The external business environment is getting more unpredictable by the day. In response, companies are turning to automation to improve workflow efficiency and get ahead of the competition.
Indeed, 66% of companies have piloted the automation of processes in one or more functions. And those organizations already implementing or scaling automation have reported an average cost reduction of 24%.
One automation platform some businesses are moving away from, though, is Zapier — partly due to its skyrocketing prices and lack of customer service. Elsewhere, customers are looking at Zapier alternatives such as n8n due to the flexibility it offers and the possibility to build advanced multi-steps workflows.
In this article, we’ll explore the top free Zapier alternatives for cost-effective automation across your organization.
The top alternatives to Zapier
If you’d like to get straight to a Zapier alternative, then choose directly from the list:
Or get a quick Zapier alternatives comparison below:
Alternatives to Zapier comparison
Zapier: A quick overview
With its no-code editor, Zapier lets you connect 5,000+ apps and then move information between them — via Zaps — based on rules you set. Then, by implementing filters, your Zaps will only run when certain conditions are met or when you want them to.
Due to its lack of power, however, people are starting to move to Zapier alternatives. Here are some of the main reasons people are doing so:
- A more limited selection of integrations (only those created by Zapier)
- Inflexible workflows and a lack of data manipulation mean a limited amount of routes in a scenario
- A lack of error-handling functionality
Furthermore, Zapier’s pricing is more complicated than other platforms. It has five different plans — each with further different prices depending on the number of tasks:
Free plan (100 tasks/month), Starter (€20.35/750 tasks/month), Professional (€49.88/2000 tasks/month), Team (€304.36/50,000 tasks/month) and Company (€609.74/100,000 tasks/month). You can add more tasks to each plan, but this incurs a price increase.
It’s important to note that for a one-minute update time (how often Zapier checks for new data to start your Zap), you’ll need the Team plan as a minimum, which costs €317.24 per month, regardless of your business size.
The 7 best Zapier alternatives
n8n
n8n is a free, source-available, and self-hostable workflow automation tool that lets you connect anything to everything with native integrations or by creating your own nodes.
Key features:
- If you don’t find the integrations you need, you can send HTTP requests or write your own JavaScript code to do almost anything
- Easy data manipulation, including test data
- Access custom attributes and granular data from your apps and services; nodes return full JSON responses
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- Self-hosting lets you keep data private — instead of letting Zapier have access. As a result, you can simplify GDPR compliance or avoid surveillance of sensitive data
- Unlike its competitors, n8n doesn’t charge extra for running more advanced workflows with multiple nodes or how much data you exchange
Cons
- Offers more features and functionality than Zapier, which means it can take more time to understand and implement correctly (though there is extensive documentation, tutorials and a user-friendly interface to help you get started)
Pricing: Free self-hosted and desktop options and cloud packages start at €20 per month for 5,000 workflow executions.
IFTTT
IFTTT is a connectivity platform that allows you to customize and control your integrations with filter code, queries, multiple actions, and the ability to connect multiple accounts per service.
Key features:
- One single IFTTT integration connects your product to 700+ APIs
- Pre-built Applets offer purpose-built workflows to connect apps and services, no matter how disparate they may seem
- Embed integrations directly into your mobile app, website, and customer emails
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- IFTTT offers connectivity options for many personal and home devices, which Zapier doesn’t. These include smart lights, thermostats, coffee machines and dishwashers
Cons
- If you need to create a custom Applet, the review process takes much longer than creating a Zap with Zapier
Pricing: Free plan, Pro (€2,600/month) and Pro+ (€5,200/month). However, to get unlimited ‘Applets’ (the term given to one instance of connecting two apps), you’ll need the Pro+ plan.
Make
Make’s one visual platform lets you design, build, and automate any solution — from processes and systems to operations and applications.
Key features:
- Thousands of ready-to-use templates for various business functions
- Build as if you were a developer with a playful drag-and-drop interface
- Define granular permissions for your scenarios to help collaboration and security
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- When you create a scenario in Make, you can process existing data from a historical date. This ability to work backwards isn’t available via Zapier’s Zaps
Cons
- Make offers only 1,200+ apps compared to Zapier’s 5,000+, though the majority of businesses will likely find the most common apps they use in those 1,200
- Suitable for 7-8 step scenarios but if you have 30+ steps it becomes difficult to link other scenarios
Pricing: Free plan, Core ($9/month), Pro ($16/month), Teams ($29/month), and Enterprise (custom pricing). These prices are based on 10,000 operations/month. Prices increase if you add more operations.
Workato
Workato enables business and IT teams to build integrations with the help of its pre-built connectors, ready-to-use recipes, and fully cloud-native architecture.
Key features:
- Mix of API-based and UI-based automation
- Incorporate business events and systems actions into workflows
- 500,000+ ready-to-use recipes for common business processes
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- When it comes down to Workato vs Zapier, Workato lets you use data that existed before the automation went live, while Zapier can’t access any data that came in before a Zap
- Workato guarantees zero data loss from an interruption, while Zapier can’t
Cons
- Workato’s pricing depends on the number of recipes you purchase, and you’ll need to go via the Sales team to get a custom quote
Pricing: No prices are publicly available, so you’ll need to get a quote from Workato.
Pipedream
Pipedream is a free, low-code integration tool that lets developers connect different applications, data sources, and APIs to build automated cross-platform workflows.
Key features:
- You can run any Node.js code, or even use pre-built actions.
- It allows you to track events and also debug performance details in real-time.
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- The free plan includes unlimited apps, event sources and workflows, with 10,000 invocations a month.
- Pipedream’s custom code functionality and API integration offer greater technical capabilities.
Cons
- Less suitable for those colleagues or teams new to the space or with limited development or technical knowledge.
Pricing: Developer plan (free), Professional ($19/month), Team ($99/month), Enterprise (custom pricing).
Power Automate
Power Automate offers low-code, drag-and-drop tools and hundreds of pre-built connectors that automate repetitive, mundane tasks with ease.
Key features:
- Record and visualise your end-to-end processes with Process Advisor, providing guided recommendations for creating flows
- Make your automation even smarter with AI Builder
- Connect Power Automate across the Microsoft Power Platform — to Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Azure, and hundreds of other apps
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- If comparing Zapier vs Power Automate, the Microsoft offering naturally has tighter integration with other Microsoft tools (including AI functionality), which could make it the right option depending on your tech stack
Cons
- Power Automate is tailored more to Enterprise, so if you’re an individual, start-up, or SMB, Zapier may be a better fit
Pricing: You can get started for free via a demo, but you’ll need to contact Sales for a customized quote.
Tray
Tray’s flexible API automation platform and clicks-or-code configuration empower your team to integrate the services they use daily at speed.
Key features:
- Connect to any SaaS app (and a RESTful API) with the universal connector
- Build complex workflows that access multiple accounts
- Check workflow success via the dashboard without manually inspecting each one
Pros and cons compared to Zapier:
Pros
- Has the functionality to support enterprise businesses
- Can extend workflows with Python and JavaScript
- Set workflows to run delayed under certain conditions
Cons
- Lack of a free trial and pre-defined pricing subscriptions means it’s less suited to smaller businesses or those new to workflow automation
Pricing: You can start a free trial, but pre-defined plans aren’t available, and you’ll need to contact Sales for a quote.
Zapier or a Zapier alternative?
If you’ve been looking for a platform similar to Zapier, there are plenty of other cost-effective options available.
As we’ve seen in our breakdown, n8n is a more powerful tool due to the way it’s built.
Not only will you have greater price transparency with n8n, but you’ll be able to:
- Use HTTP requests or webhooks, which serve as universal connectors to create custom integrations and unlimited scenarios
- Write JavaScript code snippets if you need to customize small details
- Leverage data manipulation for granular workflow automation
What’s next
With n8n, you can start building any workflow you need for free.
Here are just three examples of workflows being used to solve complex problems and save time:
1. Asana to Notion integration — this video guides you through exactly how workflow automation works behind the scenes, so it’s a good place to start. Plus, you’ll get to see how the drag-and-drop n8n interface works.
2. Upload leads from a CSV file to Pipedrive CRM — the CSV file in this workflow serves as a universal connector allowing you to export contacts from any platform, including LinkedIn and Facebook.
3. Identify new Google Sheets rows — ideal for collaboration between teams and speeding up a formerly manual process.
