Uncanny Automator vs Zapier (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 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 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Zapier grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Uncanny Automator
WordPress automation and AI plugin
Zapier
Workflow automation across 9,000+ apps, with AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Uncanny Automator if
- Fits if you run a WordPress site with plugins such as LearnDash or Gravity Forms
- Works for agencies with 10 or 50 sites on Plus or Elite
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't use WordPress, as it only runs there
- Tight if you stay on Lite, with 250 one-time external app actions and capped AI use
- Pricey if you want Salesforce or QuickBooks add-ons, which need Elite at $599
- Watch out: the $240 crossed-out total beside the $199 price is a marketing comparison
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
| 2.2GPAUncanny AutomatorFair | 2.6GPAZapierGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBasic is $199 a year for 1 site, about $16.60 a month. Plus is $349 for 10 sites and Elite $599 for 50. | 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 | CLite is free, with recipes using 250 one-time external app actions and capped AI use. That's a cap you'll hit. | 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 | CRecipes across LearnDash, MemberPress, Gravity Forms, Elementor Pro, Google Sheets and HubSpot. Salesforce and QuickBooks Online add-ons need Elite. | 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 | CNo store rating on record. You build recipes inside WordPress. | 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 inside WordPress, with a list of plugin and app integrations. No desktop or phone apps. | 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 | WordPress site automations | 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: Uncanny Automator and Zapier. How we grade
Price against what you get
Uncanny Automator starts at $16.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 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 $3.41 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other automation tools on the chart, 7 score higher than Uncanny Automator 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
- Zapier also covers databases.
At a glance
| Uncanny Automator | Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $199 per year for 1 site ($20 per month if billed monthly) | $19.99 / month, billed annually, for 750 tasks ($29.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Lite is free: AI site management up to 300 tool uses a day at first, then 150 a day, and recipes with 250 one-time external app actions. | 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 | Uncanny Owl | Zapier, Inc. |
| Price read from | automatorplugin.com | zapier.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Uncanny Automator
- It runs only inside WordPress.
- The Free plan's AI use is capped, at 150 tool uses a day after the first week.
- Elite integration addons for Salesforce and QuickBooks Online need the Elite plan.
- The annual price is shown beside a $240 crossed-out total, described as two months free.
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
Uncanny Automator
- AI site management
- Connect ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or another AI to the site and run it in plain English, with permissions set per app and per action.
- Recipe builder
- Recipes link triggers and actions between plugins and apps; paid plans add schedules, queues, conditions, loops and AI steps.
- Plugin integrations
- The site lists 250+ integrations, including LearnDash, MemberPress, BuddyBoss, Gravity Forms, WPForms and Elementor Pro.
- App integrations
- Recipes can act in external apps such as Google Sheets, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, Slack, Mailchimp and Stripe.
- Page building
- AI can build pages in Gutenberg, Spectra, Elementor, Divi, WPBakery or the built-in Uncanny Page Builder.
- Activity reporting
- Answers and reports show what ran, what failed and what changed, and everything the AI did is visible.
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
Uncanny Automator
Lite$0
Free forever, with 440+ actions across 138+ plugins and apps, shared across all your sites.
Basic$199
per year for 1 site ($20 per month if billed monthly)
Unlimited AI tool usage, 1,000+ triggers and 850+ actions, and unlimited external app actions.
Plus$349
per year for 10 sites ($35 per month if billed monthly)
Everything in Basic plus the User Lists, Custom User Fields and Restrict Content addons.
Elite$599
per year for 50 sites ($60 per month if billed monthly)
Everything in Plus, plus Dynamic Content and the Salesforce and QuickBooks Online addons.
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
Uncanny Automator
- Annual discount
Two months free on annual plans
Paying yearly costs $199, $349 or $599 instead of 12 months at the monthly price; the page calls it two months free.
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, Uncanny Automator or Zapier?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Uncanny Automator is cheaper to start with: $16.58 a month when paid by the year, against $19.99 a month for Zapier. Uncanny Automator starts at $199 per year for 1 site ($20 per month if billed monthly), and Zapier starts at $19.99 / month, billed annually, for 750 tasks ($29.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Uncanny Automator or Zapier?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Uncanny Automator and Zapier have a free plan.
Which platforms do Uncanny Automator and Zapier run on?
As of Nov 13, 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.