Instant Trigger

An instant trigger fires an automation the moment an event happens, by receiving a webhook the source app pushes to your workflow — as opposed to a scheduled trigger that polls on an interval. Zapier labels these "Instant" triggers; in Make they're webhook-based; the underlying mechanism is a URL the source app calls the instant something changes. Why it matters: instant triggers are faster (near real-time instead of waiting up to your polling interval) and cheaper (no wasted checks when nothing changed). For time-sensitive flows — a new lead you want to text within seconds, a payment that must update an order immediately — instant is the right choice. Practical note: instant triggers depend on the source app actually supporting outbound webhooks; not every app does, which is why polling still exists as a fallback. Also handle duplicate and out-of-order deliveries: webhooks can be sent more than once, so make the receiving flow idempotent (check a data store of processed IDs) so a repeated delivery doesn't double-process.