Choosing the best tool for your automation needs is important, and we've broken down some of our favourite below. Whichever one you decide to go with, you can be sure you'll be on your way to improving your business operations in no time! Automation software can help a small business owner like yourself manage tasks and data with less time and energy. 

Choosing the best tool for your automation needs is important, and we've broken down some of our favourite below. Whichever one you decide to go with, you can be sure you'll be on your way to improving your business operations in no time!

Best Automation Tools

Basic Plan - Monthly

Basic Plan

Plus Plan - Monthly

Plus Plan

Pro Plan - Monthly

Pro-Plan

Basic

Plus

Integrately is automation software designed to create workflows with just one click. With over 200k integrations built-in, users can find their apps and create easy integrations within minutes.

There are plenty of automation software options on the market, but the problem is that many of them are too complex for novice users. Integrately is an integration software company that was founded in 2015 with headquarters in India. Their main focus is the ease of use of automation software with one-click options that don’t take much brainpower. Ideally, Integrately should be doing all of the work for you.

Currently, there are around 40k users of this software around the world, and it’s relatively user-friendly. This software does, however, have limitations compared to its larger competitors due to a smaller native integration library.

The biggest draw to Integrately is the promise of one-click automation with over 8million+ pre-built ideas in the software. All users should have to do is connect their apps, and begin clicking on automation templates to get down to business.

At this point integration software is essential when running a business, and Integrately is striving to make that as easy as possible, but are they doing a good job? Let’s jump into how Integrately works and what it can do as far as automation is concerned.

Integrately’s mission statement focuses on its one-click model. Simplifying automation down to one step is appealing to anybody looking to save time. The entire motto of Integrately is simplicity.

Integrately is trying to draw in the crowd of people who don’t have tech experience with their one-click automation feature. Ideally, you should be able to set up automation without using much mental energy. If you aren’t familiar with integration software, there will no doubt be a learning curve and it will take some time to figure it out.

So, the concept that Integrately has come up with will allow users to create automation, connect apps, and transfer data within seconds and only a few clicks. Integrately comes with 250k+ pre-made integrations that are ready to go for over 600 native integration applications. Since it’s no-code software, there shouldn’t be any roadblocks for users who aren’t experienced in tech.

It allows businesses to connect their suite of software tools together and create one stream of actions. Integrately uses similar terms to more popular automation software for the basic functions.

Automations are the automated workflows that will carry out all of those tedious tasks you no longer have time for. For example, you can set up simple automation to send you a message in slack when an email is sent to your Gmail account.

Triggers are the actions used in automation. So, when you set up an automation to send you a slack message, the trigger is when the email is received.

Tasks are the individual actions that automation completes for you. When you sign up for a paid plan with Integrately, each price tier will give you a certain allotment of tasks.

One of the biggest deciding factors in whether or not to use a company for automation is whether or not they have the applications you need in their native integrations. If the software is not integrated with what you need, then what would be the point of using it?

The Integrately website states that there are currently over 650+ native integrations. So, hopefully, you can find what you need. There’s no option to build in other applications at the moment.

As with all integration software, Integrately has premium apps that you can unlock depending on the type of plan you choose. Integrately does have webhooks, so you may be able to connect outside apps but since all of their automation is created for the apps they have it might not be helpful if you want to use the one-click features.

If you are using Integrately, and hit a roadblock due to a lacking in native integrations, you can also request new integrations. They may get enough of a response to work to add the application you are looking for.

As far as price is concerned, Integrately is pretty cheap to start, but plans can add up quickly. There is a free plan user can try to see if they want to use it. The base plan moves up to $19.99, and the highest plan is currently running around $299 a month.

The free plan will give you access to 5 automations to get you started. If you’re a sole proprietor or a small business, it should suffice. Compared to other companies like Zapier, the software is relatively affordable. If you’re using the free plan, you can increase the number of tasks you have by having friends sign up with your referral code, too.


As we mentioned before, Integrately is limited when it comes to native integrations, with no option for third-party. This is not great for enterprises that may have on-premise tools that need to be integrated.

The highest tier plan is their business plan, which does have as many features as possible, but still could be limiting as you continue to grow. So, Integrately is probably not ideal for an enterprise.

Integrately’s one-click automation promises should mean a simple-to-use interface. The first thing you’ll need to do when you’re ready to start using Integrately is to, well, integrate your apps so you can import data. Before setting up the program, be sure to map out what kind of tasks you want to have Integrately complete for you.

Setting up the free version of Integrately will only take about a minute. Once you’ve entered your information, you’re greeted with a simple dashboard. Here you will choose the apps you’d like to connect and start automation in a few clicks. Ideally, this should suffice for a small business or freelancer’s needs.

Once you choose your applications, you’ll be directed to the next step below, which is to choose your automation. Automations are the automated workflows inside of Integrately. Since this is no-code software, everything is broken down step-by-step for ease of use. This is one of the selling points that Integrately focuses on because a place that non-tech users can get stuck on is actually connecting the apps.

With Integrately, it just takes a few clicks. Some software makes you go into the application and do a few things in order for the integration to work, which can be frustrating and make people give up on the software. Integrately wants to eliminate this headache.

So, once you find your application such as Google Sheets, you click a few buttons and it will connect so you can start using the data. Again, there will be limitations to what you can do due to the simplicity of the platform.

After you choose integrations, the software will populate different automation workflows that are tailored to your choices. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, Integrately breaks it down even further and gives you the option to create your own. For example, if you are trying to do something a bit more complex, or uncommon, it will give you this option.

In this example, we chose Gmail, Google Sheets, and SMS. Integrately didn’t have anything premade for this since it’s a little strange, so it gives you ideas to create your own while still holding your hand. After you choose your actions, Integrately creates your automation as long as your applications are connected.

Once you connect your applications with your credentials, Integrately has a wizard that pops up to help you select the exact data you want to use. After the automation is created, you’ll be able to go in and customize it further from the simple “if this happens, then do this,” model.

While you can do some customization, Integrately doesn’t let you manipulate as much as a low-code software. This will cause limitations for people who have the experience to do so. Once you have your automation running, you can go in to start and stop them whenever you’d like.

The software’s one-click model makes it simple to use but again could create a lot of limitations for an advanced user even with filters. You cannot create very complex integrations with this type of software.

Integrately is designed to be simple, so it’s lacking in complexity. Yes, you can go in and manipulate automation to do a more complex task, but the no-code aspect is limited. It is intentionally simple and meant for people who do not want to dive into the world of coding.

One of the biggest pros when using Integrately for most users is that it’s strictly no-code. Modifications can be added to workflows without doing anything too complex, and it’s easy to figure out how to use with minimal training.

They have a very responsive customer support team that is there to help if you need anything, as well as a library of information available from the workspace. All of the paid plan options come with premium support, which means you’ll have priority and get solutions to any issues quickly.

Along with customer support, the help library goes in-depth and gives you plenty of information that should put you in the right direction. As a smaller automation software brand, the prices are affordable and you can do quite a bit with the free plan, as well.

Compared to competitors, Integrately is lacking when it comes to native integrations. Pair that with an inability to build custom integrations, and you’re left with a lot of limitations. Yes, most of the big names are there like Slack and Google Suite, but the larger your business gets or the more niche, you may not find what you’re looking for in Integrately.

There is also no mobile app, so you’re limited to desktop-only features for now, which can be a no-go for some businesses.

Integrately has an active blog on their website with regular contributions. There is a r/Integrately page that is not active, with only a few posts. Integrately also has an active Facebook page. As far as the community is concerned, there are not a lot of external links on their website for engagement with other users as you’d find with other automation software.

The partner ecosystem is also difficult to find. According to Partnerbase, Integrately has an active partnership with Kihbba. It also lists that Integrately has about 23 known partnerships. Integrately’s website does have a link to integrate your own SaaS with their program, and an option to embed automation to your own website.  

With the embed option, you can embed a widget into your application once you’re integrated with the platform. That way, your users can browse the automation templates that are available with your SaaS, and see what kind of things Integrately can do for them.

Overall, the idea of Integratelty is great. Simple software that anyone can use to create integrations with a few clicks seamlessly is going to draw in business owners that have been afraid of automation software in the past.

With this simplistic idea, however, come many limitations. For users who want to create complex workflows, it’s likely not possible with this software. Integrately strongly encourages the use of their premade automation templates, and you are only given the option to create your own with pairings that they don’t have them built for.

Integrately is probably not the best option for a large-scale enterprise. You aren’t going to get the same type of security and efficiency that you’ll get with programs like Workato that are designed for institutions with sensitive data. This software is best used by small businesses that may not have the budget for bigger-name automation programs just yet.

 If you want software you can set up easy automation within a minute, give it a shot and see if it works for you. If you want to do anything that’s even one step more complex, maybe skip this software and go with something like Zapier or Make.

What is Integrately, how does it work, and what can you do with it?

Connect My SaaS - Integrately Overview

From tasks and workflows to apps and systems, build and automate anything in one powerful visual platform. Make allows you to visually create, build, and automate workflows that are limited only by your imagination. Anyone can use Make to design powerful workflows without relying on developer tools.

Make is the current evolution of Integromat. Integromat referred to themselves as ‘the glue of the internet,’ and with good reason. Make, or formerly Integromat is the cream of the crop when it comes to automation software. This is the new flagship brand of the company, and it’s taking everything great about Integromat and making it even better.

Integromat has long been a staple in the internet community for automation purposes. At this point, it’s almost impossible to run a business without some type of automation. Everyone is conducting business online with eCommerce, and no one has the time to sit there and constantly be managing their data. Tools like Make are there to help you complete tedious tasks like shooting off emails and tracking customer data in spreadsheets. It’s wild how much software can do for you, and you won’t even need to hire a real-life assistant.

Make is a software tool that helps users automate manual processes and manage their data without having to learn to code. This is especially beneficial for businesses that don’t have the budget for a tech team. Make is considered no-code automation software which means that you don’t need to be a web developer in order to use it. In fact, Make intends to go beyond no-code integration and making it as user friendly as possible.

Make is not only an automation platform, but a place to build ecommerce apps, custom CRMs to automating entire end to end business processes. The goal is that people from all backgrounds and expertise can use the platform with ease. Make wants to be accessible to everyone from the freelancer to the big guys at Fortune 500 companies.

The idea is that Make users aren’t users, they’re "Makers", hence the new name. So, from integromat which was certainly one of the best automation platforms on the market, we now have Make. Let’s get into it, and understand what Make is. 

Make’s mission is to empower people to visually create, build and automate at the speed of their ideas. The platform is more than just integration and automation. They state on their website that Make realized their users are not users, they’re Makers. The no-code functionality of Make allows the ‘Makers’ of all experience backgrounds to build, automat and create.

Their mission means they’re creating a visual language that Makes the process of building this type of software accessible to everybody. It’s all in the name. Make is easy to say, type, and read. Nothing that Make is doing is meant to gate keep from those who aren’t involved in the tech universe. This type of programming should be available to everybody, regardless of skill-level.

They also Make tools available to those who want to learn even further. With the switch over to Make, users are encouraged to keep learning and using the software at any level they’re at.

Simply put, Make works by creating an interface that can be used without any coding. Since Make doesn’t require users to use code, it utilizes software API, which means application program interface. An API is what software providers give to the developers so that they can access the data inside the applications. Instead of needing code, Make turns APIs into simple image blocks that can be connected with a simple drag and drop tool.

So, once the API’s are turned into a simpler format for users, or Makers, to use they can be moved around and manipulated to create automation. Make will run automatically after you set it up, so you have time and energy to do other things while Make does your tedious tasks for you.With Make, you will have live-stream access to all of your automations

Automation software works in a simple way. If one thing happens, then another thing does. Of course, it can get much more complex than that but the simple version is a good place for those who don’t have much experience to start with.

To use Make, you need to understand a few terms that are used within the software.

Modules are where you will create your automations inside of Make. The most common modules are action modules, which will Make up scenarios.  

Triggers are where you begin in Make. This is how you define the condition that must be met in order to carry our you automation. A simple trigger could be when you receive an email, or create a new row in Google Sheets.

An action is the most common type of module that you’ll find inside of Make. Typically, they will be a single action bundle that moves into the different modules for processing. They can be placed almost anywhere in the scenario.

A scenario is what Make calls an automation. When you start using Make, you’ll be building scenarios to begin your workflow.

With Make, you can connect pretty much anything to the software. Currently, Make has around 1000 native integrations and they have all of the big names such as Google Suite, Slack, Facebook, Discord, and so on. You can browse the database of native integrations Make.com here, or use our Application Finder to help you find the right kind of app for your business needs. They are separated into categories by type of business, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.

While Make has only around 1000 integrations, they do it incredibly well. You can do so much with the integrations, and it all works pretty seamlessly.

If there are integrations you’re looking for, don’t worry, Make will let you connect to any app you need to. The best part is, you don’t even need to be a developer in order to use it. Make’s no-code tool kit is designed for any users to be able to connect any HTTP app or an app with an API with no coding experience necessary. 

Below you can find some applications that work very well with Make. Click on one of the apps to find out more.

Make’s mission is to cater to all types of businesses from tiny ones starting off in a basement all the way up to Fortune 500 enterprises. So, that means they have a very expansive list of pricing options and plans. There’s even a free version to get you started. Here are the current plans as of May 2022:

As with any automation software, plan prices are subject to change. To get enterprise options, you’ll need to contact the sales team. As you can see, for being such a top tier software platform, the prices are still reasonable. You can check out the details of the plans

With Make's generous free plan, you can start using the service immediately! Before you buy the software, you can build and test your scenarios. When you're just getting started with automation, Make's Free tier is an excellent place to start.

With Make's enterprise plan you get the benefit of  Access to enterprise apps,  security compliance support and customer support. You also get access to company single sign-on (SSO) access control, Operations overage protection and Two-factor authentication.

The last plan, which is aimed at medium-large businesses, allows you to completely experience everything Make has to offer, providing you with the following features in addition to everything you get on the lower tiers:

Information security compliance support (ISO 27001, SOC 2)

Company single sign-on (SSO) access control

If you are a current Integromat user, you’ll be able to upgrade your account to Make very easily. If you’re just starting out and want to try Make, you can create a free account within minutes to try it out. All you’ll need to do is verify your email and you can get to creating simple automation and managing your data. If you are starting a new Make account, you’ll be  greeted with this screen.

Make wil take you through an introductory process to Make sure you know how to get around within the platform. Then you’ll begin to create your first scenario, which is an automation.

The My Organization page is where you can keep track of all your active scenarios. Depending on what plan you have, you’ll be able to see how much of each feature you have left. For example, you can see in the image above that with the free plan you can have two active scenarios at a time. To create a scenario, you’ll simply click create a scenario at the top right corner of the Organization page.

Creating a scenario in Make is very simple. When it’s time to begin, you can’t miss the gigantic purple plus sign in the middle of the screen.

It’s super simple to use, and you’ll be able to type in the name of the integration you’d like to use. If you haven’t connected your integrations yet, no problem. You can do it right from this screen.

As you connect your integrations, you’re well on your way to creating a scenario. It only takes a few seconds to connect to your data, and you can begin picking and choosing what you want in your scenario.

If you want to start creating more, you can connect more integrations, and use routers for multiple events. You can play around with it to see what you want to do and get a feel for the software.

If creating your own scenarios seems like too much work, or you simply don’t have the time, Make also has plenty of templates to choose from. When you go to the template tab, you can browse through pre-built scenarios for native integrations.

Make does a great job of explaining how the scenario will work, so users of all experience levels can use them with ease.

Other parts of the interface include the Webhooks tab, where you can create integrations for apps that aren’t native to Make. There’s also a connections tab where you can keep track of accounts and integrations into the system.

When you start adding team members, you can use the My Team page to manage your data as well. Make gives you a lot of tools even in the free version that go far beyond just making simple automation scenarios.

Along with the main tabs, you can track your data and view data structures the more you dive into the platform. Overall, it’s a very easy to use interface, and you should be able to create simple automations within a few minutes of signing up for the free version.

Make is complex and simple at the same time. Users are greeted with a very pleasant interface that has a lot going on, but everyone is spelled out for you. All tasks have a place, and even if you might not know how to do something at first, if you click around long enough you will probably figure it out. It’s a very intuitive software for learners of all levels.

As far as creating automations, you can create simple scenarios, or Make them as complex as you’d like. The router option allows you to direct one integration to several different ones with different triggers. There is so much you can do inside of the software to Make your life easier.

Unlike some other automation software platforms, Make loves using color. Everything is bright and bubbly, which Makes for a pleasant experience. It’s hard to be stressed when you’re looking at lovely bubbles on a screen that are going to do your work for you.

It has a modern look to it, and with the rebrand to Make, the colors have changed to include purples and other colors, which give the platform a fresh look.

Having looked at Make's functionality, pricing and automation capabilities, it's time to weight up the pros and cons of using Make as your Automation tool of choice. 

Make is evolved from Integromat which is one of the top-rated integration softwares on the market, so it’s going to have some pros. The interface is very user-friendly, and being no-code doesn’t create limitations to adding outside integrations into the system. They Make it easy for those who aren’t developers to create additions to their app listings without writing a single line of code. It’s pretty incredible.

There are several plans at various price points making it accessible to everyone. There are high-level enterprise options along with lower end options for the smaller business on a budget. Those plans do not lack in features, and you can still use the tools to create automations easily.

The drag and drop feature Makes it super easy to pick up how to use this software within minutes. There are guides, buti t’s also intuitive and everything is laid out for you in an accessible format.

The tutorials built into the interface are quick, and can be a little confusing. For example, when you are being taught to Make your first scenario it cuts off after you add an integration. You’ll need to search for videos if you need extra assistance in learning how to use the tool.

The versions with lower price points have some limitations unless you want to upgrade. 

The Make community page is active with posts in the forum and gives you the ability to connect with other users. There are several different conversation spaces to choose from depending on what you want to learn, or if you simply want to connect. Another space is there for you to share hacks you’ve learned and what you can do with Make. It’s a pretty solid community system. Within the community page, there’s also a marketplace where you can hire a professional to help you with automation if you need it.

As for the partner ecosystem, Make lists a partner directory and a partnership program. Currently, Make has 722 network partners across 76 countries. Through the partner directory, you can browse the partner ecosystem. This is where you ca see all of their current partners, and view their profiles to learn what they’re all about.

To sum it up, Make is an incredible automation software platform. With the recent rebrand, they’ve added even more features to Make it better. Make is a great place for someone with zero tech background to get started with automation.

Make strives to ensure that automation accessible to everyone, no matter their budget and skill levels when it comes to software. You can set up a free account within minutes to check it out and see if it’s something you’re interested in using. If you find yourself overwhelmed with it, you can always hire a professional to help you get organized and teach you how to manage your data.

There are plenty of tools online to help you if you are feeling confused about using software like this. The best thing you can do is try it for yourself and get your feet wet. There’s probably a lot more that a software like Make can do for you than you realize.

Make is one of the best automation tools on the market, and it’s worth trying. As your business grows, you can upgrade your plan to grow with you. With a free version available, what do you have to lose?

What is Make.com, how does it work, and what can you do with it?

Connect My SaaS - Make (Formerly Integromat) Overview

Airtable is cloud-based automation software that works like a database but looks like a spreadsheet. The software can be used for project management and automating tasks with app integration.

Airtable is a platform that makes it easy to build powerful, custom apps. These tools can speed up almost any process, workflow, or project. The best part is that you don't need to know how to code to make them. Airtable's customers use the platform to do everything from keep track of inventory to manage large-scale video production. 

Airtable is a flexible and powerful database that was made from the ground up to handle your most complex and specific workflows. Not only can you use it to keep track of all the information related to your goals and objectives, you can also connect it to your other tools to automate tasks like posting a tweet or sending an email update.

Airtable's mission statement is "to empower people to bring their creative visions to life!" The software can be used for project management, content pipelines, event planning and keeping track of research. While it may look like nothing special at first glance, Airtable is a versatile platform with tons of customizable options, to truly bring your vision to life at the speed of thought! 

Airtable is a cloud-based software system, so users can collaborate online from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. The main functions of Airtable are no-code, but there are low-code options as well for those who want to build out functions. Databases can be stored online to share and edit between workspaces. It’s perfect for teams that are working remotely and need to access the same interface.

With Airtable, you can manage databases that are far more complex than a simple spreadsheet. How many times have you been using a program like Microsoft Excel and had to look up a function online? With Airtable, you can manage data in a much easier way. It’s important to understand that a database is slightly different than a spreadsheet when talking about Airtable.

A database is simply a set of things that are grouped together. As a business owner or freelancer, you probably have several databases that you reference daily. Sometimes this data isn’t in a format that will work with a spreadsheet. That’s where Airtable comes in!

For example, you can utilize Airtable to keep track of workflow among your writing team if you are working on blog posts. You can assign tasks directly to your team through Airtable and keep track of everything. With added automation features, you can create triggers so you get alerts when items are completed, and use integrations to send messages to other apps like
Slack.

Airtable is great for businesses, but you can also use it for personal things like keeping track of your massive VHS collection but keep in mind you will have to do all of this manually, which is a drawback considering there are several platforms out there that are specific to certain items like wine and vinyl records that perform the same function.

One of the biggest perks of Airtable is how customizable the platform is. When you set up an account, you can choose from several data-style templates to design your dashboard. You can even choose different colors and avatars for each project. The more experience you have with software, the better you’ll be able to manipulate these features, as well.

As a project management software, Airtable offers several Airtable no-code native integrations. They are available to users across all plan types. 

With integrations, you can send data from Airtable directly to these apps, and others that are in the database. Airtable also has a list of partner apps that have been built by a partner that is accessible in their higher plans.

While there aren’t thousands of native integrations, Airtable still has some of the most commonly used apps available to users. Using native integrations is the best option for users who don’t know much about tech, and all they have to do is search and find the app within the software.

If there’s an app you’d like integrated into Airtable, there’s a way to ask Airtable submit a request to see if they can add it in for you. As far as automation is concerned, Airtable states on their website that you can use software like Zapier or Make to utilize their integrations within the platform, as well. So, if the native integrations don’t have what you need, there are options.

As far as pricing is concerned, Airtable doesn’t stand out as cheap or expensive. It falls somewhere in the middle, and it’ll be up to you and your preferences if it’s worth it. There are several different plans including a free plan to choose from.

The free plan is great if you’re just starting out and want to see if Airtable is a good fit for you. Unlike other software, Airtable’s free plan allows you to add up to 5 users. So, while you have a small team this could be a good option for project management and trying out the automation features.

Once your team starts growing, it might be time to use the Plus Plan. You get everything in the free plan, plus more storage and upgrades. Keep in mind that you pay per user with this plan.

This plan is listed as their most popular. You also pay per person with this plan and get some extra features, but nothing substantial compared to the Plus Plan.

This plan is catered to businesses that have scaled up and need all the features they can get their hands on. You must contact their sales team to get pricing for this plan.

Keep in mind the prices of plans for any automation software are subject to change. You can check out Airtable’s pricing here. Pricing per user can be great if you’re starting out small, but it can add up quickly if you’re scaling your business at an alarming rate. It’s always a good idea to try out the free version first to see if you can work with it before shelling out cash.

Airtable has an entire page on their website dedicated to enterprises, and a plan option for larger companies as well. You have to contact Airtable directly to get a price quote for the enterprise plan. This is great because when you’re operating on such a large scale, every enterprise is going to have different needs and a lot more of them than a solo freelancer.

They advertise that using the enterprise plan will mean 95% less time spent on data entry and 4 times faster content publishing. It’s ideal for connecting large teams that are spread out due to remote working environments.

Again, Airtable is a fabulous project management tool which is why it’s so great for enterprises. This information is not directly related to their automation tool, but the software as a whole. When using Airtable’s Enterprise option, it’s a good idea to also use another automation platform for more integrations and automation reliability.

It’s easy to sign up for Airtable, and it’s free with no obligation to try a paid plan. When you enter your information, you’re immediately given the option to sync your data from programs like Google Sheets, so they try to make the transition as easy as possible for you.  

When you set up a workspace, Airtable gives you a crash course on how to use the main functions of the software, including automation. As you can see, it does look like a spreadsheet but with many more functions. The image above shows the default layout, but there are interface design options as well.

You can create a simple workspace within minutes and set up automation for forms, emails, and other tasks. In the templates, Airtable does the work for you. You can choose from project tracking, product launch, content calendars, and more for a good starting point.

When you go to create automation, Airtable gives you a list of functions and that’s it. All of these options are no-code, which is nice and easy to use but can be very limiting. This is typically why it’s best to use Airtable with another automation software.

For the interface designer, you can choose from templates or create your own. This is great for people who are particular about how their data look or prefer it in a certain format. Airtable gives you a lot more to work with than a simple spreadsheet.

Along with the interface designer, Airtable has plenty of templates for your work and organizational preferences. Everything is maintained on a simple dashboard that’s pretty easy to navigate. You also have the option to integrate existing data into Airtable.

Overall, the interface is pretty intuitive but can take some getting used to if you don’t use software frequently. There are plenty of helpful tools to help you along the way, and a customer support team if you need it.

As far as complexity is concerned,  Airtable is pretty straightforward. If you’re using it for basic project management tasks, it should be pretty easy for your team to figure out. You don’t have to go digging around to find the main functions that Airtable does.

If you’re not familiar with project management software, it can be a little confusing to get started with, but there are tutorials and forums to help you when you need it. With custom app options and interface designs, you can make Airtable as complex, or as simple as you’d like it to be.

Airtable lets you easily create and edit your own database with many different types of fields, ranging from simple numbers to image attachments. It also gives you the ability to create various visualizations for your data. 

It charges by the amount of time you spend using it, rather than how much you use it. Airtable charges per user, not per action, so you can start with a small group of employees and scale up over time.

Every record has an associated text chat, and users can leave messages to and tag their collaborators. This enables, for example, two salespeople to talk about a feedback meeting right on the record that refers to the meeting. Airtable workspaces are collections of bases, and the product revolves around them.

Airtable is well-optimized for project management, with Kanbans and Gantt charts. If you are an internet company, or from a similar segment, Airtable's features are more tailored to needs you're likely to have. There is also a lot of similar software available, such as Coda.io. Mobile apps are often overlooked by back office platforms. While functional, the Airtable mobile app is more of a condensed version of the true experience. It may feel more like an accessory than the real deal when you need to use it in-between desktops.

Airtable's tables can be customized to a satisfactory degree, but the options for user access levels fail to live up to the flexibility the rest of the platform provides. It's not currently possible to hide certain fields from users completely or provide granular access levels.

Out-of-the-box. Airtable solutions are amazing to get you started, but they aren't able to take the next step and solve more complex problems when you need them to without the use of code. Users can opt to create integrations via API or automate tables using a no-code wizard.

Workspaces are not just per user, but per user per workspace. This means that you may have to pay twice for two people to access the same data and work on it.

Airtable has a very active community with a discussion forum that you can find here. Here you can keep up with the latest updates and announcements that Airtable has, as well as questions people in the Airtable user community are asking. There are plenty of community members to help you if you have a question. Airtable also offers plenty of free resources such as blogs and customer support that you can access directly from their website.

Airtable also offers a different kind of publishing platform under the name Airtable Universe. Anyone has the ability to publish processes that assist them in operating their enterprises, maintaining order in their lives, or pursuing their interests.

Building workflows, linking teams and data, optimising automations, and so much more can be done with the assistance of Airtable's pre-approved consultants, who can also help you get more out of Airtable. Saastronomical is one of the top Airtable partners.

To sum it up, Airtable is a great project management software. It’s not, however, the best automation software. If you’re planning to use Airtable for your team, consider an additional platform to integrate into Airtable for automation.

The customizable features with low-code capabilities make it a good option for someone with tech experience that still wants something easy to use. You are limited, but not as much as some of the other platforms out there that are meant for newbies.

If you want to try Airtable out and see if it’s right for you, you can sign up for a free plan and check it out. You can create easy-to-use projects from their vast library of templates within minutes, and customize how they look. Overall, it’s a decent software to try out if you’re in need of a project management tool or are tired of using Google Sheets and Excel. You can even import the data from other programs very easily.

What is Airtable, how does it work, and what can you do with it?

Connect My SaaS - Airtable Overview

N8N is an open-source platform that lets you connect apps to each other. It can be used on your own server or in the cloud. 

N8N is a free fair-code automation tool that can be self-hosted or used in the cloud. It’s an iPaaS platform that can be used to integrate apps with other apps to carry out tasks that you simply don’t have time to do.

The platform began as a brainchild of Jan Oberhauser in Berlin, Germany. After trying several automation software platforms, Oberhauser decided he wanted to make one to fit his specific needs. N8N has only been on the scene since 2019, so it’s very new in terms of automation tools.

This software is set apart from the others because it’s an open-source product. That means you can take the code and change things up yourself if you have the expertise to do so. N8N works similarly to tools like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat). The difference is that you’re limited to the cloud-based versions of these tools. N8N gives you the ability to run the automation tool on your own server, for free.  

With that being said, there are two main ways to use this software - The no-code approach and the low-code approach. Before we get into N8N, let’s differentiate between the two types of software.

If you don’t work in the realm of software, you may not be familiar with the term ‘Fair-code.”. N8N is a fair-code software, and it’s important to understand what that means. Fair-code isn’t a software license, but it is a way to describe software that is free to use.

This means that fair-code software like N8N has its source code available online, usually on the developer’s website. The code is free to use, and you can manipulate it however you’d like. So, you can use their software and add your own functions and apps to it. N8N is available as fair-code software so you can self-host on your own server, or there is also a cloud-based version to use, as well.

What kind of name is N8N, and how do you pronounce it? Well, in an interview Oberhauser said that he gets this question quite often. As you can imagine, when choosing a name for a free domain, most of them are going to be taken at this point. So, Oberhauser didn’t have a lot to work with. After much thought, the name he settled on was ‘nodemation.’ Node because, well, that’s the main part of the software and ‘mation’ for automation. 

The name was too long for him, so he simplified it down to N8N and now here we are. If you were wondering, it’s pronounced “n-eight-n.”

N8N's mission statement is "To give everyone with a computer technical superpowers!", and it's clear that they practice what they preach. 

N8N believe that software should be free and sustainable, open and pragmatic. This creates a great collaborative community that users can be active in and share ideas, instead of blindly using software which is pretty cool.

How N8N works depends on which version you have. Essentially, it works by taking data from integrations and processing workflows you’ve created to carry out automation tasks. If you are self-hosting the automation software, you will probably have your own functions and apps and your own way of using the program. It works by connecting apps together by API. Let’s look at how N8N works when you use the cloud-based or desktop version.

When you used the cloud-based version of N8N, you are using it on the company’s server. Keep in mind that the cloud version is NOT free. There are over 200 apps that can be connected to this version. When using this in the cloud, you can switch between no-code and low-code functions, depending on your preference. The problem with a lot of automation software is that you’re very limited in terms of what you can do to your triggers. N8N allows for a lot more customization. There are some terms you should know to get familiar with N8N.

N8N uses nodes, which are the building blocks of workflows in N8N. Nodes are used for gathering, processing, or exporting data. They can be used to filter or change data once it’s in N8N, as well. Workflows can be created with multiple nodes and you can create complex workflows that do exactly what you want them to.

Connections are what you’ll use to connect your nodes. They work how arrows would in a workflow chart, and you can move them around on the screen to connect different nodes and direct them to complete tasks.

Trigger nodes are the tools needed for automation in N8N. These nodes are what kick off the tasks that you want to have carried out. If you have an automation set up to send a Slack message out when you get an email, the trigger node will activate and carry out the task. You can also create triggers within N8N that will alert you when there’s an error and they aren’t working properly.

Workflows are how you’ll view the automation you’ve created. You’ll use drag and drop features to create a flow that will give you a visual of the tasks you want to be done. You’ll have separate workflows for all of your automation, but you can have multiple carried out in one workflow from the same application. More on that later.

Since N8N allows you to use it as a low-code tool, you’ll be able to add your own integrations yourself. There are, however, plenty of native integrations to choose from. Currently, N8N has around 200+ native integrations. Users can connect to these apps to move and transfer data into N8N to create workflows.

Below you can find some applications that work very well with N8N. Click on one of the apps to find out more.

While the open-source version of N8N is free to use on your own server if you plan to use the cloud-based version you will have to purchase a plan. The free trial period is 30 days, which gives you plenty of time to get a feel of if you like the program or not.

Keep in mind that companies change plans and prices sometimes, but this is the current listing for N8N.cloud.

Unlike other automation software with complex breakdowns of their plans, N8N keeps things simple. Three plans with simple explanations of what you get with each one. The important thing to look at is the number of executions you get with each plan.

According to their website, execution is counted any time your multi-step workflow completed a run. It doesn’t mean every single step is execution. You get a certain amount of executions per month with each plan.

If you aren’t keen on paying for N8N, you can try your skills with the open-source option because it is completely free. You also have way more control over the code with that option than you do in the cloud-based plan.

N8N also offers a free desktop version, and it works similarly to the cloud-based one. You just have to download it to your computer instead of using it in a browser.

The thing about N8N is that there isn’t going to be a lot of extra features just because you can pay more. It’s meant to be accessible to everyone, and customizable for your own needs. If you do have a developer on your team, they can take the open-source code and manipulate it to your specific needs. In-house applications can also be integrated into the software to make it custom to your business. Keep in mind, however, that N8N does have the commercial right to its code.

N8N can be a valuable tool to an enterprise looking for a data management and automation tool for their business. You can scale it to what you need it to be, and only have to pay if you use the cloud-based version. There are no user limitations or blocks on certain applications.

The native integration list on their website also gives you access to the triggers and nodes that can be used with each app. You can browse the full library here, or below. 

Now, let’s dive into N8N’s interface. When you go into the cloud-based version, you are greeted with a white blank canvas with buttons on each side. It’s on this screen that you’ll be able to create your workflows.

You’ll drag nodes to the canvas to create your flow, and you can go in and manipulate the code to create triggers. When you load up N8N, you start on the Dashboard.

On the N8N dashboard, you will start by opening your Instance. Th8is will take you to your workspace where you can start creating workflows. There are no bells and whistles on this interface, it’s strictly business.

Once you’ve entered the workspace, you can start creating workflows. It works like creating a flow chart in a publishing program. You drag and drop your data and triggers into the space, and simply connect them with arrows.

Even though this is a cloud-based software that can be operated as no-code when you click on nodes you will be given the javascript. That way, you can perform low-code functions if you wish. You can toggle between the parameters and settings tabs to switch to no-code. In the settings, you’ll be able to manipulate the trigger without having to use any code.

From here, you can create your workflow. You’ll want to make sure you take your time getting to know this interface. N8N assumes that you know what you’re doing, and there is not a lot of guidance within this automation software.

If you go to their website, there are numerous overviews and instructional videos available to you for free to get a better understanding of the software.

This software is similar to Parabola in terms of the blank canvas workspace. On the left and right sides, you’ll have tabs that you can click on to access different features. The right side is where you will find your nodes, triggers, and access data you’ve linked with native integrations.

It can be intimidating to use software like this if you don’t know how to code. This software is definitely not going to be for a novice unless you plan to take a crash course in coding to get a better understanding of it.

If N8N is software you want to use, but don’t have the experience, perhaps it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you get everything up and running. Someone with a tech background can create workflows for you, and explain how to use them so you can continue to operate the program as a no-code automation platform.

Once you set up your workflows, you can set them on schedules, or enter the program to run them manually. The customizability of the interface makes it great for somebody who is very particular and needs things manipulated down to every little detail. The cloud-based version of N8N is relatively new compared to the open-source version.

As far as aesthetics go, you aren’t getting any bells and whistles with N8N. The design is extremely simple, and you can’t do much to change how it looks in the cloud-based version. If you’re using the self-hosted version, you can do much more to change this if it’s something you want to do.

What is N8N, how does it work, and what can you do with it?

Best Automation tools

Make (formerly Integromat)

Zapier

Workato

N8N

Airtable

Parabola

Integrately

Newsletter

Our sister sites

We are Certified