Resources · Make integration

MessageBird Make integrationAutomate MessageBird with Make.

Need texts to go out on their own when something happens in your other tools? The MessageBird Make integration gives you 13 modules: one trigger, 11 actions and one search. This guide is for teams that text customers, and it walks you from connection to a first working scenario.

Try the MessageBird integration on MakeSee the 13 modules

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What you can automate

What can the MessageBird Make integration do for you?

The MessageBird Make integration links your MessageBird account to Make, a no-code tool where you build a scenario: an automation made of modules, each one a single brick such as a trigger, an action or a search. In practice, Make can send SMS messages, keep your contact list and groups tidy, and notice new messages without you opening MessageBird.

Texts that follow your sales. A new signup lands in your shop or CRM, Make runs Create a Contact in MessageBird, then Send an SMS Message with a welcome note. Nobody copies a phone number by hand.

Groups that stay accurate. When a customer upgrades or cancels, Add a Contact to a Group and Remove a Contact from a Group move them between your audiences, so the next campaign reaches the right people.

A log of every message. Watch SMS Messages picks up texts sent or received, and each one can be written to a spreadsheet or a support tool for follow-up.

What it does not do: this app has no universal API module in Make, so you work with the 13 modules listed below. If you want the bigger picture first, read the Make review. MessageBird also has a node in n8n, covered in the MessageBird n8n integration guide, and n8n vs Make lays the two tools side by side.

Connect

How do you connect MessageBird to Make?

  1. 01

    Add a MessageBird module

    In a scenario, click the + and search for MessageBird. Pick any of its modules, then click Create a connection. A connection is your MessageBird account linked to Make once, and every MessageBird module reuses it afterwards.

  2. 02

    Name it and authorize Make

    Give the connection a name if you like, handy when you run a test account and a live one. Then either approve Make on the MessageBird page that opens, or paste the key MessageBird gives you, depending on what the connection window asks for.

  3. 03

    Save and check

    Click Save. The connection now shows in the module's dropdown. If the module can load data from your account, the link works and you can move on to building.

First scenario

Your first scenario: a welcome SMS for every new customer

GoalWhen a new customer is recorded in another app, Make adds them to MessageBird and texts them a welcome message.

  1. 01

    Create the scenario

    Open the Scenarios page, create a new scenario and click the + to add the first module. Pick the app where new customers appear, such as your shop, form tool or CRM, and its trigger for new records.

  2. 02

    Add Create a Contact

    Click the + on the right of that first module, search MessageBird and choose Create a Contact. Link your account with Create a connection, then map the customer's name and phone number from the first module.

  3. 03

    Add Send an SMS Message

    Add one more module: Send an SMS Message. Write your welcome text and drop in the customer's first name and number from earlier modules, so each person gets a message addressed to them.

  4. 04

    Test with Run once

    Click Run once. Make runs the scenario one time and shows the bundles each module received (a bundle is one item passed along, here one customer). Use your own number as the test customer.

  5. 05

    Schedule it and switch it on

    Open the clock on the first module. A new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default, and 15 minutes is also the shortest gap on the Free plan. Then switch the scenario on.

Triggers

What can start a MessageBird scenario?

1 module starts a scenario when something happens in MessageBird. A scheduled trigger is checked by Make on the scenario's schedule; an instant one is called by MessageBird as soon as it happens.

MessageBird1Watch SMS Messages

Watch SMS Messages

Scheduled trigger

In Make“Triggers when a new SMS message is sent or received.”

This trigger notices new SMS messages on your MessageBird account, whether you sent them or a customer sent them to you, and hands each one to the rest of your scenario as a separate bundle.

How it fires
it is a scheduled trigger, so Make checks MessageBird on the scenario's schedule (the clock badge on the module). Texts arrive in batches at each check, not the second they land.
When to use it
you want every text logged in a spreadsheet, or replies from customers copied into your support tool.
Watch out
it also catches messages you send. A scenario that watches SMS and then sends one will pick up its own text on the next check, so add a filter before any send.
Modules

Every MessageBird module, and when to reach for it

MessageBird gives you 12 modules. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

MessageBird1

Add a Contact to a Group

Action

In Make“Adds a contact to a group.”

Puts an existing MessageBird contact into one of your groups, so that person is included the next time you text that audience. The contact stays in any other group it already belongs to.

When to use it
a customer buys a membership or signs up for a loyalty program, and you want them in the matching list right away.
Watch out
the contact and the group must both exist first; create them earlier in the scenario if needed.
MessageBird2

Create a Contact

Action

In Make“Creates a contact.”

Adds a new person to your MessageBird contacts from data another module passes along, like a signup form or a new CRM record. It saves you from typing phone numbers twice.

When to use it
someone becomes a customer in another tool and you will want to text them later.
Watch out
this module creates, it does not check. If the same person can come through twice, use Get a Contact or a filter first so you do not end up with duplicates.
MessageBird3

Create a Group

Action

In Make“Creates a group.”

Makes a new group in MessageBird, the list you later fill with contacts and text in one go. Handy when audiences come and go with your business rather than staying fixed.

When to use it
a new event, store opening or product launch is added in your planning tool and deserves its own SMS audience.
Watch out
run it once per new audience, not once per contact, or you will pile up groups with identical names.
MessageBird4

Delete a Contact

Action

In Make“Deletes a contact.”

Removes a contact from your MessageBird account for good. Use it to keep your list in step with the tool where customers are really managed.

When to use it
a customer asks to be forgotten, or a record is deleted in your CRM and should vanish from MessageBird too.
Watch out
a deletion cannot be undone from Make. Test with Run once on a dummy contact before you let the scenario run on real people.
MessageBird5

Delete a Group

Action

In Make“Deletes a group.”

Erases a whole group from MessageBird once the audience it served has no reason to exist. Your list of groups stays short and readable for whoever sends the next campaign.

When to use it
an event is over or a promotion has ended and the group attached to it is now clutter.
Watch out
nothing brings the group back from Make, so point the module at the right group and try it on a test group first.
MessageBird6

Delete an SMS Message

Action

In Make“Deletes an SMS message.”

Removes one SMS message record from your MessageBird account. It works on the stored message, which is useful when your team wants old or sensitive texts cleared out once they are handled.

When to use it
a message has been copied to your archive or support tool and you no longer need it inside MessageBird.
Watch out
there is no undo, so place it after the step that saves the message elsewhere, never before.
MessageBird7

Get a Contact

Action

In Make“Retrieves the information of an existing contact.”

Fetches everything MessageBird holds about one existing contact and passes it to the next modules. It reads, it changes nothing, so it is safe to drop anywhere in a scenario.

When to use it
before sending a text or updating a record, you need the contact's current details to personalize the message or decide what happens next.
Watch out
the module needs to know which contact you mean, so map that from an earlier step instead of typing it by hand.
MessageBird8

Read an SMS Message

Action

In Make“Gets details of an SMS message.”

Pulls the full details of a single SMS message you already know about, so later modules can use them. Where List SMS Messages returns many texts, this one zooms in on exactly one.

When to use it
another step handed you a message and you want its content and details before posting them in a team channel or ticket.
Watch out
each call counts as one operation, the unit Make counts on your plan, so avoid reading messages you already have in full.
MessageBird9

Remove a Contact from a Group

Action

In Make“Removes a contact from a group.”

Takes a contact out of one group while keeping the contact itself in MessageBird. It is the gentle option compared with Delete a Contact: the person simply stops receiving texts sent to that group.

When to use it
a subscription is cancelled or a trial ends, and the customer should leave the paying members list without disappearing entirely.
Watch out
other groups are untouched, so remove them from each list that no longer fits.
MessageBird10

Send an SMS Message

Action

In Make“Sends an SMS message via Bird.”

Sends a text through MessageBird to the number you map, with a message you write once and fill with data from earlier modules. This is the module most scenarios with this app end on.

When to use it
an order ships, an appointment is booked or a payment fails, and the customer should hear about it by SMS without anyone pressing send.
Watch out
test with Run once on your own number first, since a mapping mistake goes straight to real phones.
MessageBird11

Update a Contact

Action

In Make“Updates a contact.”

Changes the details of a contact that already exists in MessageBird, so the next text goes to the right number and uses the right name. Your SMS list then follows the tool where details are really kept.

When to use it
a customer edits their profile in your shop or CRM and you want MessageBird to reflect the change.
Watch out
it only edits an existing contact; for someone new, use Create a Contact instead.
MessageBird12

List SMS Messages

Search

In Make“Retrieves a list of SMS messages that were sent or received.”

Returns the SMS messages sent or received on your account as a series of bundles, one per text. As a search module, it can give back zero, one or many results in a single run.

When to use it
you want to pull past messages into a report or spreadsheet on demand, rather than waiting for new ones with the trigger.
Watch out
every returned message flows into the next modules and each one costs operations, so filter early when the list is long.
Need help

Need help automating MessageBird with Make?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

MessageBird and Make: common questions

01Is the MessageBird Make integration free?
Yes, on the Make side. MessageBird is a standard app, so it works from the Free plan. That plan allows 2 active scenarios, a 15 minute minimum between scheduled runs, 5 minutes of run time per execution, files up to 5 MB and 512 MB of data transfer. Paid plans (Core, Pro, Teams and Enterprise) bring the interval down to 1 minute and remove the cap on active scenarios. Usage is counted in operations each month. Your MessageBird account and its own charges are a separate matter.
02What do you need to connect MessageBird to Make?
A MessageBird account and a Make account. Make's documentation lists no special prerequisites for this app. You add any MessageBird module, click Create a connection, optionally name it, then either approve Make on the MessageBird page or paste the key MessageBird provides, and click Save. The connection is stored once and every MessageBird module in your scenarios reuses it, so you only go through this when you add a new account.
03Does the MessageBird Make trigger react in real time?
No. Watch SMS Messages is a scheduled trigger: Make checks MessageBird on the scenario's schedule and processes every new text it finds at that check. A new scenario runs every 15 minutes by default. On the Free plan, 15 minutes is also the shortest gap; paid plans can go down to 1 minute. For alerts where every second matters, keep that delay in mind when you design the scenario. A scenario built on another app's instant trigger can still send texts through MessageBird modules right away.
04What if a MessageBird module is missing in Make?
It depends on what you need. The app offers 13 modules and, unlike some apps, no Make an API Call module, so there is no universal module to reach other parts of MessageBird from Make. If your use case sits outside the modules listed on this page, look at whether another app in your scenario can cover that step, or ask the Hack'celeration team to review the setup with you. Filters in your scenario can also help shape the data before it reaches a MessageBird module.
05Should you use Make or n8n for MessageBird?
It depends on where the rest of your automations live. MessageBird has an app in Make, with 13 modules including a scheduled trigger, and it also has a node in n8n with its own guide on this site. This page does not rank one above the other. Compare the modules each tool offers against the exact steps you need, then build where your other workflows already run, so connections and monitoring stay in one place.
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