As an automation expert and someone who loves SaaS products, I decided to collect all the automation tools that I find useful. To me, it used to be just Zapier and Make.com, but with generative AI becoming more and more accessible, AI-focused automation tools are becoming popular, and it feels like there are more automation tools than ever.
Make.com (or simply Make), previously called Integromat, is my absolute favorite automation tool. Although not completely no code (knowing JSON and how to work with a database 10x your efficiency), there's nothing you can't do with Make. Make is often compared to Zapier, but the difference is big. While Zapier is for people relatively new to automation, many industry experts rely on Make because of its versatility. To me, Make became the most versatile and flexible platform by simplifying the tool itself. They don't bother explaining every little detail and how exactly use everything. Instead, they provide us with the simple but right interface that lets us connect to any API without adding fluffs.
Also, there's one thing you cannot not talk about when it comes to Make: pricing. Make is incredibly cheap. I used to be a Zapier user, but Zapier can be very expensive for people building complex automation workflows. So, I turned to Make and never looked back. I really don't know what to do without Make!
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One of the things I love about Make is that it lets you build custom APIs (technically a webhook). Let me show you something I made. It's called 'Audio Guide Anywhere'. What it basically does is it generates an audio guide of any place you like. The below scenario takes a location name as an input via webhook, then performs web browsing via a tool called Tavily, then based on the retrieved context, and creates an audio guide but in the form of text, then it generates an audio file of the audio guide, and finally, returns the audio file as a response. This can be invoked from anywhere, not just from another Make scenario, but anywhere. This isn't something you can do with other automation tools.
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Sign up for Make.com here.
Relevance AI is like Zapier, but more focused on AI (similar to AirOps and StackAI, which I'll talk about later in this post). I think Relevance AI was the first tool that allowed building of AI workflows and use them as an API, which made building with AI much more accessible for people without coding experience. All you had to do was build an API and hand it to a developer, which felt revolutionary in the mid 2023, though now you can do something similar with AirOps and StackAI.
As far as I know, Relevance AI was also the first tool that allowed storing of knowledge and perform vector search against it within a workflow, which was a real plus for me. I believe I was one of their early users and back in mid-2023 I did notice some bugs, and they kept making changes that were supposed to add value but felt unnecessary or ended up causing more issues. As I mentioned, I was using Relevance AI for my client work around mid-2023, and dealing with those issues repeatedly got a bit frustrating, so I decided to let it go. Fast forward to the end of 2024, and I think they've become a lot more stable and reliable, so I’d definitely recommend it now. Plus, it’s a great way to get a glimpse of where automation and AI agents are headed. They were super quick at pushing AI agents!
Sign up for Relevance AI here.
AirOps is similar to Relevance AI in that it focuses on automation tools with an AI twist, but the UI feels more like Make or a whiteboard tool like Miro or Figma, rather than Zapier or Relevance AI kind of linear approach. AirOps is a solid platform. You can build AI workflows, push them as APIs, store knowledge, do vector searches, and a lot more. You can even create a mini PoC app that your team members or client can use to test your workflow, and it supports streaming (streaming is basically the way ChatGPT generates text), so that's definitely a plus. You can create something similar with Relevance AI, but I don't think they support streaming.
I once contacted support because I was having trouble inputting text in Japanese, and the support person even added a Japanese keyboard to her computer to try and help me. I was so grateful they did that especially when the team must have been small. Another big plus for me is the knowledge store's direct connection with Google Sheets. All you have to do is add a Google Sheets URL and share permission with AirOps, and it automatically creates a vector database.
The pricing, though, is a bit confusing. They have fixed subscription plans, but if you go over the limit, they automatically charge you. I was using AirOps for a project, and it ended up costing me over $15,000, regardless of the plan I was on. I’m sure they clarify that somewhere, but I think more transparency before charging or a complete pricing overhaul would be helpful.
StackAI is a solid generative AI platform that makes your organization smarter. It has an easy drag-and-drop interface, so you can build and deploy AI solutions without needing to code—kind of like AirOps. If you want full control over your data, you can self-host StackAI on your own servers (like you can with n8n, which I'll mention later). At first glance, StackAI isn't too different from AirOps, but they put a lot of emphasis on security. I hope that one day companies with strict security needs stop using Power Automate and turn to tools like StackAI because we all know how frustrating Power Automate can be... StackAI offers enterprise-level security with compliance standards like SOC2, HIPAA, and GDPR, keeping your data safe. So basically, StackAI makes AI easy while keeping everything secure and in your control. I'd say great positioning!
n8n is an open-source automation tool that's all about flexibility—not really focused on AI like Relevance AI, AirOps, or StackAI. It's more like Zapier or Make, but with some key differences. One cool thing is that it lets you build with LangChain (might still be in beta), so it's definitely worth checking out. Unlike Zapier and Make, n8n lets you host your automation on your own server, which means you get full control over your data. I think that's how they position themselves against big players like Zapier. Zapier talks about "bank-level security," but you can't self-host it. n8n's community is definitely smaller than Zapier's and even Make's, but it's growing. I think n8n is perfect for tech-savvy users who want maximum customization.
n8n has been around for a while, just like Zapier and Make, but I've noticed more people starting to try it out lately (especially on LinkedIn). One of my friends who's been using Make said he started playing around with n8n specifically because of the self-host feature.
Bardeen is a Chrome extension-based automation tool. It doesn't support a lot of integrations or API endpoints, so I wouldn't recommend it for serious automation work. But what sets Bardeen apart is how they position themselves as a tool. It doesn't simply let you connect numerous APIs. Instead, it focuses on web scraping (especially for lead generation like LinkedIn scraping) and sales automation. You could technically do these things with Zapier and Make (building a web scraper with Make is actually really fun!), but you'd need to set up your zaps or scenarios from scratch. That's where Bardeen really stands out. So, I'd say if you're new to automation and want to explore sales automation or web scraping for marketing research or lead generation, Bardeen is a solid place to start. Plus, it has a sleek design, and their authentication flow is better executed than any other automation tool I've used.
BuildShip is more of a low-code tool than a full no-code solution. It's a newer platform, and probably not the best fit for total beginners. But if you're an automation expert or a developer looking to build APIs, schedule tasks, or automate backend jobs, BuildShip can be your best friend. I think they take scalability very seriously. It might be just me but Zapier returns errors and don't explain in detail what happened and you are kind of cooked at that point. BuildShip is designed to mix the simplicity of no-code with the flexibility of coding with scalability in mind, letting you create what you need without getting bogged down by cloud platforms like AWS or GCP.
You might think Retool is just for building internal dashboards, but not anymore with their Workflows feature. Setting up APIs in Retool is more like how a developer would do it and not as straightforward as Zapier, but the ability to run JavaScript and Python within workflows is pretty amazing (You can also run Javascript and Python in Pipedream which I'll cover later in this post). Plus, if you create a webhook, you can trigger it from other tools like Zapier or Make, which is pretty exciting.
Retool also supports vector databases, similar to Relevance AI, AirOps, and StackAI, allowing for vector search capabilities. This is a big deal since Zapier doesn't have much in terms of vector search, and Make doesn't support it natively (unless you connect an API for it). I often pass an input from Make to Retool, perform vector searches in Retool, and then send the response back to Make for additional actions.
Pricing-wise, Retool Workflows is pretty reasonable. The free plan gives you 500 workflow runs per month, and the best part is that workflow steps are unlimited on the free plan. Imagine building a Make scenario or Zapier Zap with 50 steps. It could get really expensive depending on how often you run it. Retool Workflows could definitely be an option depending on your use case. Just keep in mind that Retool Workflows isn't exactly a no-code experience!
I love Airtable because it's such a great alternative to Google Sheets. At its core, it's a database. Google Sheets can work for simple automation, but it’s super easy for things to break since it uses number and letter-based cell references. Airtable, on the other hand, uses record IDs and column names, which makes it way more reliable for automation. You can also set up automations and create interfaces for your data in Airtable. My tip is to learn Make and use it to automate Airtable. You're basically calling API endpoints from different tools like Airtable or Make, so it's the same thing, just from different spots. If you're getting into automation, I wouldn't rely too much on Airtable's built-in automation features. Instead, learn Make (or start with Zapier if Make feels a bit too much) and automate from there.
Here comes the most popular automation tool out there! If you're looking to get started with automation but aren't sure where to begin, go with Zapier. Its popularity comes from how they magically make API calls feel like a breeze. I used to use Zapier, but honestly, it’s pretty pricey, especially if you look at Make. That's what most automation experts agree on, and that’s one of the reasons why many of us move away from Zapier.
Also, I remember hitting some limitations when I was still a Zapier user. One time, one same error occurred several times (for client work!) and the Zap log didn't give me clear answer so I contacted the support, only to be told to set up the part of the Zap again. I also stumbled upon a case where I was told that the text I was handling in a Zap was too large (was it though?). This was 2023 and I'm sure a lot has changed. They might have added better error handling features, so that kind of error might be avoidable now.
So, anyway, if you want to become an automation expert, go with Make. But if you're just starting out and Make feels a bit overwhelming, or if you want your entire team to learn automation and boost productivity, Zapier should probably be your choice.
If I'm correct, Relay is also fairly new tool like BuildShip. I've tried it once. It's just like Zapier. You get to build a bunch of steps, but I don't think Relay has many integrations or endpoints available, so I were to pick Relay or Zapier, I would go with Zapier. However, there's one thing that Relay does better than any other automation tool: "human-in-the-loop" automations. The concept of "human-in-the-loop" is basically that we should be able to add approval steps within a workflow. Let's say, for example, we have an OpenAI text generation step that might generate text that we do not want. Without an approval step, that text can be on your blog or email depending on your workflow. And we don't want that. That's what you can easily take care of with Relay. You can build this "human-in-the-loop" automations with other tools like Make, you'd have to set up multiple scenarios and use webhooks, which can be a bit complicated especially for beginners. So, if you are working with a company that takes "human-in-the-loop" seriously, Relay is your best bet!
Pipedream isn't exactly new. It's been around for a while, just like Zapier and Make. The interface looks a lot like Zapier, but what makes Pipedream different is the ability to set up code steps using JavaScript or Python. Sure, Zapier has a 'Code by Zapier' step, but I think Pipedream was the first to combine code and no code in the context of automation.
Clay is an automation tool that many people are starting to talk about right now. It's getting huge attention in the B2B sales sector. It's an awesome tool for lead generation and outreach. Clay consists a table UI that gets magically filled with leads that meet your criteria with enriched information about them, and also a whiteboard kind of UI where you configure automation. You configure what you want to do with the collected leads there. In June 2024, Clay raised $62M at a $500M valuation, so that tells you there's something big going on here.
I think Clay is the hottest automation tool of 2024. If you want to get into automation, this is where I would dive in.
WhaleSync isn't a conventional automation tool like Make or Zapier. What WhaleSync does is it syncs data between apps like Airtable, Webflow, and Notion. Syncing sounds easy, but if you are using Make for example, not only do you have to think about sending data from one side to the other, but you also have to think about sending data from the other side, or deleting something on one side and do the same on the other. It's not as simple as we imagine. And that's where WhaleSync comes in. It takes care of all these cumbersome setups. Highly recommended.
I think I was one of their early users, and asked a question to one of the founders (I think) if the product has this certain feature I was looking for. They didn't have that feature yet, but he said they were working on it and said he would give me an update once it's live. Time goes by, and I almost forgot about asking the question. One day I get an email from him about the release of the feature. Given this experience, even though I have never contacted the support team, I'm sure they are very very helpful.
Axiom.ai is a browser automation tool. It’s perfect for things like scraping data from websites or automating form submissions. However proficient you are in Make or Zapier, there's not native solution to form submissions. And sometimes you do need to secretly do things like that. So, that's what Axiom is for.
I think Gumloop is a fairly new automation tool. I had never really felt interested because everything you can do with it seems doable in Make. It also didn't seem cheap enough to even try. That is until they released a chrome extension for browser automation. I saw their webinar doing demo of this feature, and it was quite impressing. We'll definitely be hearing more of them in the coming years.
Voiceflow is a chatbot builder. But if you look at its whiteboard-like build screen, you will probably agree with me calling it an automation tool. I think it used to consist of a bunch of NLP-based nodes, but as all these AI models are being released, you are now able to do a lot more. A LOT MORE. You can let AI create an answer to a user question. You can store some data as knowledge and perform vector search against it (often used to build AI chatbots). You can also make an API call from the chat flow, so really, sky's the limit. You can invoke a Make scenario from a Voiceflow chat, do some web scraping, then generate text based on the scraped data, and return it to Voiceflow. It's just an example. You can do so much more.
That was quite a long list, but each of these tools can be useful depending on your needs and use cases. Let me know if there's anything I missed!
All templates built by Hideyuki Shibata, an automation expert.