Custom Apps show as Free in plans, but scenarios report “Premium Tier 1 app” — clarification?

Questions
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1

:bullseye: What is your goal?

Hi everyone,

I’m a bit confused about how Custom Apps work in the Make pricing plans.

On the pricing page, under Integrations, it shows:

Custom apps – Create your own custom apps and share with users in your organization

And this feature appears to be available even on the Free plan.

However, when I create a scenario and try to use a module from my Custom App, Make shows the error:

“Your scenario contains a premium tier 1 app. To get access to premium tier 1, upgrade your plan.”

So this is confusing because the pricing page suggests Custom Apps are available on the Free plan, but in practice it seems they cannot be used in scenarios without upgrading.

My questions are:

Are Custom Apps only free to create, but not free to use in scenarios?

If so, where is this limitation documented? I couldn’t find a clear explanation in the pricing or documentation.

Are there specific module types (actions, triggers, authentication types, etc.) that automatically make a Custom App “Premium Tier 1”?

It would be helpful if the pricing page clarified this distinction, because right now it looks like Custom Apps should be usable on the Free plan.

Thanks in advance for any clarification!

:thinking: What is the problem & what have you tried?

Your scenario contains a premium tier 1 app. To get access to premium tier 1, upgrade your plan.

:clipboard: Error messages or input/output bundles

Your scenario contains a premium tier 1 app. To get access to premium tier 1, upgrade your plan.

:camera_with_flash: Screenshots (scenario flow, module settings, errors)

Captura de tela 2026-03-09 135122.png

3

Hey @Marcos_Melo !

Custom Apps can be created on the Free plan, but using them in scenarios is treated the same as using a premium app.

When a Custom App is used in a scenario, Make classifies it as a Premium Tier 1 app. That’s why you see the “premium tier 1 app” message even though the pricing page shows Custom Apps as available.

So on the Free plan you can build and manage Custom Apps, but running scenarios that use them requires a plan that includes Premium Tier 1 apps.

The tier isn’t triggered by specific module types like actions or triggers. It’s simply how Make categorizes Custom Apps when they are used in scenarios.

If you need confirmation for your specific setup or account behavior, it may be worth checking with Make support since plan restrictions can vary slightly depending on the workspace.

Dr. Tanvi Sachar
Monday Certified Partner, Tuesday Wizard

4

Hi, @Ethan_Marcellus

Thanks for the clarification.

But in that case it becomes difficult to justify staying fully inside Make. If developers can already use the HTTP module to call APIs without paying, but need a paid plan just to use a Custom App they built themselves, the incentive ends up being to build and run those integrations outside the platform instead of inside Make.

From a developer perspective, that makes Custom Apps much less attractive to use.

Tks!!

5

Hello,

Not exactly. While the HTTP module is very flexible, Custom Apps serve a different purpose.

Custom Apps allow you to define reusable logic once and then use it across multiple scenarios without rebuilding the same HTTP requests every time. This provides better maintainability, consistency, and version control, especially when working with complex APIs or when multiple scenarios rely on the same functionality.

In addition, Custom Apps support RPCs (Remote Procedure Calls), which make it possible to dynamically retrieve data (for example, for dropdowns or parameter options) and create a more structured integration experience.

So while the HTTP module is great for quick or one-off calls, Custom Apps become much more practical when you want scalable, reusable, and maintainable integrations. Especially if you need use the same API in different scenarios or want to share your access accross organisation. For non-tech people using custom module is much more convenient than creating HTTP call with JSON body.

6

Hi @mszymkowiak

I completely agree with you from a technical standpoint. The reusability, version control, and especially the RPCs for a better UX are clearly superior to the HTTP module, which is why I chose to build a Custom App in the first place.

However, my frustration isn’t with the technology, but with the lack of transparency in Make’s pricing documentation.

On the pricing page and within the plan descriptions, ‘Custom Apps’ are listed as available on the Free plan. There is no clear disclaimer stating that while building them is ‘Free’, running them in a scenario instantly triggers a ‘Premium Tier 1’ requirement.

In fact, I only realized this was the case after my paid plan credits ran out. Once the account reverted to the Free tier, my Custom App stopped working entirely, displaying the ‘Premium’ restriction message. I spent hours developing and testing my app only to find out it was locked behind a paywall for production use.

If this ‘Premium’ categorization is the rule, it should be explicitly stated in the plan features, not hidden until the moment of execution or when a plan expires. For developers on a budget or those just starting out, this feels like a ‘bait and switch’ regardless of how much better the Custom App architecture is.

7

The free plan allows for only 2 active scenarios and only 1k operations a month. What is your use case exactly that requires a custom app but can fit into this limit?

Basically the free plan is to test out make and see if it fits, not to actively use it.

8

Oi Marcos, tudo bom?

Eu tava dando uma olhada nisso agora e parece q a mensagem de validação mudou com alguma alteração recente nossa, mas as custom apps estão sim disponíveis no plano Free.

O problema é que você tem que instalar custom apps na organização antes de poder usá-las - a mensagem deveria dizer isso ao invés do que está aparecendo agora.

Você pode por favor tentar salvar o scenario primeiro e depois executar ele? Deve funcionar, ao menos aqui rodou certinho :slight_smile:

Já alertei nosso time responsável por essa mensagem pra dar uma conferida e consertar lá. Se você quiser saber quando a solução for implementada, por favor abre um ticket com nosso time de Customer Care pra que eles te notifiquem quando tiverem notícias. :wink:

Boa semana pra você por aí!

Hi Marcos, how are you?

I was checking this out here and it seems the validation message was recently changed, but the custom apps themselves are still available in the Free plan.

The issue is that you have to install custom apps before using them, and the error message should be saying that instead of what it says now.

Could you please try saving the scenario first and then running it? It should work, at least it’s working here for me. :slight_smile:

I’ve notified our team about it by the way so it can be fixed but if you’d like updates please submit a support ticket so our Customer Care team can keep you in the loop. :wink:

Have a great week!

9

Hi, @BruniTho

It worked!

Thank you so much!

10

@Stoyan_Vatov

Yes, but the free plan description states that custom apps are free, and there’s no information indicating that a paid plan is required to run them.

But, with @BruniTho’s tip, I managed to solve it.