Frends vs Workato (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Workato grades higher than Frends: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Workato grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Frends if
- Fits if you're an enterprise IT team running integrations across cloud and on-premises systems
- Works for companies that want API management and process automation in one platform
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want published prices, as every plan is quoted on request
- Tight on Growth: up to 25 processes and 0.5 million executions a month
- Watch out: hybrid deployment, SSO with Azure and the platform API start at the Business plan
- Watch out: Frends MCP and AI need current contract terms or an AI amendment
- Too heavy for individuals or small teams automating a few apps
Pick Workato if
- Fits if you're a larger company wiring together many business apps
- Makes sense if you want separate development, test and production environments for automations
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price on the page: every edition is quoted through sales
- Tight if you're on the entry edition, with 1 concurrency in Standard
- Watch out: RPA, Private Link and advanced security are sold separately
- Not for you if you want a simple tool for one person, as it's built for company-wide programmes
- Watch out: the free sign-up button comes with no stated length or limits, so check before relying on it
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAFrendsWeak | 2.0GPAWorkatoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo plan shows a price: Growth, Business, Enterprise and Enterprise Infinity are all quoted on request. | CNo prices are published: every edition is quoted through sales. With nothing on record it sits at C, and the page says plan structures can differ by contract terms. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial on the pages read. | DThe pricing page has a Start for free sign-up button, but it doesn't say how long it lasts, what it covers or whether a card is needed. No free plan is listed. |
| Features | CProcess builder, API management, long-running processes, MCP and AI, templates. Hybrid deployment and the platform API start at Business. | CIntegration, process automation, MCP servers, data pipelines and an agent studio on the top edition. But concurrency, on-premise agents and log retention are capped per edition: 1 concurrency in Standard, 15 in Enterprise MCP. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A low-code builder still means building the processes yourself. | CNo store rating on record. Recipes, environments and edition limits need set-up and admin time. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with 7 integrations and cloud, on-premises or hybrid deployment. | BWeb, with an API platform, on-premise agents (3, 10 or 30 by edition) and MCP servers. |
| Best for | enterprise integration and process automation | enterprise-wide integration and automation |
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: Frends and Workato. How we grade
Where they differ
- Frends also covers templates and no-code.
In commonWebPublic APIWorkflow automationAI agents
At a glance
| Frends | Workato | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Frends | Workato |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Frends
- No plan shows a price: Growth, Business, Enterprise and Enterprise Infinity are all quoted on request.
- Plans differ by processes and monthly executions; Growth allows up to 25 processes and 0.5 million executions a month.
- Hybrid deployment, SSO with Azure and the platform API start at the Business plan.
- Frends MCP and AI features need current contract terms or an AI amendment, per the pricing page.
Workato
- No prices are published: every edition is quoted through sales, so no starting price is shown here.
- The page says plan structures can differ by contract terms and by when a customer joined.
- Concurrency, on-premise agents and log retention are capped per edition (for example 1 concurrency in Standard, 15 in Enterprise MCP).
- Optional add-ons such as RPA, Private Link and advanced security are sold separately.
Key features
Frends
- Process Builder
- A low-code, BPMN-style canvas for building integrations and automated processes, with a visual data mapper and CI/CD pipelines.
- API management
- Manages APIs alongside integrations on the same platform, with an optional API Portal add-on.
- Long-running processes
- Supports processes that run over long periods, with a Business Automation Portal add-on for people-facing steps.
- Frends MCP and AI
- Frends MCP and Enterprise MCP expose systems as governed tools to AI, and AI-powered workflows are billed against monthly AI credits.
- Integration templates
- Prebuilt integration templates, connectors and tasks speed up common ERP, HR and finance integrations.
- Flexible deployment
- Deployable in the cloud, on-premises or hybrid, and the top plan lists a fully air-gapped deployment.
Workato
- Application integration
- The Standard edition covers application integration and process automation, with recipe lifecycle management and separate development, test and production environments.
- MCP servers and gateway
- Business MCP adds pre-built MCP servers, an AI/MCP gateway and an Enterprise Skill builder on top of Standard.
- Data and API tools
- Business MCP also lists data integration (ETL, ELT, reverse ETL) and an API platform; Enterprise MCP adds data pipelines and event streams.
- Agent Studio
- Workato ONE, the top edition, adds Agent Studio, a knowledge base and an employee assistant with enterprise search.
- On-premise connectivity
- Higher editions include on-premise agents (OPAs): 3 in Business MCP, 10 in Enterprise MCP and 30 in Workato ONE.
- Security controls
- SAML SSO, MFA and role-based access control come with Standard; Enterprise MCP adds data masking, activity audit and hourly key rotation.
Plans
Frends
Pricing could not be confirmed. See frends.com.
Workato
Pricing could not be confirmed. See workato.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Frends or Workato?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Frends has no price we could confirm, and Workato has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Frends or Workato?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Frends nor Workato has a free plan.
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.