Best Zapier alternatives in 2026
Make, n8n, Power Automate, IFTTT and Activepieces all connect apps the way Zapier does. They differ in what they meter, what is free and whether you can self-host. Operelio does one job: lead lists into your CRM.
By Operelio teamUpdated October 8, 2026Prices checked October 8, 2026
How we compared: built from each tool's own site, pricing page and docs, checked October 8, 2026.
Quick picks
| Tool | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Make | Visual multi-step scenarios priced by credits | Free for 1,000 credits a month; paid plans priced by credits |
| n8n | Technical teams who want to self-host | Free self-hosted; cloud from €20 a month billed yearly |
| Microsoft Power Automate | Teams already working in Microsoft 365 | From $15 per user a month billed yearly, or try it for 30 days |
| IFTTT | Simple personal automations | Free for 2 Applets; Pro from $2.99 a month billed yearly |
| Activepieces | Teams that want runs priced flat | Free for 1,000 credits a month; Plus $20 a month |
| Operelio | Lead lists that need cleaning before the CRM | Free: 15 of 17 tools; trails from $39 a month billed monthly |
How to choose
What starts a run
An event in another app, a schedule, a webhook or a file arriving. Check that the trigger you need exists for your apps.
How it is metered
Zapier counts tasks, Make credits, n8n executions, Activepieces runs and IFTTT Applets. Price a full month of your real volume, not one test run.
Free plan limits
Most free plans cap tasks or credits a month; some cap steps. IFTTT's Free allows 2 Applets in total, with unlimited runs. Power Automate has a 30-day trial.
Self-hosting
n8n and Activepieces each have a free edition you can run on your own servers. Your data stays in-house, and the upkeep is yours.
Data jobs
Moving rows between apps is one job; cleaning and checking them on the way is another. See whether dedupe and verification come built in or are steps you build.
The tools
1. Make
Best for: Visual multi-step scenarios priced by credits
Builds scenarios from app modules. For non-AI apps, each operation a module runs uses one credit; AI modules can use more. Paid plans are Core, Pro and Teams, each sold in tiers by number of credits.
- Price
- Free for 1,000 credits a month; paid plans priced by credits
- Keep in mind
- Credits count per module operation, so a long scenario run over many records adds up.
2. n8n
Best for: Technical teams who want to self-host
Cloud plans are priced by workflow executions: a run from start to finish counts once, however many steps it has. Starter includes 2,500 executions a month. Every cloud plan includes every integration and code steps in JavaScript or Python.
- Price
- Free self-hosted; cloud from €20 a month billed yearly
- Keep in mind
- The free Community edition runs on your own servers, so updates and monitoring are yours.
3. Microsoft Power Automate
Best for: Teams already working in Microsoft 365
Cloud flows across more than 1,000 connectors, with native use in Teams, Excel and SharePoint. Desktop flows automate apps with no API by working their screens, attended on Premium or unattended with a $150-a-month bot license billed yearly.
- Price
- From $15 per user a month billed yearly, or try it for 30 days
- Keep in mind
- The trial covers standard connectors only; premium and custom connectors need Premium.
4. IFTTT
Best for: Simple personal automations
Free includes 2 Applets with unlimited runs. Pro adds multi-action Applets and webhooks for 20 Applets; Pro+, $8.99 a month, adds unlimited Applets, queries and filter code.
- Price
- Free for 2 Applets; Pro from $2.99 a month billed yearly
- Keep in mind
- Multiple actions start on Pro, and filter code on Pro+.
5. Activepieces
Best for: Teams that want runs priced flat
A run uses one credit however many steps it has; AI steps use 2 to 20 credits unless you bring your own AI keys on Plus and up. The Community Edition can be self-hosted for free.
- Price
- Free for 1,000 credits a month; Plus $20 a month
- Keep in mind
- On Free, runs past the credit quota wait until credits refresh.
6. Operelio
Our toolBest for: Lead lists that need cleaning before the CRM
Not a general app-to-app tool. A trail takes each lead file by upload, email or API (Pro and up), dedupes it, verifies emails, filters it to your ICP and checks it against HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive before the push, on arrival or on a schedule.
- Price
- Free: 15 of 17 tools; trails from $39 a month billed monthly
- Keep in mind
- No live app triggers, and no actions in apps other than your CRM.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Zapier alternatives?
It depends on the job. Make and n8n build multi-step workflows, priced by credits and by executions. Power Automate fits teams on Microsoft 365, IFTTT simple personal automations, and Activepieces teams that want each run priced flat. n8n and Activepieces can also be self-hosted.
Are there free Zapier alternatives?
Yes. Make and Activepieces each have a free plan with 1,000 credits a month, IFTTT's free plan runs 2 Applets, and n8n's Community edition is free on your own servers. Zapier's own free plan includes 100 tasks a month with two-step Zaps.
When is Zapier the wrong tool?
When every row of a big file has to pass through it. Zapier counts each successful action as a task, so 5,000 rows with one CRM action each use at least 5,000 tasks. A tool that takes the whole file in one run fits that job better.
Can I self-host a Zapier alternative?
Yes. n8n runs as its free Community edition on your own servers when no license key is added, and Activepieces' Community Edition is free to self-host. n8n's paid Business license adds SSO, and Activepieces' Team plan adds SSO and user roles.
More comparisons
Lead flow and routing
Head to head
- Operelio vs OpenpriseOpenprise is an enterprise data platform across Salesforce, marketing automation and a warehouse; Operelio combines lead flow, AI cleanup, 17 tools and CRM imports, self-serve.
- Operelio vs ZoomInfo OperationsZoomInfo Operations, formerly RingLead, routes, dedupes and enriches CRM data; Operelio cleans, verifies and routes each lead file into your CRM, with AI cleanup.
- Operelio vs LeadAngelLeadAngel routes leads and matches them to accounts inside Salesforce, HubSpot and Dynamics 365; Operelio cleans, verifies, routes and pushes new lists.
- Operelio vs ZapierZapier connects thousands of apps with live triggers; Operelio's trails clean, verify, filter and route a whole lead file into your CRM in one run.
- Operelio vs MakeMake is a visual builder for automations across many apps; Operelio's trails come ready to clean, verify, filter and route leads into your CRM.
- Operelio vs n8nn8n is a workflow builder you can self-host; Operelio's trails start from no-code templates and clean, verify and route lead files into your CRM.
- Operelio vs LeanDataLeanData routes records inside Salesforce with weights, caps and territories; Operelio works a step earlier, cleaning lead files and setting owners as it pushes them.
- Operelio vs Chili PiperChili Piper books meetings from web forms and routes Salesforce records; Operelio cleans and verifies lead files, checks them against your CRM and pushes them.
- Operelio vs DefaultDefault runs the inbound pipeline for Salesforce and HubSpot: forms, enrichment, routing and scheduling. Operelio cleans, verifies and routes leads that arrive as files.
- Operelio vs Distribution EngineDistribution Engine routes any record already in Salesforce by territory, skills and workload; Operelio cleans lead files and checks them against your CRM before pushing.
- Operelio vs HubSpot WorkflowsHubSpot Workflows rotate HubSpot records among reps on Professional plans; Operelio trails clean each lead list and can share its rows by round robin.
- Operelio vs LeadMoveLeadMove routes leads to the outside buyers who pay for them; Operelio cleans, verifies and routes leads to your own reps and CRM.
Further reading
Facts about other tools come from their own pricing pages and docs, checked October 2026.
Clean, route and import in one place
Trails for automated lead flow and routing, Bridgeant by Operelio for AI cleanup and a toolkit of 17 tools. CRM imports show you what will change before you push. Start free with 15 tools, no credit card needed.