Automation without writing code

Zapier and Make connect applications that do not talk to each other. A form is submitted, a row appears in a sheet, an email goes out, a message lands in a team channel, an invoice is created. You build it by joining boxes rather than by writing a program.

When to reach for one. The task repeats. It follows rules you could write down. And it moves information between systems rather than requiring judgement.

The everyday cases. New enquiry into your spreadsheet and your inbox. New order into a shipping list. Form response into a CRM. A scheduled report assembled and emailed every Monday. A file uploaded and filed in the right folder with the right name.

Zapier or Make. Zapier is simpler, has the most integrations, and is easy to learn in an afternoon. Make is visual, handles branching and loops more comfortably, and is usually cheaper at volume. For a first automation, either works; for anything with several branches, Make is less frustrating.

How they charge. Zapier counts tasks, meaning each step that runs. Make counts operations similarly. A workflow that runs a thousand times a month with six steps is six thousand of them, and people are surprised by this on their first bill. Calculate before you build.

And n8n, covered separately in this catalogue, is the option when you want to self host and keep the data on your own server, which matters for client work under confidentiality.