Why Make polling eats your credits
Short answer: every scheduled check uses a credit even when nothing is found. Every 5 minutes = 8,640 credits a month. Use an instant (webhook) trigger or poll less often.
RunCost saves you the maths: enter your steps and runs in the calculator and see the cheapest tool in seconds.
The trap: a scheduled "Watch" trigger uses a credit every time it checks, even when nothing new has arrived. Make's own help says running every 5 minutes is "288 credits per day… or 8,640 operations per month", for the trigger alone.
Prices checked on 2026-10-23 from official sources: help.make.com/step-10-schedule-your-scenario · help.make.com/types-of-modules · www.make.com/en/pricing. Shown in USD by default; pick your currency at the top (approximate, ECB rates 2026-10-22). Prices exclude GST/VAT and other taxes; vendors may add tax at checkout. Prices change often, so check the vendor page before buying.
Polling calculator
Uses a 30-day month (as Make's example does). Credit value uses each plan's entry tier: 10,000 credits for $9.00 (Core), $16.00 (Pro), $29.00 (Teams), annual billing. The Free plan's minimum interval is 15 minutes.
Affiliate disclosure: the button above is an affiliate link. If you sign up, RunCost may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our numbers or rankings.
Worked example
Every 5 minutes: 60 ÷ 5 × 24 × 30 = 8,640 credits a month of check runs, 86% of a 10,000-credit Core plan, worth about $7.78 at the Core rate. Switch to every 15 minutes and it's 2,880. Use an instant (webhook) trigger and it's 0: instant triggers only run when data arrives.
FAQ
Does a Make scenario use credits when there is no new data?
Yes. A polling trigger uses one credit for every scheduled check. Make calls a run that finds nothing a "check run".
How many credits does polling every 5 minutes use?
Make's help says 288 credits a day, or 8,640 a month, for the trigger module only.
How do I stop polling from using credits?
Use an instant (webhook) trigger where the app offers one, or schedule the scenario less often.
Do these prices include tax?
Prices exclude GST/VAT and other taxes; vendors may add tax at checkout. Prices change often, so check the vendor page before buying.
Related billing traps
Price alerts coming soon
We're setting up email alerts for when Zapier, Make, n8n and others change their prices. Until then, check the price changes log.