Workato is a low-code integration platform as a service (IPaaS) that’s geared toward enterprise automation needs, while Zapier has over 7,000 integrations and is easy to use. Lindy, however, saves you time by automating tasks like sending emails and managing your sales funnel.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- A quick comparison table to show the differences between Workato vs. Zapier vs. Lindy.
- An in-depth look at each platform, its features, and pricing plans.
- How to pick the right platform for your needs
- Some FAQs
- Why Lindy.ai is the clear winner
Workato vs. Zapier vs. Lindy: A brief overview
Workato review
Workato is an enterprise-level automation platform. It’s a low-code platform that gives you coding-based customization but blends no-code components like a drag-and-drop editor.
Features
- If you need an automation platform for your medical business, Workato fits the mold, as it’s HIPAA-compliant. The platform can safely, securely, and legally transfer and store sensitive patient information.
- Workato is available both on-prem, making it an excellent choice for enterprises that prefer to run applications on their own servers.
- With its machine-learning-powered Genie AI feature, Workato can optimize tedious enterprise workflows. Genie proactively suggests automation opportunities based on historical data and system behaviors, enabling predictive analytics that provide personalized recommendations for workflow improvements.
Potential drawbacks
Workato doesn’t offer a free plan, so you’ll only have a limited free trial, and those with busy schedules could miss certain functions.
Because it’s a low-code automation platform, you (or the folks on your team using it) will need to bring some technical experience, such as knowledge of JavaScript logic and how APIs work.
It goes without saying that Workato’s pricing will probably exceed the $1,000s/month, as it’s an enterprise-focused platform that doesn’t publish pricing.
Pricing
Workato pricing isn’t publicly available, so you’ll need to contact their sales department to find out how much Workato costs for your team.
Ideal Users
Workato is designed for large organizations seeking a customizable integration and automation solution that balances advanced functionality with user-friendly features. It is particularly well-suited for businesses that require seamless connectivity between several diverse applications.
Zapier
Zapier is one of the most widely used automation platforms, allowing users to connect different apps using simple workflows called zaps. These zaps trigger actions or data transfers automatically when specific tasks or events occur.
Features
- Zapier is one of the most robust automations platforms on the market, as it connects with more than 7,000 third-party apps, enabling you to automate a wide range of workflows, tasks, and data transfers.
- You’ll be able to build customized workflows that fit the unique functionality needs of your processes. Build multi-steps that pull info from a third-party platform, then configure it as needed, and transfer this data to another system.
- The platform now provides AI-powered features with 3 core functions: Canvas for visually designing and executing workflows, Agents that retrieve data from connected third-party apps, and embeddable chatbots that offer on-site customer support.
Potential Drawbacks
Additionally, although Zapier offers new AI-agent creating features, it doesn’t allow you to pick a large-language model (LLM). It could cause problems if you’re creating agents that execute high-level reasoning tasks.
For instance, guiding customers through complex processes might require an LLM like ChatGPT-1o or a deep research model.
Pricing
For $19.99/month, Zapier provides 750 automated tasks with email support if you hit any snags. The $69/month option is good for teams, as it allows up to 25 users and a total of 2,000 automations.
Ideal users
Zapier is best suited for those who rely on a vast ecosystem of integrations: Natively connecting with over 7,000 platforms, it’s a perfect tool for streamlining task execution and data management across various tools.
If you’re one of those folks who wants a guided, step-by-step interface to build your automations, you’ll feel right at home. Additionally, Zapier’s AI-powered features can bolster your productivity and offer helpful tools like AI chatbots while allowing for hands-on, rule-based customization of each automation.
Lindy
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Lindy is an AI automation platform that allows anyone to build their own custom AI agents (called Lindies) with a no-code drag-and-drop interface. Your agents can automate workflows between third-party applications and complete tasks like scheduling meetings, performing web research, inbound/outbound calling, and other tasks.
Features
- Lindy’s third-party application integrations are built to rival Zapier’s: With over +2,500 integrations and +5,000 new actions through Pipedream and connects to +4,000 web scrapers with Apify, you can create automations and transfer data between the apps you use.
- Want to use a simple large language model (LLM), like Gemini, to gather information about leads? Or perhaps you want something with more oomph, like ChatGPT o1, so your chatbot can answer those tricky customer questions flawlessly. Rest assured, Lindy lets you choose from about a dozen different LLMs.
- You can complete 100s of tasks at once with Agent Swarms using the looping feature. For example, you can set up an agent to deliver a daily report about each person you’ll have a meeting with, including a summary of your communications and LinkedIn links.
Potential drawbacks
Although building and editing one or two-step Lindies from scratch is simple, creating complex, multi-step processes takes a bit of getting used to.
Pricing
Try out Lindy’s free plan, which allows you to execute up to 400 AI-powered tasks. Plans start at $49.99/month for up to 5,000 tasks.
Ideal users
Lindy is a solid automation platform for nearly any kind of business — it has plans that work for entrepreneurs and enterprises alike. The no-code workflow format makes Lindy a good choice for businesses in various industries.
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Which should you choose?
Now that you’ve got a clear sense of how these platforms differ, let’s explore specific use cases to help you decide when to choose each.
Choose Workato if:
- You’re an enterprise: Workato is built to meet the complex needs of medium-to-large enterprises, offering scalability and robust integration capabilities. It supports over 1,000 pre-built connectors for enterprise applications like Salesforce, SAP, and Workday. Enterprises benefit from Workato's ability to handle high data volumes and complex workflows without compromising performance.
- You need a low-code platform: Workato’s low-code interface allows you to patch in your own code or configure APIs, giving you more customization power than other no-code platforms would offer.
Choose Zapier if:
- You want simple automations: Zapier is catered to users seeking straightforward automation without the need for coding expertise. Its intuitive interface allows you to create workflows and automate tasks. It also has pre-built templates for quickly setting up automations like transferring email attachments to cloud storage or adding new CRM leads from form submissions.
- You work with tons of apps and need to streamline them: Zapier supports integrations with over 7,000 apps, including popular tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Salesforce, and Trello. This makes it ideal if you’re juggling multiple platforms — you can ensure seamless data flow and coordination across your tech stack by linking apps together.
- A chatbot-style building interface is ideal: It’s like a virtual coach that simplifies automation creation by guiding you through each step.
Choose Lindy if:
- You need integrations and AI-first automations: Lindy’s not too far behind Zapier, with over 5,000 integrations. However, unlike traditional automation platforms, Lindy’s AI agents can perform complex tasks such as web scraping, lead qualification, and data analysis.
- You prefer visual no-code automation building: Lindy’s drag-and-drop interface allows you to create custom workflows without any programming knowledge. Whether you’re automating meeting scheduling or building a chatbot for customer support, the platform simplifies the process with pre-built templates and an intuitive design.
- You have many use cases for AI: Lindy excels across various industries like healthcare, sales, and e-commerce. Build AI agents that manage tasks like contract analysis, customer support triage, or extracting insights from large datasets. For example, Lindy can automatically update CRM records after sales calls or flag inconsistencies in financial documents.
- You just want cost-effective automation: Lindy offers competitive pricing at $49/month for up to 5,000 tasks, making it more affordable than many alternatives. Its free plan provides up to 400 monthly tasks, so you can get a good taste of it before committing. Additionally, its credit-based pricing model ensures scalability for businesses of all sizes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build an automation for my medical practice?
Yes, but you’ll need to ensure that your automation builder is HIPAA-compliant. Only Lindy and Workato are HIPAA-compliant platforms, which means they can legally store and transfer sensitive medical information.
Which platform is the cheapest?
At $19.99/month, Zapier is the cheapest platform, but it only allows for 750 automations monthly. A more cost-effective solution could be Lindy, at $49.99/month, which provides up to 5,000 AI-powered automations.
Which platform is the best for small to medium businesses?
Small and medium-sized businesses will likely find the Workato enterprise pricing over budget. Although both Zapier and Lindy have more friendly pricing, Lindy offers more in terms of AI-first automation, as it can reply to emails, handle voice calls, conduct research and write summaries, and much more.
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Lindy: More affordable than Zapier and easier-to-use than Workato
Still considering who to choose between Workato vs. Zapier vs. Lindy? Here are a few reasons why Lindy is your best choice:
- Create with templates: Lindy lets you create AI agents by choosing a template from its vast Lindy’s vast library. And if you want to learn the platform properly, you can also refer to the Lindy Academy to know all the ins and outs.
- AI agents customized to your needs: You can make versatile AI agents that understand plain English and accelerate your productivity in many ways. For instance, create a Lindy that bolsters your sales funnel by finding leads from websites and business intelligence sources like People Data Labs. Then, make a Lindy that sends out emails to each lead and schedules meetings with members of your sales team.
- Affordability: Build your first few automations with Lindy’s free version and get up to 400 tasks. With the Pro plan, you can automate up to 5,000 tasks, which offers much more value than Lindy’s competitors — and if you need more automations, get up to 1,000 extra for an additional $10.
Want to free up more time with a highly capable AI platform? Try Lindy for free.
