What it is
Zapier connects thousands of applications so an action in one triggers an action in another: a form submission creates a CRM record, a payment sends a Slack message, a new client adds rows to a spreadsheet.
Its advantage is breadth and simplicity. It supports more applications than any competitor and requires no technical knowledge to build a working automation.
Its disadvantage is cost per task at volume, which is why people migrate to Make or n8n once their automations run frequently.
What it does
Trigger-and-action workflows built in a linear interface, which anybody can construct in ten minutes without training.
Multi-step workflows with filters, formatting and conditional paths on paid tiers, covering most business automation needs.
The largest integration library available, including a great many niche tools that competitors do not support.
Its AI features generate workflows from a description and add data transformation steps, which reduces the fiddly parts.
Who it's for
Features
Pros and cons
Pricing
| PLAN | WHAT YOU GET | WORTH IT FOR |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Limited tasks and single-step workflows. | One or two simple automations. |
| Professional | Multi-step, filters, paths, more tasks. | Most small businesses. |
| Team | Shared workspaces and more tasks. | Teams. |
| Enterprise | High volume and admin controls. | Larger organisations. |
Priced by tasks per month, where each step of each run counts. High-frequency automations get expensive quickly, so estimate volume honestly.
The free tier while testing, then Professional. If your task count pushes you past that, move the high-volume automations to Make and keep Zapier for the niche integrations.
Alternatives
My verdict
Zapier is the easiest way to connect software and the most expensive way to do it repeatedly. For two or three automations that run occasionally, it is the right tool and the free tier may cover you.
The mistake I see most is building in Zapier what already exists natively. Before you automate anything, check whether the two applications already connect directly, because most common pairings do.
At volume, move to Make. The builder takes an hour longer to learn and costs a fraction per operation, and that difference compounds every month.
Try Zapier →Who should use it
Who should avoid it
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Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the price you pay. It also does not decide what appears on this page: I recommend tools with no affiliate programme just as readily, and leave off tools with generous ones when they do not deserve the space.