MindStudio vs Make: Which Platform Should You Choose

Introduction

Choosing between MindStudio and Make depends on what you're trying to build. Make excels at connecting existing apps and automating traditional workflows. MindStudio focuses on building AI agents that can reason, adapt, and handle complex tasks.

This comparison breaks down the key differences, features, pricing, and use cases to help you decide which platform fits your needs.

What Makes Them Different

The core distinction is straightforward: Make is a workflow automation platform, while MindStudio is an AI agent builder.

Make (formerly Integromat) connects over 2,500 apps and services. You create scenarios using triggers and actions—when X happens, do Y. It's built for automating repetitive tasks across your existing tools.

MindStudio builds AI agents that can make decisions, understand context, and adapt their behavior. Instead of following fixed rules, these agents use AI models to handle open-ended tasks.

Think of it this way: Make connects the dots between your apps. MindStudio creates intelligent systems that can think through problems.

Key Features Comparison

Automation Approach

Make uses a visual scenario builder where you map out exact steps. If a new customer signs up in Stripe, send them a welcome email via SendGrid, add them to your CRM, and create a task in Asana. Every action follows a predefined path.

MindStudio takes a different approach. You build agents that can decide which actions to take based on context. An agent might analyze a customer inquiry, determine the best response approach, pull relevant information from your knowledge base, and generate a personalized reply—all without you mapping every possible scenario.

AI Capabilities

Make recently added AI agents as a feature, but they're limited. The platform wasn't designed with AI-first use cases in mind.

MindStudio provides access to 200+ AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and others. You can switch between models within a single workflow, use dynamic tool selection to let agents choose their approach, and build multimodal agents that process text, images, audio, and video.

The platform's "Dynamic Tool Use" feature lets agents autonomously decide which tools or models to invoke based on what they're trying to accomplish. This goes beyond simple if-then logic.

Integration Ecosystem

Make wins on breadth of integrations—2,500+ pre-built connectors cover most business software. If you need to connect Shopify to QuickBooks or sync data between HubSpot and Slack, Make has you covered.

MindStudio offers fewer pre-built integrations but includes API connectivity for custom connections. The platform focuses on AI model access rather than app marketplace depth. You can connect to any service with an API, though you'll need to configure it yourself.

Development Experience

Both platforms use visual builders, but the experience differs significantly.

Make's interface shows your entire automation flow on one screen. You drag modules, connect them with lines, and configure each step. It's intuitive for linear workflows but can get complex with conditional logic.

MindStudio's builder is designed for AI workflows. You create blocks for different actions (generate text, query data, run functions), connect them, and let AI models handle the decision-making. The "MindStudio Architect" feature can auto-generate workflow structures from plain English descriptions, which speeds up initial setup.

Security and Compliance

MindStudio is SOC 2 Type I and II certified and GDPR compliant. It offers role-based access control, single sign-on, SCIM provisioning, and self-hosted deployment options for enterprises.

Make provides enterprise security features but doesn't emphasize compliance certifications as prominently. For organizations with strict security requirements, this matters.

Pricing Structure

Make Pricing

Make uses an operations-based model:

• Free: 1,000 operations per month
• Core: $10.59/month for 10,000 operations
• Pro: $18.82/month for 10,000 operations plus advanced features
• Teams: $34.12/month for 10,000 operations with team collaboration
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Each action in a workflow counts as one operation. A scenario with 10 steps uses 10 operations per run.

MindStudio Pricing

MindStudio charges for platform access plus AI model usage:

• Free: 1 agent, 1,000 monthly runs, access to MindStudio Service Router
• Starter: $20/month for 5,000 runs and 5 agents
• Pro: $60/month for 25,000 runs and unlimited agents
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with self-hosting options

AI model costs are pass-through with no markup. You pay exactly what the model providers charge. This transparent pricing means you can calculate costs precisely based on token usage.

For annual billing, MindStudio offers a 20% discount.

Cost Comparison

Direct cost comparison is difficult because they solve different problems. Make charges per operation regardless of complexity. MindStudio charges per agent run plus AI model usage.

For traditional workflow automation connecting apps, Make is often cheaper. For AI-powered tasks requiring reasoning or content generation, MindStudio provides better value—especially since you get access to 200+ AI models without managing separate API keys.

Use Cases: When to Choose Each Platform

Choose Make When You Need To:

• Connect multiple SaaS tools without custom development
• Automate repetitive tasks with clear, linear steps
• Move data between systems on a schedule or trigger
• Build workflows where every scenario can be mapped in advance
• Integrate with less common apps that have Make connectors

Example scenarios: Syncing leads from Facebook Ads to your CRM, creating invoices in QuickBooks when Stripe payments succeed, posting social media content across platforms, backing up files between cloud storage services.

Choose MindStudio When You Need To:

• Build AI agents that can reason and adapt
• Process unstructured data like documents, images, or audio
• Generate content or analyze information using AI
• Create conversational interfaces or chatbots
• Handle open-ended tasks that require decision-making
• Access multiple AI models without managing separate subscriptions

Example scenarios: Customer support agents that understand context and generate personalized responses, research assistants that analyze documents and synthesize insights, content creation workflows that adapt tone and style, lead qualification systems that evaluate prospects intelligently.

Real-World Performance

Make in Action

Organizations use Make to automate thousands of daily operations. Marketing teams sync campaign data across platforms. Operations teams move customer information between systems. Finance teams automate invoice processing and payment reconciliation.

The platform handles high-volume, predictable workflows well. If you can map out every step, Make executes reliably.

MindStudio in Action

MindStudio currently powers over 150,000 deployed agents across enterprises, SMBs, and government organizations. These agents handle tasks that require understanding context and adapting behavior.

Advance Local built media automation agents that process content across multiple publications. HMRC created recruitment optimization systems that evaluate candidates. CNET deployed research productivity tools that analyze information and generate insights.

Build times are significantly faster than traditional development. Most users create functional agents in 15-60 minutes. The Architect feature can generate initial structures in minutes.

Learning Curve and Support

Make has extensive documentation and a large community. The visual interface is intuitive for users familiar with flowcharts or process mapping. You can find templates for common workflows and adapt them.

MindStudio requires understanding AI concepts like prompts, models, and context windows. The visual builder simplifies technical details, but you're still working with AI systems. The platform includes templates and the Architect feature to accelerate learning.

Both platforms offer reasonable support, though Make's larger user base means more community resources and third-party tutorials.

Technical Limitations

Make's Constraints

Make lacks native AI agent capabilities. While it recently added AI features, the platform wasn't designed for intelligent decision-making. You can't easily build systems that adapt their behavior or understand nuanced context.

The operations-based pricing can get expensive for high-volume workflows with many steps. A scenario with 20 operations running 1,000 times uses 20,000 operations.

MindStudio's Constraints

MindStudio has fewer pre-built integrations than Make. Connecting to niche services requires API configuration.

AI model costs can be unpredictable if you're processing large volumes of text or generating extensive content. You need to monitor token usage carefully.

The platform is newer, so the community and third-party resources are smaller.

Which Platform Should You Choose?

The answer depends on your primary use case.

Choose Make if:

• You're automating traditional business processes
• Your workflows follow predictable patterns
• You need extensive app integrations
• You're not building AI-powered features

Choose MindStudio if:

• You're building AI agents or intelligent automation
• Your tasks require reasoning or decision-making
• You need to process unstructured data
• You want access to multiple AI models
• You're creating conversational interfaces

For many organizations, the best approach is using both. Make handles traditional workflow automation—syncing data, triggering actions, connecting apps. MindStudio builds the AI agents that do intelligent work within those workflows.

Migration Considerations

If you're considering switching from Make to MindStudio, evaluate whether your workflows genuinely need AI capabilities. Many automation tasks work fine with traditional logic.

Start by identifying processes that require reasoning, adaptation, or content generation. These are candidates for MindStudio. Keep predictable, linear workflows in Make.

You can also build hybrid systems where Make triggers MindStudio agents via API. This combines Make's integration breadth with MindStudio's AI capabilities.

The Bottom Line

Make and MindStudio serve different purposes. Make is a mature workflow automation platform with extensive integrations and a large user base. It handles traditional automation tasks efficiently.

MindStudio is purpose-built for AI agent development. If your goal is building intelligent systems that can reason, adapt, and handle complex tasks, MindStudio provides better tools and capabilities.

The platform's unified access to 200+ AI models, transparent pricing, and enterprise-grade security make it the practical choice for organizations serious about AI automation. Build times are measured in minutes, not weeks. Deployment is straightforward. And you're not locked into a single AI provider.

For teams looking to move beyond basic workflow automation into true AI-powered systems, MindStudio offers the capabilities, flexibility, and performance needed to build production-ready AI agents.

Try MindStudio free to see how quickly you can build your first AI agent.