Make vs Visual Studio Code (2026): Pricing, Features & Verdict
Visual Studio Code is our pick, scoring 7.7/10 against 7.4/10 for Make on our AI Software criteria. Its biggest advantage: higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 6/10). For 10 users, Make and Visual Studio Code are both free; both Make and Visual Studio Code have a free plan.
Last updated: November 2026
Make
7.4/10
Visual no-code automation platform from Celonis that connects thousands of apps and adds AI agents and LLM steps to business workflows.
Visual Studio Code
7.7/10
Microsoft's free code editor with built-in GitHub Copilot chat, inline suggestions and multi-agent coding sessions, aimed at developers and engineering teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.4/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Integration | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 6/10 |
| Cost | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Output Quality | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $10.59/mo Core | Contact for pricing |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free | Free VS Code with Copilot Free |
| Features | ||
| AI Agents | ||
| API Access | ||
| Enterprise Controls | ||
| Text Generation | ||
| Code Generation | Not listed | |
| Custom Model Training | Not listed | |
| Image Generation | Not listed | |
| Private Deployment | Not listed | |
| Video Generation | Not listed | |
| Workflow Automation | Not listed | |
Make vs Visual Studio Code cost by team size
Make and Visual Studio Code cost the same at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Make | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree | FreeVS Code with Copilot Free |
| 5 users | FreeFree | FreeVS Code with Copilot Free |
| 10 users | FreeFree | FreeVS Code with Copilot Free |
| 25 users | FreeFree | FreeVS Code with Copilot Free |
| 50 users | FreeFree | FreeVS Code with Copilot Free |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Who Make and Visual Studio Code suit
| Audience | Make | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | 6/10Enterprise adds custom SSO, audit logs, isolated AWS hosting, and enterprise apps, but AI agents are still in beta. | 7/10Enterprise AI policies and GitHub Enterprise sign-in support governed rollouts, but advanced controls depend on Copilot Business or Enterprise. |
| Startups | 8/10A Start-up Plan gives organizations with fewer than 20 employees 50% off the Business plan. | 8/10The editor is free and Copilot Free gives small teams AI help without upfront cost. |
| Agencies | 9/10Reddit users say the visual canvas makes it easier to show clients how their workflows run. | Not rated |
| Developers | Not rated | 10/10It is a code editor built for developers, and its AI features cover writing, editing and testing code. |
| Freelancers | Not rated | 8/10Free editor with bring-your-own-key and local model options keeps costs low for solo developers. |
| Operations Teams | 8/10Branching, loops, and error routes fit complex process automation. | Not rated |
| SaaS Companies | Not rated | 8/10Tight GitHub integration with issues, pull requests and Actions fits product engineering teams. |
| Small Business | 8/10There is a permanent free plan, and paid plans start at around $9 a month. | Not rated |
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Make
- Higher Analytics score (5/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose Visual Studio Code
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Support score (6/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Make
Pros
- The visual canvas handles branching, looping, and error routing better than linear tools, according to users.
- Reviewers find it cheaper than Zapier for complex multi-step workflows.
- Routers and error handlers cost no credits.
- The free plan has no time limit, and paid plans start at around $9 a month.
- It holds SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, and ISO 27001, and is GDPR compliant.
- AI tooling includes Maia scenario building, AI Agents with your own LLM key, and an MCP server.
Cons
- Credits are counted per item processed, so loops and polling triggers use up the allowance quickly.
- Scenarios pause when credits run out, and overage protection is Enterprise only.
- AI Agents are still in open beta.
- Mapping, iterators, and aggregators take time to learn.
- Unused credits expire monthly on most plans.
- Trustpilot sentiment is poor, with complaints about bugs and setup.
Visual Studio Code
Pros
- The editor is free, and signing in with GitHub automatically enrolls you in Copilot Free, so you can try AI coding at no cost.
- You can choose the agent harness (Copilot, Claude or Codex), bring your own API key or use a local model.
- MCP servers, custom agents, skills, hooks and prompt files let teams shape how the agents behave.
- An independent test found strong GitHub integration: the agent read an issue and fixed a race condition on the first attempt.
- Administrators can restrict agents, models and tools on managed devices through enterprise AI policies.
Cons
- Agents run commands in the local terminal, so they could run destructive commands if a user approves carelessly.
- A tester found the agent missed cross-package dependencies in repositories with 200 or more files and produced shallow happy-path tests.
- The companion app and parallel worktree sessions were Insiders-only as of May 2026.
- Copilot billing has moved to AI credits and reviewers report conflicting price information, which makes costs hard to predict.
- Bring-your-own-key does not cover inline suggestions, semantic search or embeddings, so a Copilot plan is still needed for those.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Visual Studio Code scores higher on our AI Software criteria: 7.7/10 against 7.4/10 for Make. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 6/10 for Make and 8/10 for Visual Studio Code.
Both are free for 10 users.
Yes, both Make and Visual Studio Code have a free plan.
