How does ToolGPA rank automation tools?

From what each tool's own pages show (price, free plan, platforms, features and limits) and from what people say about it in public reviews and discussions. Not from our own testing. First place goes to the tool that suits the most people, and second and third to the best choices for the readers it leaves out.

Automation

Q: What are the best automation tools?

ToolGPA ranks Make first (for: most people), Zapier second (for: anyone connecting less common apps), Activepieces third (for: teams that want open-source automation on their own servers). The first two are close. Make comes first on cost: its Free plan covers 1,000 credits a month and paid plans start at $9 a month, where Zapier's Free plan stops at 100 tasks and Professional starts at $19.99. Zapier is second for anyone whose apps Make does not list: it connects 9,000-plus to Make's 3,000-plus. Activepieces is third for teams that want open-source automation on their own servers. n8n narrowly missed: its free self-hosted edition leaves out workflow sharing, and n8n Cloud has no free plan. IFTTT sits outside as the simpler choice for personal and smart-home automations.

Connect your apps and automate the repetitive steps between them.

Our top three automation tools

The first two are close. Make comes first on cost: its Free plan covers 1,000 credits a month and paid plans start at $9 a month, where Zapier's Free plan stops at 100 tasks and Professional starts at $19.99. Zapier is second for anyone whose apps Make does not list: it connects 9,000-plus to Make's 3,000-plus. Activepieces is third for teams that want open-source automation on their own servers. n8n narrowly missed: its free self-hosted edition leaves out workflow sharing, and n8n Cloud has no free plan. IFTTT sits outside as the simpler choice for personal and smart-home automations.

First: Make
Free plan · from $9/mo
For: Most people
Make builds automations, called scenarios, on a visual canvas, linking app modules with routers and filters so the branching is visible, and it lists more than 3,000 apps. The Free plan has no time limit and covers 1,000 credits a month. The paid plan starts at $9 a month, billed annually, for 5,000 credits, with unlimited active scenarios and teams and roles. It runs on the web, iPhone and Android. Know the limits: the Free plan allows only 2 active scenarios with at least 15 minutes between scheduled runs, most module actions use 1 credit, credits expire at the end of each term, and extra credits cost 25% more than those in the plan.
Make pricing and details
Second: Zapier
Free plan · from $19.99/mo
For: Anyone connecting less common apps
Zapier connects more than 9,000 apps, where Make lists more than 3,000, so it is the one to check when your stack includes less common tools. A workflow, called a Zap, starts from a trigger and runs one or more actions, and triggers and built-in data tools do not count as tasks. It is second because it costs more: Professional starts at $19.99 a month, billed annually, for 750 tasks, where Make's paid plan is $9 for 5,000 credits, and the Free plan is limited to 100 tasks a month on two-step Zaps. Free and Professional cover a single user, and sharing Zaps with colleagues needs Team, from $69 a month, billed annually, for 2,000 tasks and 25 users.
Zapier pricing and details
Third: Activepieces
Free plan · from $16/mo
For: Teams that want open-source automation on their own servers
Activepieces is open source, and its self-hosted Community edition is free, with unmetered credits and unlimited users, on your own servers with Docker or Kubernetes. If you would rather not run a server, its cloud has a Free plan with 1,000 credits a month for one user, where one flow run costs one credit, and Plus is a flat $16 a month, billed yearly, for 10,000 credits and up to 5 users. It is third because it reaches fewer apps than the two above, with more than 760 integrations, and it is listed for the web only. The Community edition leaves out agents, chat and MCP, AI steps cost 2, 10 or 20 credits, and SSO starts on Team at $166 a month, billed yearly.
Activepieces pricing and details

Ranked on Oct 5, 2026 from what each listing shows and what people say about the tool, not from our own testing. How we rank

Price

Runs on

Must be

41 tools

2sync
Automation
Two-way sync between Notion databases and calendars, tasks and more
Free trial · from $7/moWeb
Activepieces
Automation
Open-source automation with flows, AI agents and tables
Free plan · from $16/moWeb
Albato
Automation
No-code app integration platform with a copilot and AI agents
Free plan · from $15/moWeb
Apple Shortcuts
Automation
Free automation app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, built by Apple
FreeiOS · macOS
Automate
Automation
Android automation app that builds tasks as flowcharts
Free plan · from $4.99 one-timeAndroid
Axiom.ai
Automation
Browser automation and web scraping bots, built without code
Free trial · from $15/momacOS · Windows · Linux
Browse AI
Automation
No-code web scraping and website change monitoring
Free plan · from $19/moWeb
BuildShip
Automation
Visual builder for backend workflows, APIs and AI agents
Free trial · from $19/moWeb
Coupler.io
Automation
No-code data integration into spreadsheets, BI tools and AI
Free plan · from $24/moWeb
Google Workspace Studio
Automation
AI flow builder for Gmail, Drive, Chat and other Workspace apps
Free trial · from $7/moWeb
Huginn
Automation
Open-source agents that watch the web and act, on your own server
FreeWeb · Linux
IFTTT
Automation
Simple trigger-and-action automations for apps and smart devices
Free plan · from $2.99/moWeb · iOS · Android
Integrately
Automation
App integration built around ready-made, one-click automations
Free plan · from $19.99/moWeb
Latenode
Automation
AI workflow automation billed by runtime instead of by step
Free plan · from $0.00012Web
Macro Recorder
Automation
Records mouse and keyboard actions for replay on Windows and Mac
Free plan · from $99.95 one-timeWindows · macOS
MacroDroid
Automation
Android automation app built on triggers, actions and constraints
Free plan · from $1.49Android
Mailparser
Automation
Rule-based email parser that sends extracted data to other apps
Free trial · from $24.95/moWeb
Make
Automation
Visual automation builder for multi-step scenarios and AI agents
Free plan · from $9/moWeb · iOS · Android
Microsoft Power Automate
Automation
Cloud workflows and desktop RPA in the Microsoft Power Platform
Free plan · from $15/moWeb · Windows
n8n
Automation
Workflow automation and AI agents you can self-host
Free plan · from €20/moWeb
Node-RED
Automation
Open-source, flow-based programming tool for event-driven apps
FreeWeb · Windows · Linux
OttoKit
Automation
No-code workflow automation with AI agents and a WordPress plugin
Free plan · from $9/moWeb
Pabbly Connect
Automation
Workflow automation that counts only action steps as tasks
Free plan · from $16/moWeb
Parseur
Automation
Document and email parser that sends extracted data to other apps
Free plan · from $49/moWeb
Pushcut
Automation
Smart notifications, widgets and a server for Apple Shortcuts
Free plan · from $1.99/moiOS
Robomotion
Automation
RPA platform for building workflows, AI agents and apps
Free plan · from $49/moWeb · Windows · macOS +1
RoboTask
Automation
Task automation for Windows built from ready-made actions
Free plan · from $149 one-timeWindows
Sheetgo
Automation
Spreadsheet automation for Google Sheets and Excel files
Free plan · from $35/moWeb
Skyvern
Automation
Open-source AI agents that automate workflows in the browser
Free plan · from $29/moWeb
Skyvia
Automation
No-code cloud data integration, sync and workflow automation
Free plan · from $79/moWeb
Tasker
Automation
Android automation app driven by profiles, contexts and tasks
Free trial · from $4.49 one-timeAndroid
Tines
Automation
Workflow automation and AI agents for security and IT teams
Free planWeb
Ui.Vision
Automation
Open-source browser and desktop automation with computer vision
Free plan · from €11.90/moWindows · macOS · Linux
UiPath
Automation
Enterprise platform for RPA, AI agents and process orchestration
Free plan · from $25/moWeb · Windows · macOS +1
Unito
Automation
Two-way sync between work tools such as Jira, Asana and Salesforce
Free trialWeb
viaSocket
Automation
AI workflow automation that connects more than 2,300 apps
Free plan · from $18/moWeb · Android
Whalesync
Automation
Two-way data sync between spreadsheets, databases and SaaS apps
Free trial · from $32/moWeb
Windmill
Automation
Open-source platform for scripts, workflows and internal apps
Free plan · from $10/moWeb
Zapier
Automation
Workflow automation across 9,000+ apps, with AI agents
Free plan · from $19.99/moWeb
Zenphi
Automation
No-code workflow automation and AI agents for Google Workspace
Free trial · from $600/moWeb
Zoho Flow
Automation
Integration platform for cloud and on-premises apps, with AI
Free plan · from $25/moWeb

Guides

Shortlists and alternatives for automation tools.

Alternatives
The best Zapier alternatives in 2026
Zapier's bill grows with every task you run, and its free plan stops at two-step Zaps. These three alternatives count the work differently, and one of them can run on your own server.
3 tools · Updated October 2026
Best of
The best automation tools in 2026
Four ways to connect your apps and automate the steps between them, from a service that links more than 9,000 apps to one you can run on your own server. Each pick says who it suits, how it bills and where the free plan stops.
4 tools · Updated October 2026

Our top three automation tools

First: Make

Second: Zapier

Third: Activepieces

Tools

Guides