Zapier
When this happens, do that. Connects thousands of apps, no code needed.
Use it if
- You want two apps to talk to each other and neither offers it
- You are not technical and want it working this afternoon
- The job is small and happens a few times a day
Skip it if
- You want one prompt on a timer, which the AI apps now do themselves
- The job runs hundreds of times a day, where the per-task price bites
- You would rather run it yourself for free with n8n or an agent
Zapier is the “when this happens, do that” tool. New form submission, add a row to a sheet. New email with an attachment, save it to Drive and message me. Thousands of apps, boxes you drag together, no code. AI steps can now sit in the middle: summarise the email before it is saved, draft the reply before it is sent.
Where it fits
Two apps that need to talk and will not. That is the whole job, and for that job it is the easiest thing going. If you are not technical and need it working today, this is the one.
Where it does not
A prompt on a timer does not need it; your first automation shows the AI apps doing that themselves now. And anything that runs constantly gets expensive, because you pay per task. An agent you run yourself costs a server and some patience instead; mine does the jobs Zapier would otherwise do.
Honest limitations
I do not use it, so this is orientation. The free tier is small enough to be a trial. The pricing by task means a successful automation costs more than a failed one, which is a strange incentive to get used to. n8n is the same idea you can host for free, with more assembly.
Next step
Write down the one “when this, do that” you keep doing by hand. If it is two apps, try Zapier. If it is one prompt, you do not need it.
Related reading
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