Can AI replace Make?

KINDA · weekend project
price $12/moyou'd save $144/yrbuild time weekendcategory 🤖 automationreplaced by 0 peoplebuild unverified

A handful of workflows can be coded quickly, but Make's paid value is the visual builder, app modules, scheduling, observability, and maintenance.

the prompt
Build me a code-first workflow runner to replace Make for my handful of scenarios. Requirements:

- A Node project where each scenario is one file in scenarios/ exporting a trigger
  (cron string or webhook route) and an ordered list of steps, each step an async
  function that receives the previous step's output.
- The runner executes steps in order, retries a failed step 3 times with
  exponential backoff, then halts the run recording the step name and error.
- Every run saved to SQLite (better-sqlite3): scenario, start/end, per-step input
  and output JSON, status. That history is the debugging story, make it good.
- A minimal dashboard on localhost:4880 (Express, server-rendered): scenario list
  with last-run status, click into a run to see each step's payload.
- Webhook triggers land on the same Express app with signature verification
  helpers; cron triggers via node-cron. All credentials in .env.
- Ship two example scenarios: a Stripe payment webhook appends to a Google Sheet
  and sends a Telegram message; an RSS post gets an LLM summary drafted as email.
- Binds to localhost only, single user, no accounts, no telemetry.
- Out of scope: a visual drag-and-drop builder and an app-module catalog. Scenarios
  are code, that is the point of this build.
- README: how to add a scenario, .env keys, and a note that self-hosted n8n is the
  off-the-shelf fallback if maintaining this stops being fun.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

why people still pay

They pay because workflows evolve and break; a maintained builder reduces the upkeep.

what you lose

xvisual scenario builder

xapp modules

xscheduling

xoperations history

xerror handling

xteam governance

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherActivepiecesOpen-source automation platform with app pieces, triggers, and actions.
share on X ↗"I just replaced Make ($12/mo) with one prompt"
questions
Can AI replace Make?

Kinda. The core of Make is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: visual scenario builder, app modules. Read the honest list above before committing.

How much does Make cost?

Make costs about $12/month (Core, checked 2026-07-30), which is $144 per year.

What do I lose by replacing Make?

Honestly: visual scenario builder; app modules; scheduling; operations history; error handling; team governance. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Make?

Yes — Activepieces (Open-source automation platform with app pieces, triggers, and actions.). Using prior art is also a valid exit; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.