The short answer
The best Zapier alternatives in 2026 are Make, for visual multi-step workflows with a free plan of 1,000 credits a month; n8n, for technical teams that want to self-host and choose any AI model; Microsoft Power Automate, for companies on Microsoft 365; Activepieces, an open-source option with an MIT-licensed core; and IFTTT, for simple personal and smart-home automations. Skip Pipedream Workflows, closed to new signups, and Relay.app, which shut down in September 2026.
Why people look for a Zapier alternative
Zapier connects 9,000+ apps, its Copilot builds Zaps from a sentence, and since October 2026 its AI by Zapier step lets an AI decide and act inside a Zap with per-tool approval. For many teams it remains the right answer. People look elsewhere for four reasons.
- Cost per task. Every action in a Zap is a task. AI steps cost more tasks on stronger model tiers, and each Zapier MCP tool call costs two tasks, so AI-heavy workflows climb plans quickly.
- A narrow free plan. Zapier Free gives 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps only, 15-minute polling and no Filters or Paths.
- No self-hosting. Zapier is cloud only, which rules it out for some regulated or security-conscious teams.
- Model choice. AI by Zapier offers Standard, Advanced and Premium tiers or a named model, but you cannot bring any model you like the way you can on some rivals.
If none of those bothers you, stay. Our Zapier guide shows how to get more from it.
The 5 best Zapier alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free option | Self-host | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make | Visual, branching workflows | 1,000 credits a month | No | 3,000+ native apps |
| n8n | Technical teams, AI agents, volume | Self-hosted Community Edition; cloud trial | Yes | 2,000+ integrations |
| Microsoft Power Automate | Microsoft 365 companies, desktop automation | Power Automate Free with a work or school account, standard connectors | No (on-premises data gateway available) | Standard, premium and custom connectors |
| Activepieces | Open source with a friendly builder | 1,000 credits a month, up to 5 users | Yes | 770+ pieces |
| IFTTT | Personal and smart-home automations | 1,000 credits a month, unlimited Applets | No | 1,000+ services |
1. Make: the best all-round Zapier alternative
Best for: operations and marketing teams whose workflows branch, loop or run many steps.
Why: Make, part of Celonis, lays each workflow (a scenario) out on a visual canvas, with routers that split the path and cost no credits. Maia by Make, upgraded at Waves '26 on 20 October 2026, builds scenarios from a description, with a Plan first mode that checks your connections before it builds and an Attach image option that builds from a photo of a sketch. Make AI Agents, launched in their new form on 11 February 2026, show their thinking in a Reasoning panel. Make offers US and EU data zones.
The catch: every module action costs a credit and so does every trigger check, even when there is no new data. Maia and Make AI Agents are both beta, and human in the loop for agents is listed as coming soon. Make lists 3,000+ native apps, a third of Zapier's count.
Free plan: 1,000 credits a month and 1 MB of data storage, with routers free on every plan and Make AI Agents included; Maia is a 30-day trial. See the Make pricing page. Full comparison: Zapier vs Make.
2. n8n: the best for technical teams and AI agents
Best for: teams with a developer or technical ops person who want control over hosting, models and cost.
Why: n8n, from n8n GmbH in Berlin, counts one execution per full workflow run, however many steps it has, and one turn with an n8n Agent is one execution including its tool calls. You can self-host with Docker Compose, and use any AI model you have credentials for. n8n Assistant, introduced on 9 September 2026, builds and fixes workflows from a description. n8n Agents, introduced on 25 September, can be reached in Slack, Telegram, Linear or Discord, and pause for approval before sensitive tools.
The catch: n8n assumes comfort with expressions, JSON and credentials. Self-hosting means you own updates, backups and security, and n8n 3.0, in beta since 27 October 2026, is a one-way upgrade with breaking changes. The Community Edition's Sustainable Use License allows internal business and non-commercial use, not reselling n8n as a service.
Free plan: no permanent free cloud plan; a cloud trial gives 1,000 executions without a card, and the self-hosted Community Edition is free. See the n8n pricing page. Full comparison: Zapier vs n8n.
3. Microsoft Power Automate: the best for Microsoft 365 companies
Best for: organisations already on Microsoft 365 that live in Outlook, Teams and SharePoint, and anyone who needs to automate old desktop software.
Why: Microsoft's licensing docs, updated 22 September 2026, say basic Power Automate is included at no cost for work or school accounts: the Power Automate Free licence lets you create and run cloud flows with standard connectors and run desktop flows locally in attended mode. Copilot in cloud flows builds a flow from a description on the Home page (Create with Copilot), edits it in the designer and helps troubleshoot failed runs. Desktop flows add robotic process automation, which mimics mouse and keyboard input for software with no API.
The catch: licensing is complicated. Premium and custom connectors, sharing flows and attended desktop bots need Power Automate Premium; unattended bots need Process or Hosted Process licences; and Microsoft notes that Copilot is optimised for English. Outside the Microsoft world it feels heavier than Zapier.
Free plan: Power Automate Free for work or school accounts (standard connectors, no sharing), plus a free trial of the paid features. See the Power Automate pricing page.
4. Activepieces: the best open-source option for non-developers
Best for: small teams that want open source and self-hosting without n8n's learning curve.
Why: Activepieces says its core is MIT-licensed, and you can run it with Docker or Kubernetes on your own infrastructure, fully air-gapped if needed, or use Activepieces Cloud. It includes flows, AI agents that pause for approval on sensitive steps, tables, and an MCP server that lets Claude and Cursor run your flows. Tools without a native piece can be reached through an HTTP piece or a webhook.
The catch: 770+ pieces is far fewer than Zapier's 9,000+, so check your niche apps first. AI steps cost more credits by model tier (Activepieces lists 2 for a fast model, 10 for a smart model and 20 for a frontier model) unless a paid plan brings its own AI provider keys, which drops each AI step to 1 credit.
Free plan: 1,000 credits a month, unlimited flows and up to 5 users; runs past the quota wait until credits refresh the next day. See the Activepieces pricing page.
5. IFTTT: the best for simple personal automations
Best for: individuals, freelancers and smart-home owners who want one trigger and one action without a learning curve.
Why: IFTTT, now branded IFTTT.ai, connects 1,000+ services through Applets. It can generate Applets from a plain-language description, add AI steps such as AI Agent, AI Summarizer or AI Social Creator, and connect AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor through IFTTT MCP, which has official setup guides for all three. Its device and smart-home coverage is its real edge over Zapier.
The catch: it is built for short, simple automations, not branching business workflows, and polling on the free plan runs every hour. AI features draw on the same credit allowance as Applet runs.
Free plan: 1,000 credits a month with unlimited Applets and all services; paid plans (Starter, Pro, Pro+) add credits and faster polling. See the IFTTT plans page.
Two alternatives older lists still recommend: skip them
- Pipedream Workflows. Workday agreed to acquire Pipedream on 19 November 2025, and Pipedream's docs now say Workflows is in maintenance mode, closed to new signups and subscriptions, and shuts down on 31 March 2027, with all Workflows data deleted by 30 April 2027. Pipedream itself now focuses on Connect, an integration layer for developers building AI agents. If you run workflows there today, plan your move now.
- Relay.app. Its website says it shut down in September 2026 and that all accounts, workflows and run history have been permanently deleted.
How to switch from Zapier without losing your work
None of these tools documents a way to import Zaps directly, so treat the move as a rebuild with a safety net.
- Make an inventory. List every active Zap with its trigger, actions, AI step instructions and the apps and accounts it connects. Copy the exact prompt text from each AI by Zapier step; it is the part people forget.
- Check app coverage first. Confirm each app exists in the new tool, and note which actions it offers. If an app is missing, plan an HTTP or webhook step, or keep that one Zap on Zapier.
- Rebuild with the new tool's AI builder. Describe each Zap to Maia, n8n Assistant or Copilot in Power Automate. Maia accepts up to three images per session, so a screenshot of the Zap gives it the whole structure at once.
- Test with real but harmless data. Send a test form entry or email through the new workflow and compare its output field by field with the Zap's.
- Run in parallel briefly, then switch off. Point the trigger at the new tool, watch a few days of runs, then turn off the Zap so the two never act twice on the same event, the same advice Zapier gives when moving old agents to AI by Zapier.
- Keep the Zapier account for a month. You may need its run history to trace an old record. Downgrade rather than delete until you are sure.
Still choosing? Read Make vs n8n, the best AI for automation or how to automate tasks with AI.
Prompts to copy
Turn a Zap into a rebuild brief
Here is a description of one of my Zaps: [trigger, each action, filters or paths, AI step instructions, apps and accounts]. Rewrite it as a build request for [Make / n8n / Power Automate] that names the trigger, every step in order, the branching rules, the exact AI instructions and the fields each step needs. List anything the new tool may not support so I can check it first.
You get: A precise build request you can paste into Maia, n8n Assistant or Copilot
Check app coverage before you move
These are the apps and actions my Zaps use: [list]. For each, tell me whether I should look for a native module in [new tool], use its HTTP or webhook step, or keep it on Zapier. Do not guess whether an integration exists; mark anything you are unsure of as 'check on the integrations page'.
You get: A migration checklist that flags gaps before you rebuild