other tools where you fill in forms step by step, Make lets you see your entire workflow as a flowchart. you can add branches, loops, filters, and error handlers. it gives you a level of control that most automation platforms simply do not offer.

for more on this, see our guide on zapier vs make comparison.

core concepts you need to understand

before we build anything, let me explain the three building blocks of Make.

scenarios

a scenario is your automation workflow. it is the full pipeline from start to finish. for example, “when a new row is added to Google Sheets, send an email via Gmail and post a message to Slack” is one scenario. you can create up to 2 active scenarios on the free plan and unlimited scenarios on paid plans.

modules

modules are the individual steps inside a scenario. each module represents one action in one app. there are four types of modules you will encounter.

trigger modules start your scenario. they watch for new data, like a new row in Google Sheets or a new email in Gmail
action modules perform an operation like sending an email, creating a record, or posting a message
search modules look up existing data in an app, like finding a contact in HubSpot
aggregator/iterator modules help you process lists of data or combine multiple items into one

connections

connections are how Make authenticates with your apps. when you add a Google Sheets module, Make will ask you to sign in to your Google account. once connected, that connection is saved and reused across all your scenarios. you only need to set it up once per app.

step by step: build your first Make scenario

let me walk you through building a practical scenario. we will automate this workflow: when a new row is added to a Google Sheets spreadsheet, Make will send a notification email via Gmail and then post a message to Slack.

this is the exact scenario Make uses in their own getting started guide, and it is perfect for beginners.

step 1: sign up and create a new scenario

go to make.com and create a free account. no credit card required. once you are in the dashboard, click the “create a new scenario” button in the top right corner. this opens the visual canvas where you will build your workflow.

step 2: add the Google Sheets trigger

click the large plus icon on the canvas. search for “Google Sheets” and select it. choose the trigger module called “watch rows.” this tells Make to check your spreadsheet for new rows on a schedule.

Make will ask you to connect your Google account. click “add” and sign in. then select the spreadsheet and worksheet you want to monitor.

on the free plan, Make checks for new rows every 15 minutes. on paid plans, you can set it as low as every 1 minute.

step 3: add the Gmail action

click the right side of the Google Sheets module and drag to create a new connection. search for “Gmail” and select the “send an email” action module.

connect your Gmail account the same way you connected Google Sheets. then configure the email fields.

to: map this to a column from your spreadsheet, like the email address column
subject: type something like “new prospect added” or map a column value
body: write your message and use the mapping panel to insert data from the Google Sheets row

the mapping panel is one of Make’s best features. it lets you pull in any data from previous modules and insert it dynamically into the current step.

step 4: add the Slack notification

click the right side of the Gmail module and drag again. search for “Slack” and select the “create a message” action module.

connect your Slack workspace, choose the channel where you want notifications to appear, and write your message. use the mapping panel again to include details from the Google Sheets row, like the prospect name and email.

step 5: test and activate

click “run once” at the bottom left of the canvas. Make will check your Google Sheet for a new row and run the entire scenario. if everything is configured correctly, you will see green checkmarks on each module.

once your test passes, toggle the scheduling switch to “on” in the bottom left corner. your scenario is now live and will run automatically on the schedule you set.

3 more scenario ideas to try next

once you have your first scenario running, here are three more practical automations I recommend for beginners.

save Gmail attachments to Google Drive automatically

trigger: Gmail (watch emails with attachment). action: Google Drive (upload a file). this one saves you from manually downloading and organizing attachments. I use it to automatically file invoices and receipts into labeled folders.

post new Shopify orders to Slack and Airtable

trigger: Shopify (watch orders). action 1: Slack (create a message). action 2: Airtable (create a record). this keeps your team notified of every new order and builds a running log in Airtable that you can filter, sort, and report on.

sync Stripe payments to Google Sheets and send Telegram alerts

trigger: Stripe (watch events for successful payments). action 1: Google Sheets (add a row). action 2: Telegram (send a message). this gives you a real time payment tracker and instant mobile notifications whenever a payment comes in.

for more on this, see our guide on automate email follow ups.

Make free vs paid plans: which one do you need?

here is a breakdown of Make’s pricing in 2026 so you can decide which plan fits your needs.

feature	free	core ($9/mo)	pro ($16/mo)	teams ($29/mo)
credits/month	1,000	10,000	10,000	10,000
active scenarios	2	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
minimum interval	15 min	1 min	1 min	1 min
apps	3,000+	3,000+	3,000+	3,000+
Make API access	no	yes	yes	yes
priority execution	no	no	yes	yes
team roles	no	no	no	yes
custom variables	no	no	yes	yes

all prices are annual billing. monthly billing costs more.

my recommendation: start with the free plan to learn and experiment. once you have 3 or more scenarios you want running at the same time, upgrade to Core at $9/month. the jump from 2 active scenarios to unlimited is worth it alone. the Pro plan makes sense when you need faster execution and better logging for production workflows.

every step in a scenario costs one credit. a 3 step scenario running 100 times a month uses 300 credits. a 10 step scenario running 500 times a month uses 5,000 credits. plan accordingly.

7 tips for Make beginners

start simple. build one scenario with 2 to 3 modules before attempting complex branching workflows
use the “run once” button constantly. test after adding every new module, not after building the entire scenario. this makes debugging much easier
name your scenarios clearly. “Google Sheets to Gmail to Slack for sales” is much better than “scenario 1.” future you will thank present you
learn the mapping panel. this is where Make’s power lives. practice inserting data from previous modules into current ones
set up error handling early. Make lets you add error handler routes so your scenarios do not silently break. add a “resume” or “ignore” handler on critical paths
watch your credit usage. check the dashboard regularly, especially during your first month. it is easy to underestimate how many credits a frequently running scenario consumes
explore templates. Make has hundreds of pre built scenario templates you can clone and customize. they are a faster way to learn than building everything from zero. for related reading, see best ai tools for solopreneurs in 2026 (i tested 30+ tools).

frequently asked questions

is Make free to use?

yes. Make offers a free plan with 1,000 credits per month and 2 active scenarios. there is no time limit on the free plan. it is enough to learn the platform and run a couple of simple automations. you will need a paid plan starting at $9/month once you want more scenarios or credits.

what is the difference between Make and Zapier?

Make uses a visual drag and drop canvas where you can see your entire workflow as a flowchart. Zapier uses a form based builder that is more linear and simpler. Make supports 3,000+ apps while Zapier supports 8,000+. Make is generally cheaper but has a steeper learning curve. Zapier is easier for beginners but costs more at scale.

how many apps does Make integrate with?

Make integrates with over 3,000 apps including Google Sheets, Gmail, Slack, Notion, Airtable, Stripe, Shopify, HubSpot, Telegram, and hundreds more. if an app is not natively supported, you can use the HTTP module to connect to any app that has an API.

do I need coding skills to use Make?

no. Make is a no code platform designed for people without programming experience. you build automations by dragging and dropping modules on a visual canvas. that said, Make does offer a Code module where advanced users can write JavaScript or Python for custom logic when needed.

how do Make credits work?

every step in a scenario that runs counts as one credit. a trigger uses one credit. each subsequent action, filter, or router step also uses one credit per execution. a 5 step scenario running 100 times per month uses 500 credits. some special modules like the Code app use 2 credits per second of execution time.

ready to start automating?

Make is one of the most powerful automation platforms available in 2026, and the free plan gives you everything you need to get started today. I recommend signing up for a free Make account and building the Google Sheets to Gmail to Slack scenario I walked through above. once you see your first automation run successfully, you will never want to go back to doing things manually.

if you want to compare Make with other automation tools before deciding, check out my zapier vs make comparison for a detailed side by side breakdown.

for more on this, see our guide on how to automate invoicing with zapier.