Zapier/Make Integration Development

Integration developers build connectors allowing apps to work with automation platforms like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or n8n.

If you have a SaaS product or build integrations for other companies' products, you enable users to automate workflows connecting your app with thousands of others.

You can also build custom integrations for businesses with specific automation needs.

Success requires understanding APIs and webhooks, automation platform SDKs, technical documentation, and potentially sales to SaaS companies needing integrations.

Pricing for integration services ranges from $2,000-10,000 per integration for SaaS companies, $100-300/hour for custom enterprise automation, or monthly retainers for ongoing integration maintenance.

Projects involve understanding app API and capabilities, building integration following platform guidelines, creating triggers, actions, and searches, writing documentation and help content, testing thoroughly, and potentially supporting users.

Startup costs are minimal—primarily development time, potentially automation platform fees for testing, business formation, and marketing totaling $1,000-4,000.

Building client base involves reaching out to SaaS companies without integrations, content marketing about automation benefits, partnerships with agencies building automations for clients, Zapier expert directory, and showcasing integration portfolio.

Revenue comes from one-time integration builds, retainers for maintaining integrations, custom automation consulting for enterprises, or affiliate revenue from automation platforms.

Operating costs include automation platform subscriptions for testing, hosting for custom middleware if needed, continued learning as platforms evolve, and modest marketing.

Challenges include automation platforms changing APIs and requirements, maintaining integrations across updates, limited market (only SaaS companies need this), competition from SaaS companies building integrations in-house, and complex debugging when multiple apps involved.

Success requires deep knowledge of major automation platforms, excellent documentation for users, building reliable integrations that handle errors gracefully, maintaining integrations as both platforms and connected apps update, and potentially specializing in specific app categories or industries.

Integration work is specialized but consistent—companies constantly need connections between tools.