Over the past few years, automation has become a common element of every business. What was once considered a niche is now a fast-growing software industry, offering companies more options to automate their processes with high-quality tools.
Using technology to automate processes is a great way for organizations to maximize efficiency by reducing the need for employees to engage in repetitive tasks, and allowing them to focus on what matters most.
But finding the right automation platform for your business can be a challenging, somewhat overwhelming process.
If you've ever looked into automation you'll probably be familiar with Zapier. They were among the first tools in the space, and their name has become synonymous with automation.
However, as the market has been growing over the last few years, quite a few worthy alternatives have appeared, giving businesses of all sizes more options. After all, not every team has the same automation needs (or the same budget to spend).
With that in mind we've put together this guide to over 13 Zapier alternative that you can use to automate your business. You'll find their pros and cons, as well as pricing, to help you find which tool is best for you.
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With it support for both simple and complex automation flows, Integromat is one of the most powerful Zapier alternatives. It has many useful features. but the most distinctive are its visual editor and the fusion of code elements like HTTP/SOAP and JSON, which grant tech-savvy users greater automation capabilities.
Integromat offers a comprehensive free plan for those who are starting out, and has positioned itself as an interesting option to consider if you're ready to go further with your automation efforts.
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Serving more than 30,000 organizations worldwide, Automate.io is another major Zapier competitor. In contrast to Zapier, this drag-and-drop platform allows you to program complex workflows spanning across multiple apps. Best of all, this feature is available for all plans, including the free version.
A huge benefit of using Automate.io is the sheer number of actions users can process. For example, at the price point of $49/month Zapier offers 2,000 tasks. Automate.io offers 10,000. That's no joke, particularly if you plan to automate processes, such as email integrations, that require a lot of repeatable tasks.
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IFTTT (standing for “if this then that”) is a user-friendly automation tool that connects apps using simple conditional statements. These workflows, which IFTTT calls “applets”, range from running your smart home and social media applications to integrating with digital voice assistants.
With its bold design, intuitive interface, and ease of use, this platform is perfect for simple automations. However, things are a bit limited once you try to get into more complex workflows. And if an applet isn't already available, creating one from scratch isn't as easy as it is with platforms.
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Workato is a Zapier alternative designed for enterprises and large corporations to run automation workflows (this time called “recipes”) across multiple departments.
Trusted by renowned brands like Slack, Levi's, Zendesk, and Intuit, Workato is one of the biggest players in the automation field. Of course, it comes at a hefty price. With plans starting at $10,000/year, it's a great option - for those who can afford it.
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Formerly known as Microsoft Flow, Microsoft Power automate is a great choice for Microsoft users. If you rely on Office 365, OneDrive, OneNote, Teams, or any of the other products and services provided by Microsoft, you’ll be able to connect apps with a single authentication.
On top of this, Microsoft Power Automate has robotic process automation (RPA), a form of business process automation that relies on bots or AI workers. It might not be a platform for everyone, but if you're a Microsoft user that likes to keep things in one place, it's certainly an interesting alternative to Zapier.
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PieSync offers a different approach to automation. It has one particular feature that sets it apart - the ability to sync data between two apps. While Zapier pushes data from one app to another, PieSync allows apps to communicate.
This 'conversational' feature unlocks the ability to do things like version merging or version conflict resolution. While this is awesome functionality, overall, PieSync has fewer integrations than Zapier. On top of that their pricing structure, that scales with the number of contacts you make, can be pretty confusing.
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Positioning itself as a “general automation platform”, Tray.io provides a drag-and-drop interface to build workflows. With a library of 450+ app connectors, it stands out as a viable alternative to Zapier, though it mostly caters to larger companies.
It's also worth noting that Tray.io comes with a hefty price tag - the Standard plan starts at $595/month. With this in mind, it's far to say that Tray.io competes with Zapier mainly in the corporate sector, and isn't an option for small businesses.
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Part of the Zoho suite, Zoho Flow might easily become one of the favorite apps for Zoho users. Like Microsoft Power Automate functions best for Microsoft users, any Zoho users will benefit from seamless integrations between any products that exist within the Zoho ecosystem.
In addition, Zoho Flow offers an competitive number of apps, as well as dozens of pre-built workflows to help you get started. With a user-friendly editor, advanced features (like variables and webhook integrations), and an attractive price point, Zoho Flow is an excellent alternative to consider.
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N8n is a true outlier in the workflow automation space. As an open-source tool, it allows you to self-host and create elaborate automations. Starting with a no-code editor and a list of available apps, you can then venture into adding JavaScript functions, conditional logic, or custom HTTP requests.
Obviously catering to more tech-savvy users, n8n offers a large range of possibilities without costing a cent. Check out their website and blog for more information, or just try their service - it's free.
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Described as a Hybrid Integration Platform (HIP), Apiant allows users to connect apps and systems on the cloud and on-premise. With 50,000 apps available, plenty of pre-built connectors, and no coding required, Apiant has a lot going for it.
However, there's always a downside. Apiant is a bit overwhelming at first - it lacks clarity and has a slightly confusing user interface. Nevertheless, it's an interesting alternative to explore, especially with a 15-day free trial period on offer.
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Another Hybrid Integration Platform, Elastic.io boasts the ability to easily connect to almost any web service, as well as REST, SOAP, ODATA and other protocols. Notable features include multi-tenancy, white-labelling options, horizontal and vertical scalability, and low latency connections.
Elastic.io is a rather unique automation platform, and is best suited for companies concerned with scalability and performance.
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Described as a “marketing and sales automation platform”, this tool helps businesses connect their apps in one place, collect data, and synchronize it between apps.
Wyzebulb mightn't have the largest catalogue, but it has over 1,000 apps, including essential cloud applications like like Dropbox, and tools like Slack, MailChimp, Salesforce, and Gmail.
While Wyzebulb is a more minor Zapier competitor, it still provides a decent offering to small businesses or SaaS teams looking to streamline their marketing and lead generation efforts.
Collect leads with Paperform, and later use its 1000+ integrations to automate business processes
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Focused on supporting app workflows that initiate a transaction (things like quotes, orders, invoices, or receipts), OneSaaS allows users to automate their business across accounting, e-commerce, billing and invoicing. You can even use it for fulfilment and inventory management.
The platform is aimed towards e-commerce businesses, which is a refreshing, albeit niche approach to automation.
As you can see there are many options, ranging from huge platforms offering a large selection of apps and possibilities, to specialized ones that are best suited to specific types of users.
While Zapier is one of the pioneers and leaders in the automation space, the scale of competition is a testament to how diverse the field has become, and just how many choices you have in 2021. It's great news for consumers.
Before committing to one software, be sure to utilize the free trials and try as many tools as possible. It's just a shame there's no automation tool to automate your search for an automation tool... at least not yet. This article will have to do - now good luck!
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