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:

  1. n8n
  2. IFTTT
  3. Make
  4. Workato
  5. Pipedream
  6. Power Automate
  7. Tray

Or get a quick Zapier alternatives comparison below:

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.

Zapier alternatives

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.

If you anticipate significant growth in your automation needs, you may find that Zapier's free plan doesn't provide enough capacity. Exploring alternatives with more generous free plans or affordable pricing tiers can ensure you have the necessary resources as your requirements expand.

Move over to n8n's scalable and cost-effective workflows

Build complex automations 10x faster, without paying for each individual task

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.

Zapier alternatives: n8n
Zapier alternatives: n8n

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.

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Here you can find a more comprehensive comparison of Zapier vs n8n with features and a pricing overview!

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.  

Zapier alternatives: IFTTT
Zapier alternatives: IFTTT

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.

Zapier alternatives: Make
Zapier alternatives: Make

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.

Zapier alternatives: Workato
Zapier alternatives: Workato

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.

Zapier alternatives: Pipedream
Zapier alternatives: Pipedream

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.

Zapier alternatives: Power Automate
Zapier alternatives: Power Automate

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.

Zapier alternatives: Tray
Zapier alternatives: Tray

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, with no limit on operations.

Here are just some examples of workflows being used to solve complex problems and save time: