Make vs StreamSets

Make is a no-code visual automation platform aimed at connecting SaaS apps and running business workflows, while StreamSets (now IBM StreamSets) is an…

Best for Make: Make fits teams automating day-to-day business processes across CRMs, spreadsheets, and marketing tools using a visual scenario builder with routers and branching logic, with plans starting free and paid tiers from around $9/month.
Best for StreamSets: StreamSets fits data engineering teams that need to build streaming and batch pipelines with automatic data drift handling and deployment across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, private VPC, or on-prem infrastructure, backed by IBM's enterprise support.

At a Glance

 MakeStreamSets
Primary categoryAutomationAutomation
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelFreemiumsubscription (custom enterprise quote)
Starting priceFree (paid plans from $9/month)Not documented
Free planYesNot documented
Free trialNot documentedNot documented
PlatformsNot documentedNot documented
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresNot documentedNot documented
Public APIYesNot documented

Key Differences

Target User

Make: Make is built for business users and no-code automators connecting SaaS apps via a drag-and-drop scenario canvas.

StreamSets: StreamSets is built for data engineers building production data pipelines, with a no-code/low-code pipeline builder aimed at reducing coding for pipeline construction.

The intended user shapes the learning curve, the pricing model, and the kind of infrastructure decisions each tool assumes.

Data Handling Model

Make: Make moves data between apps using iterators, aggregators, and built-in transformation functions inside individual automation scenarios.

StreamSets: StreamSets is built specifically around streaming and batch data pipelines in one platform, with automatic data drift handling so pipelines adapt to schema changes in source data.

Data drift handling and dedicated streaming support matter for high-volume, schema-changing data feeds that a general automation tool isn't designed to absorb.

Pricing Transparency

Make: Make publishes tiered pricing: a Free plan, Core from around $9/month, Pro from around $16/month, and Teams from around $29/month, plus custom Enterprise.

StreamSets: StreamSets does not publicly list pricing; it requires contacting sales, consistent with its custom/enterprise pricing model.

Transparent pricing lets small teams self-serve and budget quickly, while custom pricing suits larger deployments with negotiated enterprise contracts.

Deployment Flexibility

Make: Make is a hosted SaaS platform with no documented self-hosted or private-cloud deployment option.

StreamSets: StreamSets supports deployment on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, in a private VPC, or on local infrastructure, with a central control plane for monitoring pipelines across environments.

Hybrid and on-prem deployment options matter for regulated industries or companies with existing multi-cloud infrastructure commitments.

Ownership & Backing

Make: Make was founded in 2012 (as Integromat), acquired by Celonis in 2020, and rebranded as Make in 2022.

StreamSets: StreamSets is now sold and supported as an IBM product, marketed as IBM StreamSets, backed by IBM's enterprise support and ecosystem.

Corporate backing affects long-term roadmap direction, support SLAs, and how the tool integrates with a buyer's existing vendor relationships.

Feature-by-Feature

Core Functionality

FeatureMakeStreamSets
Visual/no-code builderAvailableAvailable
Pre-built connectors/integrationsAvailableAvailable
Streaming data processingUnavailableAvailable
Automatic schema/data drift handlingUnavailableAvailable
Routers/branching logicAvailableNot documented

Pricing & Plans

FeatureMakeStreamSets
Public pricingAvailableUnavailable
Free planAvailableNot documented
Entry price pointAvailableNot documented

Deployment & Support

FeatureMakeStreamSets
Hybrid/on-prem deploymentUnavailableAvailable
Multi-cloud central control planeUnavailableAvailable
Enterprise vendor backingAvailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

Make

Free — $0/month Monthly
Core — $9/month Monthly (10,000 operations)
Pro — $16/month Monthly (10,000 operations)
Teams — $29/month Monthly (10,000 operations)
Enterprise — Custom Contact sales

StreamSets

Enterprise — Custom (contact IBM sales) Annual contract

Pros & Cons

Make

Pros

  • Powerful visual, flowchart-based workflow builder handles complex branching logic
  • Connects to over 3,000 apps and APIs
  • Generally more affordable at scale than Zapier for comparable usage
  • Detailed data inspection at every step makes debugging easier
  • Backed by Celonis, providing enterprise-grade stability and continued investment

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve than simpler linear automation tools
  • Credit/operation-based pricing can be difficult to predict for complex scenarios
  • Free plan is limited to two active scenarios
  • Some advanced features require Pro or Teams tier
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales rather than transparent self-serve pricing

StreamSets

Pros

  • Handles data drift automatically instead of breaking on schema changes
  • Supports batch, streaming, CDC, ETL, and ELT patterns in one platform
  • Flexible hybrid and multicloud deployment options
  • Python SDK enables pipeline-as-code at enterprise scale
  • Now backed by IBM's resources, support network, and roadmap

Cons

  • No public pricing, requiring an enterprise sales conversation
  • Steeper learning curve for teams without data engineering experience
  • Primarily built for enterprise scale, which can be more than smaller teams need
  • Transition into IBM's sales and support processes is still ongoing for some customers
  • Smaller community and ecosystem compared to open-source alternatives like Airbyte

Use Cases

Choose Make: Make fits teams automating day-to-day business processes across CRMs, spreadsheets, and marketing tools using a visual scenario builder with routers and branching logic, with plans starting free and paid tiers from around $9/month.
Choose StreamSets: StreamSets fits data engineering teams that need to build streaming and batch pipelines with automatic data drift handling and deployment across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, private VPC, or on-prem infrastructure, backed by IBM's enterprise support.
Need both: A company's data engineering team could use StreamSets to move large-scale streaming and batch data between databases and cloud warehouses, while a separate operations or marketing team uses Make to automate lighter-weight, app-to-app business workflows that don't require heavy data-pipeline infrastructure.

Make

  • Marketing and sales workflow automation — Marketing and sales teams use Make to sync leads between CRMs, email tools, and spreadsheets automatically without manual data entry.
  • Business process automation for SMBs — Small business owners use Make to automate repetitive administrative tasks like invoicing, notifications, and data syncing across tools.
  • Enterprise process integration — Enterprise IT and operations teams use Make's Enterprise tier to connect internal systems and orchestrate mission-critical automated processes at scale.

StreamSets

  • Enterprise Cloud Data Migration — Moving large volumes of data from legacy on-premises systems into modern cloud data warehouses like Snowflake or Databricks.
  • Real-Time Change Data Capture — Replicating database changes in near real time to keep downstream analytics or applications in sync.
  • Hybrid Multicloud Integration — Connecting regulated, on-premises systems with multiple public clouds while maintaining governance and lineage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Make a substitute for StreamSets in a data engineering pipeline?

Generally no. Make is a no-code automation tool for connecting SaaS apps and running business workflows, while StreamSets is purpose-built for streaming and batch data pipelines with automatic data drift handling and multi-cloud/on-prem deployment — the kind of infrastructure a data engineering team, not a business operations team, typically owns.

Does StreamSets have a free plan like Make?

No public free tier is listed for StreamSets; pricing requires contacting IBM sales. Make, by contrast, offers a Free plan with a limited monthly operations/credits allowance.

Can StreamSets run outside a public cloud?

Yes. StreamSets supports deployment on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, in a private VPC, or on local infrastructure. Make does not document a self-hosted or private deployment option — it is delivered as hosted SaaS.

Who owns StreamSets and Make today?

StreamSets is now part of IBM's product portfolio, marketed as IBM StreamSets. Make was founded in 2012 as Integromat, acquired by Celonis in 2020, and rebranded as Make in 2022.

Which tool handles real-time streaming data?

StreamSets explicitly supports both real-time streaming and scheduled batch processing from the same platform. Make is oriented around triggered and scheduled automation scenarios rather than dedicated data-streaming pipelines.

How does pricing compare between the two?

Make publishes tiered pricing starting with a Free plan and paid tiers from around $9/month (Core) up to custom Enterprise pricing. StreamSets does not publish pricing at all and requires a sales conversation, consistent with its custom/enterprise positioning.

Read the full Make review · Read the full StreamSets review