24 Oct Zapier startup alternatives
Zapier is a great tool for integrations. But is it still the best? In this article, we benchmark the platform against the five strongest startup alternatives. Millions of people rely on their services to make data flow seamlessly between business systems. This focus has made Zapier a strong number one in the system integration category.
But is it time to challenge the Zapier dominans? Is the idea that is ten years old still the best way of making your data flow between your business systems?
Are there any new concepts or startups that seek to solve the same problem as Zapier does? But with a new angle that gives you a different set of opportunities.
So some of the Startup concepts can perhaps compliment your current Zapier set-up. Others are focusing more directly on solving the same problem as Zapier. So they act more as a competitor to the tool.
We have found five such startups on our list. They all focus on solving problems in the system integration and business process automation flows. So they are Zapier startup alternatives in each their separate way.
We will evaluate the tools on how they perform in four different categories:
Micro Process Flows
Is the platform performing specific tasks, like saving a file into a folder or fetching data from a web form. We call such tasks mico processes flows because they are not a core part of the business operations.
Business Flows
A business flow means that automation relates to the core part of driving your business. This would typically mean integrating data between your shop, your finance- or your production system.
Integrations
How many and how many advances, and how simple can integrations be done.
Robotics / Condition flows
How advances are the business logic that drives the platform? Can you build sophisticated business logic, or is it a very standardized way the logic flows?
Cognifirm
Cognifirm is a tool that lets you do two things. It can import Excel files into any business system without code, and it can copy data automatically between any business system.
What makes Cognifirm different from a tech perspective is that it is built as a web browser plug-in.
So this places Cognifirm in the supplement category to Zapier, which means that this tool can be configured to meet particular business needs that you will most likely not find Zapier integrations that would work for you.
Cognifirm is designed to handle many and micro-processes.
Cognifirm is not designed to handle business flows.
The tool can integrate with any online tool because it works as a browser extension. So you have lots of options for how and when to deploy the platform.
The tool works on user behavior, and this means that you can not use it for advanced business flow set-ups. However, the fact that it is based on user behavior makes it different compared to the problems that Zapier can solve for you.
Tray
Tray.io is an automation and integration platform. It lets you integrate your app via a drag and drop dashboard.
Tray is smart but also much more expensive than the other option. Their prices start at $8000 per year. The major difference is that they have much more focus on the automation part. You can build automation flows with a high degree of business logic.
The area is the core strength of the platform. They excel in making smart integrations between your business apps
Tray is strong on automation. They let you integrate on a more complex business layer level than what is possible with Zapier. So you can get so smarter integrations. But Zapier still beat them in the number of available business system integration options.
You buy Tray to be able to do smart robotics and integrations. So they are the best of all the five selected systems. However, they are also in a different price range than the rest.
Parabola
Parabola was born as a Shopify app. So their focus is on process automation for webshops on the Shopify platform. Their focus is to make it easy to distribute Shopify customer, product, and order details into other business systems where you might want to work with such data.
Just like Cognifirm, it can be configured without code.
Compared to Zapier, the platform has fewer integration options but better business logic. So it is more an RPA toll than an Integration toll.
The focus of the platform is to manage both micro-processes and business flow from Shopify to any related business system.
The platform’s focus is to manage both micro-processes and business flow from Shopify to any related business system.
The tool is very focused, which in many ways is good. This choice also means that they do not focus much on applications that are not core to the Shopify community. So if your business is not focused on the Shopify platform, then you might end up missing integrations.
They are pretty good on business flows. You can build and configure them without code. Also, there are many more rich configuration options compared to what Zapier offers.
Workato
Workato has made an automation tool designed for Slack; It works by letting you automate and integrate your various Slack installments. They focus on automated chat functionality and automate your Slack-based workflows.
Their Slack bot is just one of their automation components. So you can use it as a stand-alone component, but it will work the best as part of their overall system installment. So you should expect to pay the price of a regular RPA installment.
The Slack bot is designed for micro-processes. However, the fact that it is only working with Slack puts a limit to its usability.
There are no major business flows that are built around Slack. So by default, this application has no impact on such flows.
The design of the application is centered around Slack. So by design, there is not a focus on business integrations.
There is some business logic that makes it possible to better integrate your Slack infrastructure.
IFTTT
Looking at Zapier startup alternatives, you can not discard IFTTT. The major difference has always been that IFTTT is building around automation and where Zapier has focused on great integrations.
Another major difference is that IFTTT has a physical dimension too. It will let you create an automation that performs tasks such as opening doors, turning on lights, and so on.
So if you are looking for an automation tool that works both as software and in the offline world, then IFTTT would be a great choice.
IFTTT is great to build the odd processes and automatons that require a presence in both the online and offline world.
You could find scenarios where IFTTT can run business flows for you, Especially if they have a physical dimension too.
Like Zapier, you can only integrate what has been made available to you by the IFTTT platform. However, the span of integrations is quite large, and the physical dimensions make it possible for you to do a different kind of integrations with the platform.
The platform is very open when it comes to designing new ways of doing integrations. There is a reason why it is called IFTTT (if this, then that).
