What are triggers in Make.com? Types of triggers and how to differentiate them

1. What is a Trigger?

A trigger is a key component in a scenario (automation workflow) on Make.com. Simply put, it serves as the starting point for your entire workflow.

A scenario requires at least two modules to function, with the first module always designated as the trigger.

2. How does a trigger work?

A trigger monitors and "listens" for changes or events from linked applications. When the trigger's conditions are met, it activates the scenario and passes data to subsequent modules in your automation workflow.

Examples:

• A new payment on PayPal → Trigger activates.
• A new email in Gmail → Trigger activates.

Key point: Make.com only allows one trigger per scenario. This differs from platforms like n8n, which enable multiple triggers in a single scenario, where any trigger can activate the workflow. In Make.com, while you can add multiple modules that look like triggers, only one of them actually works.

Being unique, the trigger is an essential part of any Make.com workflow. Before planning a scenario, it’s important to decide which application the trigger will be linked to and what action it will perform.

You can change the trigger at any time, but altering the initial action may significantly impact the subsequent steps in your workflow.

3. Types of Triggers in Make.com

Triggers in Make.com are divided into two types: Polling Triggers and Instant Triggers.

Instant Triggers

Instant triggers activate immediately when an event occurs, without waiting for periodic polling.
Example: A new message on Slack instantly triggers the scenario.

You can identify an instant trigger by its small lightning bolt icon next to the standard module icon.

Make.com also labels these modules with the "Instant" tag for easy identification.

Key Detail: Instant triggers are essentially webhooks, allowing Make.com to receive real-time updates from external systems. Some refer to them as "webhook triggers," but their functionality is the same.

Polling Triggers

Polling triggers operate differently from instant triggers. They send requests to an app or service at regular intervals to check for data changes. If changes are detected, the trigger activates the scenario; otherwise, it continues to wait.

Example: In a scenario, the polling trigger might check every 15 minutes for updates, as configured by the user.

Polling triggers don’t have an "Instant" label but can be identified by a small clock icon. Additionally, their names often include verbs like Watch (e.g., Watch a Record, Watch a Row) to indicate their behavior.

When you create a basic trigger, it defaults to a polling trigger. You can adjust its time settings (e.g., every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, daily) by clicking the clock icon.

4. Summary

Think of the two types of triggers in Make.com as booking a flight:

• Instant Triggers: Like receiving instant notifications when there’s a flight discount.
• Polling Triggers: Like manually checking the airline’s website for discounts.

A trigger is the “switch” that makes automation scenarios on Make.com intelligent and efficient. Every scenario requires a trigger to determine when and why the workflow is executed.