Zapier is synonymous with workflow automation, just as Netflix is synonymous with streaming services. But anyone who has spent their Friday night scanning Netflix will tell you it is far from perfect—and so is Zapier.
There are a few reasons you might be window shopping for a Zapier alternative:
- You’re annoyed by the complexity of handling multi-step workflows.
- You’re frustrated with being unable to figure out what exactly went wrong when a workflow glitches.
- You want to build more personalized workflows and stay in control throughout all processes.
- You’re tired of surpassing the task limits and paying extra each month.
- You need more features to tailor workflows to your specific needs.
Considering these factors, we’ve curated a list of the best Zapier alternatives.
First, we’ll discuss what you should look for in an alternative, and then we’ll get to the list.
Why look for a Zapier alternative?
If you’re seeking a Zapier alternative, you likely have a vision of your ideal workflow automation tool. Perhaps you need easier maintenance, more reliable service, or a more affordable solution.
Here’s what to consider—and what we used as criteria for the reviewed tools:
🚀 It's hard to scale and maintain
Can a novice in the automation app world quickly learn the platform’s features and set up what they need? Yes.
However, Zapier can be buggy and require constant maintenance from your team. Even for more technical audiences, maintenance shouldn't feel like solving a cryptic puzzle.
Otherwise, you'll waste the hours saved with business process automation in the first place.
👤 It's single-player only
For many, Zapier is perfect—easy to set up, thousands of pre-built integrations, and manageable workflows.
However, for advanced automation workflows, collaboration with your sales team or creating complex business processes that scale easily can be challenging.
Consider tools that support multi-player modes and offer extensive customization options for complex tasks.
🆘 Customer support is inconsistent
A common complaint with Zapier—especially as the platform has grown—is the lack of consistent support.
Running into roadblocks is inevitable, given that Zapier can get clunky and glitchy. The lack of quality support is a significant downside to be aware of.
💰 It gets expensive quickly
Most workflow automation tools use a combination of pre-set monthly plans and usage-based pricing, which can quickly add up and bust your budget.
Instead, look for tools that offer the most for your money, such as Relay.app, which includes much higher automation limits in all its plans.
The 8 best Zapier alternatives
1. Relay.app
⭐ G2: 5.0
🏆 Best for: Combining human judgment into automated workflows
🔬 Free Tier: 200 free automations per month
Relay.app is a next-generation workflow automation tool, designed to offer a more modern and intuitive experience compared to traditional platforms like Zapier.
With its seamless direct integrations, advanced data handling, and user-friendly interface, Relay.app redefines how businesses automate their processes.
Our platform provides a comprehensive suite of features—from inline AI assistance, to built-in collaboration and a range of features like path merging and iterators that not only simplify complex workflows but also ensure data accuracy and real-time updates.
Whether you're managing daily tasks or building custom workflows—like quick responses to emails, or multistep workflows across dozens of apps—Relay.app makes automation accessible and efficient for everyone.
Key features
- All-inclusive integrations: Enjoy access to all integrations across every plan, with continuous updates and the option to request new ones.
- Intuitive data entry: Easily locate and utilize the data you need, with smart suggestions based on your workflow context.
- Deep data understanding: Linked objects allow you to browse and use related data effortlessly, removing the need for multiple API calls.
- Flow control: Manage complex workflows with features like multiple and merged paths, batch triggers, and wait steps.
- AI capabilities: Leverage various AI models, built-in actions, custom prompts, and autonomous AI agents for enhanced automation.
- Human-in-the-Loop: Incorporate manual steps such as approvals, data input requests, and task completions, ensuring critical workflows run smoothly.
“We have Relay.app throughout the entire customer lifecycle. From before they are a customer, to sales, to onboarding, to go-live, to QBRs, to renewal. Every part of the life cycle is built around Relay.app. It's meaningfully increasing awareness of opportunities, improving renewals, saving me time, and decreasing deal cycle times because there is a human in the loop.”
Ari Hoffman, Head of Customer Experience at Skyflow
Limitations
There are a few aspects where Zapier has a slight edge over Relay.app, including:
- Relay.app has fewer integrations (Zapier connects to thousands of apps) but all the integrations it does have work seamlessly across workflows, and new ones are added regularly.
- Unlike Relay.app, Zapier offers tools such as Interfaces. These allow users to build simple apps, web pages, data-capturing forms, etc.
Pricing
If you want to take Relay.app for a test drive, you get 200 automations per month for free, with unlimited access to all its features.
For users needing more, there are three plans to choose from:
- Professional: $9 per month (2 users included)
- Team: $59 per month (unlimited seats)
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for larger-scale customers
In contrast to Zapier, Relay.app’s plans all include all features and generous monthly limits.
When using Zapier, the only thing you can be sure of is the starting price, which can quickly skyrocket if you need to run more monthly tasks than what your pricing plan includes.
2. Make
⭐ G2: 4.7 (215 reviews) ; Capterra: 4.8 (372 reviews)
🏆 Best for: Advanced, visual workflow automation with deep customization.
🔬 Free trial: No; limited free plan.
Make (formerly known as Integromat until its rebrand in 2022) is the Zapier alternative you’ve most likely heard of.
It’s the closest like-for-like comparison to Zapier, boasting a huge library of apps and services.
Its visual interface stands out, making it significantly easier to plan and build out your workflows, especially for complex automations that require conditional logic branching.
This makes Make ideal for both basic features and more advanced needs, allowing you to manage individual tasks with ease and apply simple tricks for enhanced efficiency.
Key features
- A drag-and-drop workflow UI that makes it easier to design and implement workflows
- Advanced logic branching to help set up multiple scenarios that trigger different actions based on specific actions
- Features 2xs more API endpoints per app than Zapier, allowing you to automate more actions within your apps
- Support for webhooks and HTTP/SOAP/JSON/XML requests so you can interact with almost any web service directly.
Limitations
- Steep learning curve due to its functionality and customization options. Simple to get started, for sure, but complex to master.
- Performance issues when dealing with a very high volume of tasks or intricate automations, which can be a killer for businesses with large-scale automation needs.
Pricing
The following Make plans are billed annually:
1. Free. 1,000 operations/month, 1,000+ apps, no-code visual workflow builder.
2. Core. From $9 per month for 10,000 operations, unlimited active scenarios, minimum one-minute interval between scheduled scenario executions, access to the Make API.
3. Pro. From $16 per month for 10,000 operations, custom variables, Scenario Inputs, full-text execution log search, operations usage flexibility, and priority scenario execution.
4. Teams. From $29 per month for 10,000 operations, multiple teams and permissions, high-priority scenario execution, create and share scenario templates.
3. Pipedream
⭐ G2: 4.6 (15 reviews) ; Capterra: 5.0 (4 reviews)
🏆 Best for: Developers looking for a code-centric automation platform
🔬 Free trial: No; limited free plan.
Pipedream has only been around since 2021, so like us, it’s also a relatively new player.
It’s a workflow automation tool designed for developers—which makes it a powerful Zapier alternative for the crowd that isn’t frightened of writing custom JavaScript steps within workflows.
If you’re a developer keen to get more granular control over your automations (or willing to hire someone who is!) Pipedream may just be the right tool.
Key features
- A developer-centric platform that allows for intricate workflow customization using custom code
- Real-time event processing for immediate automation responses
- Extensive integration support including popular services and custom APIS to connect and automate virtually any part of your operations
Limitations
- Geared towards technical users so it’s pretty much inaccessible if you’re not a programmer. Seeing most users looking to get started with workflow automation are non-devs looking for a no-code solution, Pipedream simply isn’t going to fit the bill.
Pricing
The following Pipedream plans are billed annually:
- Free. Offers 1,000 operations per month, and access to 1,000+ apps.
- Core. Starting at $9 per month, this tier provides 10,000 operations, unlimited active scenarios, and a minimum one-minute interval between scheduled scenario executions.
- Pro. Priced from $16 per month, the Pro plan includes all Core features plus 10,000 operations, and is designed for users who need deeper customization and prioritization in their automations.
- Teams. Starting at $29 per month for 10,000 operations, this plan is tailored for collaborative environments, offering features such as multiple teams and permissions, high-priority scenario execution, and the ability to create and share scenario templates.
4. Workato
⭐ G2: 4.7 (398 reviews) ; Capterra: 4.7 (52 reviews)
🏆 Best for: Large organizations and enterprises requiring automation at scale.
🔬 Free trial: Yes; on request.
Workato is an enterprise-level workflow automation tool, offering a comprehensive solution for large organizations.
Unlike Zapier, which caters to a broad audience, Workato is designed with the needs of major businesses like Atlassian, Adobe, and MGM in mind.
It supports complex flows and essential functionalities, making it an attractive option for big enterprises.
However, its complexity and high cost may be prohibitive for smaller businesses and individual users.
Key features
- A wide array of integrations with 1,000+ business applications enabling seamless connectivity between enterprise systems, cloud services and popular apps
- A library of thousands of pre-built automation recipes to speed up time to automation
- Designed with enterprise-grade security and customizable governance controls to ensure data integrity and privacy
Limitations
- Complex for non-technical users. However, if you’re a big enough company to be using Workato, the chances are you’ll have a dedicated hire for automation creation and management.
- There are cheaper options with better feature sets. Customers complain about Workato’s lack when it comes to anything beyond simple integrations, especially compared to other tools that are dramatically less expensive.
Pricing
Workato’s pricing model varies based on the scale of use, number of connectors and tasks required. You have to contact Workato for a custom quote.
5. n8n
⭐ G2: 4.8 (18 reviews) ; Capterra: 4.6 (29 reviews)
🏆 Best for: An open-source, self-hostable automation tool.
🔬 Free trial: No; limited free plan.
n8n is an open-source workflow automation tool that offers a more versatile solution to Zapier (with a few added complexities along the way).
With n8n you can run complex automations across a wide range of services that go beyond the regular app-to-app connections—from automating parts of your home, to chatting with a Google Sheet using AI.
Oh, and because n8n is self-hostable, it’s appealing to devs and tech-savvy users looking to hand-craft their automation infrastructure.
Key features
- An open-source license which means you have full access to modify, extend and customize the platform to your specific needs.
- Visual workflow editor that allows you to drag-and-drop apps and workflows intuitively
- Self-hosted or cloud options offering versatility in deployment
- A great workflow library that you can copy and paste to your dashboard to speed up creation
Limitations
- A steep learning curve for non-technical users. Again, this is a tool for devs and folks with programming knowledge.
- Only just over 400 integrations, which puts it on the low side compared with competitors.
Pricing
The following n8n plans are billed annually:
- Starter. $20 per month. For getting started and seeing what you can do with n8n. 2,500 workflow executions with unlimited steps, 5 active workflows and unlimited test ones.
- Pro. $50 per month. For working in teams and running business-critical workflows. 10,000 workflow executions, 15 active workflows, Execution search, Global variables, debug in editor.
- Enterprise. For organizations with stricter security or compliance requirements.
6. Activepieces
⭐ G2: 4.7 (104 reviews)
🏆 Best for: Small businesses and individuals looking for affordable automation.
🔬 Free trial: No; limited free plan.
Activepieces is another workflow automation tool founded recently, in this case, in 2022.
It’s used by companies like Writer and BrowserStack, and is focused on meeting the needs of marketing, sales and operations teams looking to automate common processes.
It has a drag-and-drop builder and a simple approach to automation that combines simplicity with the freedom to build what you need.
Key features
- Simple drag-and-drop builder that is quick to learn and easy to master
- Custom logic with branch and loop pieces to build if/then workflows
- Use webhooks or schedule triggers for more flexibility
Limitations
- Only 166 ‘pieces’/integrations, so while lots of popular apps are covered, there are too many gaps for businesses looking to automate their entire tech stack.
Pricing
The following Activepieces plans are billed annually:
- Pro. Free for 1,000 tasks per month, including 1 user and community support.
- Platform. $249 for 50,000 per month, then $1.50 per extra 1,000 tasks. Best for agencies that manage automations for multiple clients.
- Enterprise. Custom pricing. Advanced security, reporting, and embedded automation.
7. Pabbly Connect
⭐ G2: 4.4 (5 reviews) ; Capterra: 4.5 (75 reviews)
🏆 Best for: Unlimited operations at a competitive price.
🔬 Free trial: No; limited free plan.
Pabbly Connect is a no-frills Zapier alternative.
Its biggest drawcard is a straightforward pricing model—like Relay, you pay one monthly fee, with no surprises or extra fees based on usage.
They believe in their product so much that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not happy with your purchase (as written in the open letter from their founder on their homepage).
Key features
- Over 1,500 app integrations enable you to automate tasks across the most popular apps
- The ability to set up scheduled workflows that only execute at a specific time in the day/week
- Connect any application with an API using API modules
- Excellent product tutorial library including video walkthroughs
Limitations
- Doesn’t meet GDPR requirements for properly handling personal data—though the team is based in India, and GDPR is a European regulation. Just something to keep in mind.
- Limited value proposition. Pabbly’s value is that it’s like Zapier, but cheaper, which is valid! But it doesn’t bring any new features to the table.
Pricing
The following Pabbly Connect plans are billed annually:
- Forever Free. Up to 100 tasks/month.
- Standard. $14 per month. 12,000 tasks/month. Unlimited operations, unlimited free internal tasks, features like email parsing, path routers, premium app access and two-factor authentication.
- Pro. $29 per month. 24,000 tasks/month, and all the features in Standard.
- Ultimate. From $59 per month for 50,000 tasks. All the features in Standard, plus custom variables, priority support, and JavaScript & Python modules.
8. Integrately
🏆 Best for: Straightforward task automation with minimal setup.
🔬 Free trial: No; free plan with limited access.
Lo and behold, Integrately is another workflow automation platform. (Who da guessed it?) It also happens to be targeting people who find Zapier’s pricing model confusing and exorbitant.
Founded in 2016, it’s been around longer than some of the other options on this list but has failed to build more than a small following, which comes down to the limited value prop compared to alternatives.
Worth a try if your number one concern is price.
Key features
- Great interface that users find responsive and simple to get started with compared to Zapier
- Helpful support around to troubleshoot broken triggers and automations (and will even get on a live call with you to help build automations)
Limitations
- Many “apps” have shallow triggers, for example, Gmail is listed as an integration on Integrately, but on closer inspection has no triggers at all.
- Integration troubles seem common, as review sites are awash with people complaining about small errors with integration triggers and actions—which isn’t ideal for an automation platform.
Pricing
The following Integrately plans are billed annually:
- Free. 100 tasks, 15-minute update time, and webhooks. 20 automations. 24/5 Live chat support.
- Starter. $19.99 per month. 2,000 tasks, 5-minute update time, webhooks and check conditions, plus 20 automations.
- Professional. $39 per month. 10,000 tasks, 2-minute update time, unlimited Premium apps and automations.
- Growth. $99 per month. 30,000 tasks. 2 minute update time. All the features in Professional, plus dedicated account manager and live chat support.
- Business. $239 per month. 150,000 tasks. Everything in Growth.
Next steps
Automating workflows doesn't have to be a complex or tedious task for teams striving to optimize their operations and boost productivity.
With the right tool, this process can become a streamlined and almost effortless part of your daily routine, allowing you to focus on what truly matters in your work.
If you're looking for a powerful, intuitive platform that combines automation with human insight, why not give Relay a try today?
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Zapier alternatives FAQs
Is there a free Zapier?
Yes, Zapier offers a free plan with limited features, allowing you to create up to 5 single-step Zaps and perform up to 100 tasks per month.
Is there something better than Zapier?
Depending on your needs, alternatives like those listed in this article may offer more advanced features or better pricing models. We think (as do our customers!) that Relay.app is better than Zapier for a number of reasons. See some of them here.
Who is Zapier's competitor?
Zapier's main competitors include Relay.app, Make, Microsoft Power Automate, and Pabbly Connect.
What is the Microsoft version of Zapier?
The Microsoft version of Zapier is Microsoft Power Automate, formerly known as Microsoft Flow. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Office 365 and other Microsoft services.
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