How to Create Your First Zap in Zapier
Published by ZapierWatch on YouTube
Updated Oct 5, 2026
Automation & Workflow Software
Zapier
App-to-app automation across 9,000+ apps, priced by monthly tasks
From $19.99/mofree trial
Zapier at a glance
from our research
Automation platform for non-technical teams, linking apps with Zaps: a trigger followed by actions
Each successful action step uses a task; triggers, filters, paths and formatters use none
Past a paid tier's limit, extra tasks are billed at a higher rate, up to three times the limit
Professional: $29.99 a month, or $19.99 a month billed yearly, for 750 tasks and one user
Overview
What is Zapier?
Zapier is an automation platform from Zapier, Inc., a US company founded in 2011. Its basic unit is the Zap: a trigger, such as a new form entry or a new spreadsheet row, followed by one or more actions in other apps. Zapier says it integrates more than 9,000 apps, and the same account includes Tables for structured data, Forms, and Zapier MCP, which lets AI tools run actions in connected apps. Zapier's own examples include routing form leads to a CRM and triaging support tickets with AI.
Zaps are built in a web editor that draws the workflow as a flow diagram. Filters stop runs that don't match a rule, and Paths split a Zap into as many as 10 branches with a fallback. Code by Zapier runs JavaScript or Python, Webhooks by Zapier catches incoming webhooks and sends custom requests, AI by Zapier adds model steps, and Human in the Loop pauses a Zap until a reviewer approves, declines or edits the data. Error handler paths run when a step fails, and drafts can be edited while the live version keeps running. A Chrome extension runs Zaps from the browser.
Plans are priced by monthly tasks. A task is a successful action step; triggers, polling checks and built-in tools such as Filter, Paths, Formatter and Delay use none, and failed actions don't count. Paid plans come in task tiers, and once a tier runs out, pay-per-task billing charges a higher rate for each extra task until usage reaches three times the tier.
Our verdict on Zapier
Updated Oct 5, 2026Pricing checked Oct 5, 2026
Zapier suits teams whose main need is getting many different apps to pass data to each other with little setup. A library Zapier puts at more than 9,000 apps raises the odds that a niche CRM or scheduling tool is already covered. The task rules are generous at the edges: triggers, filters, paths, formatters and delays use no tasks, and failed actions aren't billed. Team adds a shared workspace and shared app connections for up to 25 users, with SAML SSO and an audit log.
The cost of each unit of work is the weak point. Every successful action step is a task, so a Zap with a trigger and four actions that runs 1,000 times a month uses 4,000 tasks, more than five times the 750 in Professional's entry tier. For accounts created after January 2024, pay-per-task billing is on by default: once a tier runs out, Zaps keep running at a higher per-task rate until usage reaches three times the plan's limit. That keeps workflows from stopping, but a busy month costs more than the plan price suggests.
Professional costs $29.99 a month, or $19.99 a month billed yearly, for 750 tasks and one user, and adds multi-step Zaps, webhooks, Paths and premium apps. The 2,000-task tier costs $73.50 a month or $49 billed yearly, and 10,000 tasks cost $193.50 or $129. Team starts at $103.50 a month, or $69 a month billed yearly, for 2,000 tasks shared by up to 25 users. Yearly billing cuts each price by about a third. New accounts get a 14-day Professional trial without a card, capped at 1,000 tasks, and subscriptions are non-refundable, so the trial is the time to count how many tasks your Zaps use.
Choose Zapier when app coverage and quick setup matter more than unit cost, as with short Zaps that run a few hundred times a month. Teams with longer automations should price Make, which charges a credit for each module action, trigger included, but sells 5,000 credits for $9 a month billed yearly. Technical teams running long workflows at volume should look at n8n, which counts a whole workflow run as one execution however many steps it has.
Written by Lokesh Kapoor
Pros & cons
Zapier pros and cons
What it does well
- Zapier says it integrates more than 9,000 apps
- Failed actions aren't counted toward the monthly task limit
- Drafts can be edited while the live Zap runs, and each publish saves a version
- Team includes SAML SSO, an audit log and shared app connections for up to 25 users
Where it falls short
- Free plan limits Zaps to two steps and checks for new data every 15 minutes
- Team is capped at 25 users; unlimited users and SCIM need Enterprise
- AI by Zapier steps use up to 5 tasks each, and each MCP tool call uses 2
Editor's assessment from vendor documentation and published pricing
Pricing
Zapier pricing
Zapier's paid plans start at $19.99/month, right at the $20 median across the 5 tools in our Automation & Workflow Software ranking. A free plan is available, and you can test it on a 14-day free trial.
Free
$0
Free plan
For one person
- 100 tasks a month
- Unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms
- Two-step Zaps only
- 15-minute polling interval
- Copilot with a daily message limit
Usage: Capped at 100 tasks a month for one user. Pay-per-task billing isn't available on Free, so new Zap runs are held once the limit is reached and resume when the billing cycle resets.
Professional
$19.99/mo
per month, 750 tasks included
or $29.99/mo billed monthly
For one person
- Multi-step Zaps
- Unlimited premium apps
- Webhooks, Filters and Paths
- Two-minute polling interval
- Email support, live chat from 2,000 tasks
Usage: Priced by monthly task tier, starting at 750 tasks for one user; each successful action step uses one task, while triggers, filters and paths use none. Higher tiers include 2,000 tasks at $73.50 a month ($49 billed yearly) and 10,000 tasks at $193.50 ($129 billed yearly), and past the limit pay-per-task billing, switched on by default, charges a higher per-task rate until total usage reaches three times the plan's task limit.
Team
$69/mo
per month, 2,000 tasks included
or $103.50/mo billed monthly
Up to 25 users
- 25 users
- Shared Zaps and folders
- Shared app connections
- SAML SSO and audit log
- Priority support
Usage: Priced by monthly task tier, starting at 2,000 tasks shared across up to 25 users. Higher tiers include 10,000 tasks at $253.50 a month ($169 billed yearly) and 50,000 tasks at $598.50 ($399 billed yearly), with pay-per-task billing past the limit.
Enterprise
Custom
Tailored pricing for larger teams
- Unlimited users
- Advanced admin permissions and app controls
- SCIM user provisioning
- Annual task limits
- Priority support with screen sharing
Usage: Priced through Sales on a custom task allowance, with annual task limits available.
Checked against Zapier Inc.'s pricing page on October 5, 2026 · see the full breakdown
Capabilities
Zapier features
Checked against the same feature list as every other tool in its category.
Platform
- Included:Governance & audit logsRole-based access, approval policies and a full audit trail.Audit log on Team plan and up
- Included:SSO & team managementSingle sign-on, provisioning and shared workspace administration.Team plan and up
Building & Logic
- Included:AI steps & agentsLanguage model steps for classification, extraction and drafting inside a workflow.
- Included:Branching & conditional logicPaths that diverge on conditions, with filters and routers.
- Included:Human approval stepsPauses a run until a person approves, then continues.
- Included:Loops & iteratorsProcesses each item in a list rather than only the first.
- Included:Visual workflow builderDrag-and-drop canvas for assembling steps without writing code.
Reliability
- Included:Error handling & retriesAutomatic retries with backoff, error branches and failure alerts.
- Included:Run history & replayInspect past runs step by step and replay a failed one after fixing the cause.
- Included:Versioning & environmentsSeparate development and production versions with a promotion path.Draft versions publish over the live Zap
Extensibility
- Included:1,000+ app integrationsA library broad enough that most apps are supported natively.
- Included:Custom code stepsDrop into JavaScript or Python when the visual builder runs out.
- Included:Generic HTTP & webhooksCall any API and receive inbound webhooks for apps without an integration.
- Not included:Self-hosting optionRun the platform on your own infrastructure with no per-execution fee.
Ecosystem
Zapier integrations
- Slack
- Gmail
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Notion
- Airtable
Videos
Watch Zapier in action
Product walkthroughs from Zapier's own YouTube channel.
Alternatives
Top Zapier alternatives
Tools that do the same job, from the same category.
Fit check
Will Zapier fit your team?
Support
- Email support
- Live chat
- Knowledge base
- Community forum
Training
- Webinars
- Documentation
- Video tutorials
Deployment
- Web
Typical users
- Freelancers
- Small businesses
- Mid-size companies
- Enterprises
FAQs
Zapier FAQs
Written by our editorial team.
Is Zapier free?
Yes, within tight limits. The Free plan gives one user 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms, but each Zap is limited to two steps, a trigger and one action, and checks for new data every 15 minutes. Webhooks, premium apps and Paths need a paid plan, and once the 100 tasks are used, new runs are held until the next billing cycle. Professional starts at $19.99 a month billed yearly, or $29.99 month to month. See Zapier pricing.
What counts as a task in Zapier?
A task is any successful action step in a Zap, such as creating a CRM contact or sending a Slack message. Triggers and polling checks never use tasks, and neither do built-in tools such as Filter, Paths, Formatter, Delay, Looping, Sub-Zaps, Digest, Storage, Tables and Forms. Failed actions don't count. Some steps cost more: AI by Zapier uses 1, 3 or 5 tasks depending on the model, Zapier MCP uses 2 tasks per tool call, and Lead Router uses 5 tasks per lead.
What happens when you run out of Zapier tasks?
On paid plans, pay-per-task billing usually takes over. It's on by default for accounts created after January 2024 and keeps Zaps running at a higher per-task rate until total usage reaches three times the plan's task limit; you can turn it off or move up a tier instead. Without it, and on the Free plan, which doesn't offer it, new Zap runs are held until the billing cycle resets.
Does Zapier use your data to train AI?
Enterprise accounts are opted out of model training on their content automatically, and other customers have to opt out themselves, which Zapier says they can do at any time. Zapier's subprocessors may not use customer content to train their own models. Under the terms you keep ownership of the content you run through Zapier and grant it a limited license to process that content. Zapier says it hosts on AWS in the United States and has completed SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 audits.
Is Zapier more expensive than Make?
Per unit of work, yes, at the entry tiers. Zapier's Professional plan costs $19.99 a month billed yearly for 750 tasks, while Make's paid plan costs $9 a month billed yearly for 5,000 credits. The units differ: Zapier charges only for successful action steps, while Make charges a credit for most module actions, including the module that fetches the data. Zapier says it integrates more than 9,000 apps, against the 3,000+ Make lists. See Make vs Zapier.
Sources & methodology
Product details come from Zapier Inc.'s public website and documentation (United States). Every plan and price was checked against the vendor's pricing page on October 5, 2026. We haven't tested this product hands-on; the verdict is a desk assessment. How we research and rank tools
- Founded 2011
- 6 languages supported
- zapier.com