The Make alternative that builds the scenario for you
A Make (Integromat) alternative: describe the scenario in plain English, the AI builds it on a canvas, and every step is tested on real data first.
Make, formerly Integromat, is loved for its visual scenario builder: modules in a row, routers fanning out, iterators and aggregators doing the list work, and a mapper that shows every field. People look for a Make alternative when the operations bill becomes hard to predict (every module execution counts, so a loop over 200 items multiplies), when a scenario grows past the point where anyone wants to touch the mapping, or when "run once" stops being enough testing for a scenario that writes to customers.
MadMax keeps the canvas idea and removes the hand-building: describe the outcome, the AI lays out the steps and the wiring, then runs each step on your real data before you activate.
Where MadMax is different
You describe, the AI wires. Max turns a sentence into a plan and a graph. The field mapping that takes longest in Make is done by the AI, and a linter catches shape mismatches before anything runs. The result is a normal canvas you can edit by hand. See build mode.
Testing is the build, not a button. The verification pass runs read-safe steps on realistic inputs, captures a real sample for webhook, email, form, and upload triggers, and previews every outbound send without sending. A step is "verified" only when its output was judged correct, not just when it didn't crash.
A person in the loop is a node. The approval step pauses the run and asks someone to decide: Slack buttons, a signed one-click email link, a YES or NO text, or the run page. The run resumes down the approved or rejected port.
Routers, iterators, and aggregators become plain steps. Switch routes by case, loop runs a body per item and fires done once with everything collected, merge brings branches back together, and loop until handles the "keep going until" case.
AI is a step with real capabilities. The AI agent step extracts fields from documents (including scanned PDFs through AI vision), classifies, summarizes, or runs a custom prompt with structured output. Give it a knowledge base and it answers from your documents; give it an AI memory and it remembers earlier conversations.
Email and text triggers need no extra module. Every workflow can mint its own inbound email address, and a verified phone can text the platform number to start a run.
Per-step run history, kept. The run page shows every step's input and output; loops get an iteration heatmap. History is kept, not purged on a schedule.
Pricing shape. Free: a personal workspace, 20 active workflows, 500 runs a month, 100 AI credits to start. Pro: $29 per month per workspace with unlimited workflows, 2,000 runs a month, 10 parallel runs, 5 seats, 1,000 AI credits monthly, plus MCP and REST access. A run is a run; it does not cost more because it had more steps.
Where Make is still the better choice
- App coverage. Make connects to a very large catalog of apps with ready-made modules for each. MadMax has native integrations for the apps teams use most (Slack, Gmail, GitHub, Notion, Stripe, Postgres and more) plus HTTP and webhooks, which covers APIs but not every niche SaaS tool.
- Hand-mapping as a feature. If you like dragging fields between modules and seeing the whole bundle structure, Make's mapper is excellent and MadMax does that work for you instead.
- No AI involved. If you would rather not have a model propose anything, Make is a pure visual builder.
Side by side
| MadMax | Make | |
|---|---|---|
| How you build | describe it; the AI plans, builds, verifies; hand-edit any time | drag modules onto a scenario and map fields |
| Testing before go-live | every step run on real data, sends previewed, real trigger samples captured | run once and inspect each module's bundles |
| Human approvals | a step: Slack, email link, text, or in-app | assembled from other modules and tools |
| AI agents | agent step with tools, knowledge bases, memory | AI modules per provider, composed by hand |
| Branching and loops | switch, if, loop, loop until, merge | routers, filters, iterators, aggregators |
| Pricing shape | free tier; flat Pro per workspace plus AI credits | per-operation metering by plan |
| Integrations | native apps plus HTTP, webhooks, BYO AI models | a very large app catalog |
| Self-hosting | no (enterprise gets an isolated instance) | no |
| API and MCP | REST API and MCP server on Pro | API for managing scenarios |
Moving from Make
Scenarios map onto MadMax workflows one for one.
- List each scenario you still run: the trigger, the branches, and what it writes at the end.
- Describe each one to Max in a sentence or two. Name the apps. "When a Stripe payment lands, look up the customer in Notion, post a summary to #sales, and email me if the amount is over $1,000."
- Connect the accounts Max asks for. With one connection per provider it auto-wires; with several it asks which.
- Let verification run and read the send previews. For a webhook trigger, send one real event so the sample is real.
- Activate, and run the scenario and the workflow side by side for a week.
- Turn the scenario off.
Move the iterator-heavy scenarios first; a loop in MadMax is one step, not a chain of modules that each count.
Frequently asked
Is there a free Make alternative? Yes. MadMax's free plan has a personal workspace, 20 active workflows, and 500 runs a month, with the full integration library. No card.
Can I self-host MadMax? No, it is a managed service. Enterprise customers get a dedicated, tenant-isolated deployment on their own database and infrastructure.
Does it work with Slack and Gmail? Yes. Both are native OAuth connections, and the AI binds them into steps for you. Slack can also receive approval buttons and trigger workflows from messages and mentions.
What happens when a step fails? The default is loud: the run fails and the run page shows the step, its input, and the error. Per step you can switch to retry (up to 5 attempts with backoff), continue out an error port, or retry then continue. See error handling.
Can I bring my own OpenAI or Anthropic key? Yes, for the AI steps in your workflows: connect Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, or OpenRouter and bind it on the agent step. The builder chat always runs on the MadMax platform model. See AI settings.
Related
Describe the workflow. MadMax builds it and tests it on your data.
Free to start, no card. Connect your apps, say what should happen in plain English, and watch each step run against real data before anything goes live.