Workflow automation is where AI hype turns into actual hours saved. These are the five platforms that deliver, ranked by power, price, and who they're built for.
All scores are research-based: official docs, pricing pages, and public user feedback. We don't do paid placements.
Serious visual logic — routers, filters, error handling — at a third of Zapier's entry price. The power user's value pick since its 2026 price cut.
Free (1,000 credits/mo); Core from $9/mo, Pro from $16/mo, Teams from $29/mo (10
Self-host it free with unlimited runs, or pay honest execution-based cloud pricing. Real code nodes when you need them.
Free (self-hosted Community Edition, unlimited executions); Cloud from €24/mo (S
The biggest app catalog on earth and the simplest builder — first automation in minutes. Just watch the per-task meter at volume.
Free (100 tasks/mo); Professional from $29.99/mo billed monthly ($19.99/mo annua
Zapier-style automation with periodic one-time lifetime deals. If your task volume fits, nothing beats the long-run price.
Free (100 tasks/mo); Standard from ~$19/mo (10,000 tasks); lifetime deals from $
Describe the outcome in plain English and Lindy delegates it — inbox triage, scheduling, research. Delegation, not diagrams.
Plus from $29.99/user/mo (3,000 credits); Pro $99.99/user/mo (15,000 credits); M
Start free: Make's 1,000 monthly credits or n8n's self-hosted edition cover most real workloads. Pick Zapier when you value speed and app coverage over cost; pick Lindy when you want to delegate outcomes instead of building workflows. Check official pricing pages before buying — plans change.
Make or n8n. Make's free tier gives you 1,000 operations a month to learn on; n8n's self-hosted edition is free with unlimited runs if you're comfortable running a server.
Zapier wins on app coverage (7,000+ integrations) and ease of use, but its per-task pricing gets expensive fast at volume. If your workflows run thousands of times a month, Make or n8n usually cost far less for equivalent work.
Workflow automation (Make, n8n, Zapier) connects your apps with defined steps you design. AI agents (Lindy) take a goal in plain English and figure out the steps. Agents are more flexible but harder to predict; workflows are more reliable and auditable.