Activepieces vs Zapier
Zapier scores 8.0 to Activepieces's 7.8 among the workflow automation tools we rate, and is the better pick for 1 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Zapier wins, 8.0 to 7.8
Activepieces' cheapest paid plan clears 1,000 five-step runs for $20 a month; the same basket costs $133.5 a month on Zapier, which bills per task and counts every step as a task. Zapier connects to a stated 10,076 apps against Activepieces' 764, and adds live chat support. Activepieces keeps your data out of AI training entirely, while Zapier trains on it by default unless you opt out.
Pick Activepieces if you want cheap high-volume runs and data that never trains AI.
Pick Zapier if you need the biggest app library and live chat support.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Cost of 1,000 five-step runs a month: $20 against $133.5
- Monthly price, cheapest paid plan: $20 against $29.99
- Run history kept on the cheapest plan: 60 days against 30 days
- App connectors: 10,076 apps against 764 apps
- What agents can learn from: Activepieces Files, databases, Zapier Files, website
- Agents that work together: Activepieces no, Zapier not published
- Test and evaluate agents: Activepieces no, Zapier not published
- Does not train AI on your data: Yes against unless you opt out
- Self-hosted edition: Activepieces yes, Zapier does not say
- But Zapier leads on ways to reach support: Email, live_chat, community against Email, community
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other workflow automation tools we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. They split the criteria 3 each, with the rest level.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (6)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Activepieces
Zapier
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Activepieces
- Unlimited automation runs are included at no extra charge regardless of plan, making it cost-effective for high-volume teams.
- MIT-licensed open-source platform allows full self-hosting on Docker, Helm, or any cloud provider for maximum data control.
- 764 integrations cover a wide range of use cases with four trigger types including webhooks, scheduling, app events, and manual triggers.
- The AI agent builder includes a Human Approval step, making it suitable for workflows involving money or sensitive customer data.
- The drag-and-drop workflow builder works for non-technical users while still allowing developers to write custom logic steps.
- A pre-built agent library organized by team function lowers the barrier for teams that don't want to build automations from scratch.
- Strong community trust with 23,000+ GitHub stars and active Discord and forum communities supporting real-world use cases.
- Relatively young platform founded in 2022, which may raise concerns about long-term stability and enterprise maturity.
- Self-hosting adds infrastructure overhead that smaller teams or non-technical users may find difficult to manage.
- The AI agent builder is newer and less battle-tested compared to the core workflow automation features.
- Teams in non-regulated industries may not fully benefit from the self-hosting advantage that drives much of the platform's appeal.
- The breadth of features may create a steeper learning curve for teams looking for a simple plug-and-play automation tool.
- Community-dependent support model may not satisfy teams that require dedicated enterprise-level customer service.
Zapier
- Zapier integrates with over 9,000 apps, making it one of the largest integration libraries available on any automation platform.
- The visual workflow builder supports logic branches, conditional paths, and AI processing steps without requiring any coding knowledge.
- A built-in Code step supports JavaScript and Python, giving technical users more flexibility without needing a separate tool.
- The platform has expanded well beyond basic automation, now including AI agents, chatbots, native data tables, form tools, and a canvas builder.
- With 8 million users and over a decade of development since 2011, the platform is mature, stable, and extensively documented.
- Zapier handles simple trigger-and-action workflows extremely well, making it accessible for non-technical users automating everyday tasks.
- Users tend to stay not out of satisfaction but because rebuilding existing workflows on another platform is too costly and time-consuming.
- Most users only use a small fraction of available features, meaning they are effectively paying for capabilities they never touch.
- The platform has grown so large in surface area that pricing becomes difficult to justify for users with basic automation needs.
- Competitors like Make, n8n, Workato, and Microsoft Power Automate have eroded Zapier's near-monopoly in the no-code automation space.
- The gap between what Zapier has built and where most of its users actually operate suggests the product may be overbuilt for its average customer.
- Advanced features like AI agents and MCP connectivity may exist more on paper than in widespread, reliable real-world use based on community feedback.
Activepieces vs Zapier: common questions
Which is better, Activepieces or Zapier?
Zapier scores 8.0 and Activepieces 7.8 out of 10 among the workflow automation tools we rate. Zapier is ahead on aI agents, apps it connects to and support. Activepieces is ahead on pricing, reliability and control and hosting and security.
Is Activepieces or Zapier cheaper?
Activepieces's cheapest paid plan is $20/mo and Zapier's is $29.99/mo. Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Activepieces and Zapier have a free plan?
Yes, both do.
