Zapier promises to connect your apps and automate work without code. We built 50+ automations over 3 months to see if it delivers.
What is Zapier?
Zapier is a workflow automation platform that connects 6,000+ apps. Create "Zaps" that trigger actions across different services automatically.
Pricing Structure
Free
- 100 tasks/month
- Single-step Zaps
- 15-minute update time
- 5 Zaps
Starter ($29.99/month)
- 750 tasks/month
- Multi-step Zaps
- Faster updates
- 20 Zaps
Professional ($73.50/month)
- 2,000 tasks/month
- Unlimited Zaps
- Premium apps
- Autoreplay
Team ($103.50/month)
- 2,000 tasks/month
- Unlimited users
- Shared workspaces
- Admin controls
Company ($599+/month)
- 50,000+ tasks
- Premier support
- Advanced admin
Real cost: Most startups hit Professional tier at $73.50/month. Tasks add up quickly.
Cost analysis: For 2,000 monthly tasks:
- Zapier: $73.50/month = $882/year
- Developer time to build custom: ~40 hours @ $100/hour = $4,000
- Maintenance: ~5 hours/month ongoing
Verdict: Usually worth it vs. custom development.
Setup & Ease of Use
First Zap time: 5 minutes from zero to working automation.
Interface: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clean, intuitive, well-designed.
Learning curve: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Easy for simple Zaps, learning needed for advanced logic.
Documentation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Good docs for popular apps, sparse for niche ones.
Integrations Tested
We built Zaps with 30+ apps:
Excellent integration (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐):
- Gmail, Google Sheets
- Slack, Discord
- Airtable, Notion
- HubSpot, Salesforce
- Stripe, PayPal
- Typeform, Google Forms
Good integration (⭐⭐⭐⭐):
- Asana, Trello, Monday.com
- Mailchimp, SendGrid
- Twitter, LinkedIn
- Shopify, WooCommerce
Limited integration (⭐⭐⭐):
- Custom apps (webhook dependent)
- Niche SaaS tools
- Some enterprise software
Total apps: 6,000+ available. Coverage is excellent.
Reliability Testing
We ran 50 Zaps for 90 days:
Success rate: 98.7%
Failures (53 total):
- API rate limits: 28
- Trigger issues: 15
- Data format errors: 10
Recovery: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Autoreplay feature caught most failures. Manual intervention needed occasionally.
Monitoring: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Email alerts for failures. Dashboard shows Zap health.
Uptime: 99.9% during our testing.
Performance
Trigger latency:
- Instant (webhooks): <30 seconds
- Polling (15-min intervals): 5-15 minutes
- Polling (5-min intervals Pro): 3-5 minutes
Execution time:
- Simple Zaps: 2-10 seconds
- Multi-step Zaps: 15-60 seconds
- Complex logic: 1-3 minutes
Not real-time: Important limitation. Don't use for time-critical automation.
Real Automations We Built
1. Lead capture → CRM ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Trigger: Typeform submission
- Actions: Add to HubSpot, Slack notification, email sequence
- Result: 100% of leads captured automatically
- Time saved: 2 hours/week
2. Customer onboarding ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Trigger: Stripe payment
- Actions: Create account, send welcome email, add to notion dashboard
- Result: Zero manual onboarding work
- Time saved: 5 hours/week
3. Social media monitoring ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Trigger: Brand mention on Twitter
- Actions: Log in Google Sheets, Slack alert
- Result: Never miss a mention
- Reliability: 95% (some mentions missed)
4. Content publishing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Trigger: Notion database item "Published"
- Actions: Post to LinkedIn, Twitter, send newsletter
- Result: One-click multi-channel publishing
- Time saved: 3 hours/week
5. Team alerts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Trigger: High-value deal in CRM
- Actions: Slack alert, email to team, add to dashboard
- Result: Team celebrates wins immediately
Total time saved: ~15 hours/week
Cost: $73.50/month
ROI: Massive
Advanced Features
Filters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Run actions only when conditions met. Essential.
Paths: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Branching logic (if/else). Powerful but complex.
Formatter: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Transform data (dates, text, numbers). Very useful.
Code steps: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Run JavaScript/Python for custom logic. Escape hatch for complex needs.
Webhooks: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trigger from any service. Critical for custom apps.
Storage: ⭐⭐⭐
Store data between Zap runs. Limited but handy.
Digest: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Batch actions (e.g., daily summary). Reduces task usage.
Pros
✅ Ease of use: No code required for most automations
✅ App coverage: 6,000+ apps, covers most use cases
✅ Reliability: 99%+ success rate in our testing
✅ Time savings: ROI is typically excellent
✅ No maintenance: Zapier handles API changes
✅ Filters & logic: Powerful without being overwhelming
✅ Monitoring: Good visibility into Zap health
Cons
❌ Cost: Tasks add up quickly, can get expensive
❌ Not real-time: Polling delays of 5-15 minutes
❌ Complex logic is hard: Not a replacement for coding
❌ Debugging: Error messages can be cryptic
❌ Rate limits: Hit API limits with high-volume Zaps
❌ Vendor lock-in: Zaps aren't portable
❌ Limited data transformation: Formatter is basic
Comparison to Alternatives
vs. Make (Integromat)
- Make has better visual logic
- Zapier is easier for simple automations
- Make is cheaper for complex workflows
- Zapier has more app integrations
vs. n8n (open-source)
- n8n is free to self-host
- Zapier is easier to set up
- n8n offers more customization
- Zapier has better reliability
vs. Workato
- Workato is enterprise-focused
- Zapier is better for small teams
- Workato has more power
- Zapier is more affordable
vs. Custom code
- Code is more flexible and powerful
- Zapier is faster to build
- Code is cheaper at very high volume
- Zapier requires no maintenance
When to Use Zapier
Perfect for:
- Connecting SaaS tools
- Automating repetitive tasks
- Simple to moderate complexity workflows
- Teams without developers
- Rapid prototyping of automation
- Low to medium volume (< 50K tasks/month)
Not ideal for:
- Real-time automation (< 1 minute latency)
- Complex business logic
- High-volume processing (millions/month)
- Mission-critical workflows (99.99%+ uptime needed)
- Advanced data transformation
Common Mistakes
Not using filters
Run actions only when needed. Saves tasks and prevents errors.
Over-complicating Zaps
Break complex workflows into multiple simple Zaps.
Ignoring error handling
Set up alerts. Check Zap health regularly.
Not testing thoroughly
Test with real data before going live.
Running out of tasks
Monitor usage. Upgrade before hitting limits.
Pro Tips
1. Use webhooks when possible
Instant vs. 15-minute polling delay.
2. Batch with Digest
Reduce task usage for non-urgent actions.
3. Filter early
Stop Zaps early to save tasks.
4. Use Formatter
Avoid custom code steps when possible.
5. Enable Autoreplay
Automatic retry for failed Zaps.
6. Monitor task usage
Set alerts before hitting limit.
Cost Optimization
We reduced our task usage by 40%:
Before: 3,200 tasks/month ($120/month)
Optimizations:
- Used filters to skip unnecessary actions: -600 tasks
- Implemented Digest for batch actions: -500 tasks
- Removed redundant Zaps: -200 tasks
- Optimized polling to webhooks: -100 tasks
After: 1,800 tasks/month ($73.50/month)
Savings: $46.50/month = $558/year
The Verdict
Rating: 8.5/10
Zapier delivers on its promise: automate work without code. The ease of use and app coverage are exceptional. The main limitations are cost at scale and lack of real-time processing.
For our team, Zapier saves ~15 hours/week. At $73.50/month, the ROI is undeniable.
Highly recommended for:
- Startups automating manual processes
- Teams without developers
- Connecting SaaS tools together
- Moderate-volume automation (<10K tasks/month)
- Anyone wanting to automate without code
Consider alternatives if:
- You need real-time automation
- Volume is very high (>50K tasks/month)
- You have complex business logic
- You want to self-host/own your automation
- Budget is extremely tight
Z
