Automatisch vs Zapier (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, we pick Zapier: it is second in our ranking of automation tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.2.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Automatisch grades higher on the free plan. Zapier grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Zapier
Workflow automation across 9,000+ apps, with AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Automatisch if
- Fits if you are comfortable running Docker and want to own your data
- Works for flows that can wait 15 minutes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not want to run servers, as no hosted price is published
- Not for you if you need instant triggers, as flows run every 15 minutes
- Too light for a long app list: about 70 apps are listed
- Watch out: the encryption and webhook keys must never change or saved connections break
Pick Zapier if
- Fits if one of your apps is obscure, since Zapier lists more than 9,000 of them
- Works for short chains, like a new Stripe payment adding a row in Google Sheets and pinging Slack
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you run thousands of tasks: AI steps cost up to 5 tasks each, and Professional tops out at $3,389 a month
- Tight if you're staying free, with 100 tasks a month, two steps per Zap and new data checked only every 15 minutes
- Watch out: overages are on by default at a higher rate Zapier doesn't publish, and Zaps pause at 3 times your limit
- Pricey if two of you want to share Zaps, because that means Team at $69 a month, while Make starts at $9
- Not for you if you want to build or fix automations from your phone or a desktop app, as there's neither
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAAutomatischFair | 2.6GPAZapierGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$0, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server. That is a C, and no hosted price is published. | C$19.99 a month billed annually puts Zapier just past this category's $19 middle, so the price itself is ordinary. What it buys: 750 tasks and one user, where viaSocket gives 17,000 tasks for $18 and Make 5,000 credits for $9. You're paying for the app list, not the allowance. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe software is free to run on your own servers with Docker. You pay for the server. | CFree forever, and the caps arrive almost immediately: 100 tasks a month, two steps per Zap, one user, and a check for new data only every 15 minutes. One small job will fit. Two won't. New accounts do get 14 days of Professional with no card. |
| Features | CMulti-step flows, webhooks and requests, but just over 70 apps and flows that run at 15-minute intervals, with instant updates only planned. | AThe app directory lists more than 9,000 apps, where Make lists about 3,000. On top of that: multi-step Zaps, filters, paths, webhooks, Tables, Forms, Canvas, AI agents and an MCP server. Multi-step Zaps, filters and paths need a paid plan. |
| Ease of use | DSelf-hosting with Docker, Postgres and Redis, and keys that must never change or saved connections break. | CNo store rating to go on, since it lives in the browser. And it's a build job: apps to connect, then triggers, actions, filters and paths to think in. One Hacker News commenter called the whole thing an impenetrable mess aimed at marketers. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb interface, with connections to Slack, Google Sheets, GitHub, HubSpot, Notion, Stripe, Telegram and OpenAI. No desktop or phone app. | BA browser and a Chrome extension, and that's your lot. No phone app we could find and nothing for the desktop. What you get instead is connections: 9,000-plus apps, webhooks, an SDK and an MCP server for assistants like Claude and ChatGPT. |
| Best for | self-hosted automation for a developer | connecting almost any two apps |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Automatisch and Zapier. How we grade
Price against what you get
Automatisch has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zapier starts at $19.99 a month and scores 3.0.
Zapier scores higher, and starts $19.99 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other automation tools on the chart, none scores higher than Automatisch for less, and none scores higher than Zapier for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Automatisch is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Automatisch also covers no-code.
- Zapier also covers databases.
At a glance
| Automatisch | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $19.99 / month, billed annually, for 750 tasks ($29.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | The open-source software is free to run on your own servers; no hosted plan or price is published. | 100 tasks a month for 1 user, limited to two-step Zaps, with unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms. Zapier checks for new data every 15 minutes. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Professional, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Automatisch | Zapier, Inc. |
| Price read from | automatisch.io | zapier.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Automatisch
- Self-hosting needs Postgres and Redis, and the encryption and webhook keys must never change or saved connections break.
- The homepage mentions a cloud solution, but no cloud plans or prices are published on the pages we read.
- The docs list a bit over 70 apps, far fewer than the large hosted automation services.
- The docs say flows currently run at 15-minute intervals, with instant updates only planned.
Zapier
- The Free plan is limited to 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps, and checks for new data only every 15 minutes.
- Free and Professional include a single user; sharing workflows with colleagues needs the Team plan.
- Cost rises with volume: Professional runs from $19.99 a month for 750 tasks to $3,389 a month for 2 million, billed annually.
- Tasks beyond the plan limit are billed per task at a higher rate that depends on plan and billing cycle; the rate is not published, and Zaps pause at 3 times the plan's limit.
Key features
Automatisch
- Multi-step flows
- A flow is built from a trigger plus later steps, with built-in helper apps such as Filter, Formatter, Delay, Scheduler and HTTP Request.
- Self-hosting
- The installation guide covers Docker Compose and plain Docker, with a main service and a worker service that share one set of environment variables.
- Own your data
- The site says data stays on your own servers, which it pitches at healthcare, finance and European teams bound by GDPR.
- App directory
- The docs list the supported apps, including Slack, Google Sheets, GitHub, HubSpot, Notion, Stripe, Telegram and AI services such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Webhooks and requests
- Webhooks and a generic HTTP Request app are in the app list, so services without a dedicated integration can still be reached.
Zapier
- Zaps
- Workflows that start from a trigger and run one or more actions. Free accounts are limited to two-step Zaps; Professional adds multi-step Zaps, filters, paths and webhooks.
- App directory
- Zapier connects more than 9,000 apps, including Google Sheets, Gmail, Slack and HubSpot. Premium apps are unlimited from the Professional plan.
- Task-based billing
- A standard step uses 1 task when it completes; triggers, polling and built-in tools such as Filters and Paths use none. Some steps use more: an MCP tool call 2, a Lead Router step 5, and AI steps 1 to 5 by model tier.
- Tables, Forms and Canvas
- Tables store the data that workflows read and write, Forms collect it, and Canvas maps out a process. Tables and Forms are unlimited on every plan, including Free.
- Agents, Chatbots and MCP
- AI agents take actions across connected apps, and Zapier MCP gives assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT access to them. Agents and Chatbots are optional add-ons with free tiers.
- Team and admin controls
- Team covers 25 users with shared Zaps, folders and app connections plus SAML SSO. Enterprise adds SCIM provisioning, app controls and custom data retention.
Plans
Automatisch
Self-hosted$0
Run Automatisch yourself with Docker Compose or Docker. You provide the servers, Postgres and Redis.
Zapier
Free$0
100 tasks a month for 1 user, limited to two-step Zaps, with unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms and 15-minute polling.
Professional$19.99
per month, billed annually, for 750 tasks ($29.99 monthly)
1 user. Multi-step Zaps, unlimited premium apps, webhooks, filters and paths, AI by Zapier and 2-minute polling. Task tiers run up to 2 million a month.
Team$69
per month, billed annually, for 2,000 tasks ($103.50 monthly)
25 users, shared Zaps, folders and app connections, SAML single sign-on, priority support and 1-minute polling.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users, advanced admin and app controls, SCIM provisioning, custom data retention and annual task limits.
Ways to pay less
Automatisch
No public discounts listed.
Zapier
- Annual discount
33% off with annual billing
Zapier's pricing page says annual subscriptions are billed yearly at 33% off the monthly rate: Professional is $19.99 a month instead of $29.99, and Team $69 instead of $103.50.
- Nonprofit
Extra 15% off for nonprofits
The pricing page lists an additional 15% discount for non-profit organizations. It does not apply to pay-per-task charges.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Automatisch or Zapier?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Automatisch is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $19.99 a month for Zapier. Automatisch is free, and Zapier starts at $19.99 / month, billed annually, for 750 tasks ($29.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Automatisch or Zapier?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Automatisch and Zapier have a free plan.
Which platforms do Automatisch and Zapier run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Zapier lists a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.