One of the biggest productivity killers businesses suffer from is repetitive admin.
Despite the advances in technology, most businesses often find themselves swamped with more and more administrative work to do the bigger they become. From invoicing to data entry, collecting customer payments and following up on sales leads, the list is endless.
Fortunately, with most businesses switching to SaaS-based platforms to manage their business it has now become easier to manage your entire business from just about anywhere you can get a reliable WiFi connection.
But with so many platforms needed to build and grow a profitable business the amount of time lost in maintaining your data within these platforms results in lost time, money and resources.
Thankfully, with the help of task automation platforms, you can now automate your most frequently completed administrative tasks seamlessly allowing you to focus on more important tasks that actually grow your business while reducing your business overheads as well.
With this in mind, we thought we’d share some of the best task automation platforms available on the market today and breakdown each one in more detail so that you have a full understanding of each of the options available to you.
We’ll also provide you with our recommendations of which ones to use within your business depending on your current business situation.
Let’s dive in!
Best Task Automation Platforms
Zapier
First up in our showdown of the best task automation platforms is none other than Zapier.
Zapier for some may be considered as the pioneer of task automation platforms with the company being founded in 2012 and growing exponentially since then. With a team of over 250 employees spanning 23 countries there’s no doubt they are a leader within this space.
Overview
Zapier works by creating “zaps” which allow you to connect your most frequently used apps within your business and automate repetitive tasks between them. These zaps are triggered when a particular action is completed within one of your apps and the data is then transferred to another app of your choice removing the need for you to complete this manually each time.
With more than 2,000 apps currently supported, it’s easy to see why they are an industry leader within the task automation space.
Key Features
- Ability to create single and multi-step zaps
- Ability to format data to show the required value
- Filter data and based upon specific values
- Create multiple paths based upon entered data
Pricing
With Zapier often being considered the leader when it comes to task automation platforms they’re pricing plans are slightly higher than some of their competitors, however, they do offer a range of options to suit every budget and business size with plans starting from $0 per month.
Zapier’s pricing also depends upon how many tasks you are looking at to automate on a monthly basis so be sure to consider this when comparing available plans.
They also offer 20% off on all plans when you pay annually and an additional 15% off for non-profits making they a great choice for businesses of all sizes.
- Free – $0 per month (100 tasks)
- Starter – $24.99 per month (750 tasks)
- Professional – $61.25 per month (2,000 tasks)
- Team – $373.75 per month (50,000 taks)
- Company – $748.75 (100,000 tasks)
Conclusion
Zapier is one of the clear leaders within this space and they also provide a host of unique features, a great user experience, outstanding customer service and plenty of free training and documentation to help you get started regardless of your technical background.
Integromat
Next up in our battle for the best task automation platform is Integromat.
Founded in 2015, Integromat has managed to build its reputation as one of the leaders in task automation platforms and has grown to offer a host of unique features with support for over 250 applications and a team of over 50.
Overview
While the primary objective of Integromat remains very similar to Zapier (helping businesses reduce time spent on repetitive tasks), Integromat’s unique features allow you to take this to an entirely new level while keeping it all within one easy to use interface.
While some of their features and the user interface may take some time to get used to in comparison to Zapier once you get the hang of it, the sky is the limit when it comes to automating complex workflows within your business.
Key Features
- Create an unlimited number of routes within an automation
- Ability to modify files within an automation
- Ability to store and transfer data between automation
- Launch automation’s on an individual basis
Pricing
Integromat offers a range of pricing options to suit every business depending upon the features you require and the number of automation’s you are looking to run each month with plans starting from $0 per month for up to 1,000 operations.
- Free – $0 per month (1,000 operations)
- Basic – $9 per month (10,000 operations)
- Standard – $29 per month (40,000 operations)
- Business – $99 per month (150,000 operations)
- Platinum – $299 (800,000 operations)
- Custom – Custom Pricing (800,000+ operations)
Conclusion
Overall, Integromat has a lot to offer in terms of features and pricing with their pricing plans being some of the most affordable within the industry and with a stack of features due for release over the coming months, it’s easy to see why Integromat is a crowd favourite.
Automate.IO
Our third contender in the search for the best task automation platform is Automate.IO.
Automate.IO was founded in 2015 and prides itself in helping small businesses automate their routine work every single day and has since grown to have over 30,000 customers spanning over 90 countries across the globe.
Overview
Built with business users in mind Automate.IO provides a clean easy to work with inference and is designed to make it easy when building out automation’s for your business.
They currently support over 100 of the leading SaaS platforms on the market and while it is somewhat less than some of the other brands on the market they cover most major platforms used by businesses and are continuing to add more apps regularly.
Key Features
- Ability to create single-step and multi-step workflows
- Supports for over 100 of the leading SaaS apps on the market
- Drag and drop automation creation interface
- Ability to format data within automation’s
Pricing
Automate.IO provides a range of pricing options that support businesses of all sizes with a free for life plan that allows you to create up to 5 workflows and complete 300 actions per month, however, it will cost you at least $49 per month if you wish to run more after that.
- Free – $0 per month (300 actions)
- Startup – $49 per month (10,000 actions)
- Grow – $99 per month (30,000 actions)
- Business – $199 per month (100,000 actions)
- Enterprise – $399+ (500,000+ actions)
Conclusion
Overall Automate.IO has a lot to offer compared to some of its competitors currently on the market despite the limitations in supported apps, however, if you’re looking for a platform that offers an easy to use interface you can’t go past Automate.IO.
IFTTT
Last but not least in out showdown for best task automation platform is IFTTT.
IFTTT (If This Then That) was founded in 2011 and is often referred to as one of the pioneers within the task automation space. Unlike their competitors, they focus on more than just automating your business and have grown to work with a diverse range of brands.
Overview
IFTTT helps you go beyond just automating by also automating other areas of your life and has built a diverse offering of over 700 supported applications and brands ranging from banks to fast food companies, music applications and even your home automation appliances
So just what type of automation’s can be built? Well just about anything from turning on your lights at home when you leave work to sending an SMS notification when your food delivery is near to tracking your working hours in Google Calendar. The possibilities are endless!
When it comes to business automation IFTTT also allows you to create an endless list of automation’s, however, it currently only supports single-step apps.
Key Features
- Supports over 700 personal and business applications
- Ability to work with smart devices
- Ability to create single-step automations
- Create and manage automations from your mobile device
Pricing
IFTTT offers a range of pricing options for both individuals in mind with plans starting from $0 for individuals and custom pricing options available for businesses based upon their requirements.
- Individual Standard – $0/month
- Individual Pro – $3.99/month
- IFTTT Developer – $199/year
- IFTTT Team – Custom
- IFTTT Enterprise – Custom
Conclusion
While IFTTT doesn’t offer some of the features seen in the other platforms it still has a lot of unique features that are work exploring if you are looking to automate different areas of your business and life that aren’t supported in platforms such as Zapier and Integromat.
And the winner is…
Now that we have reviewed the best task automation platforms available on the market and you have a comprehensive overview of each one, you’re probably wondering which one gets our tick of approval? Well, this is dependent upon each individual businesses needs, however, here are our preferred options for businesses of all sizes.
IFTTT – Ideal for creating single-step and personal automations
Integromat – Ideal for creating complex multi-step applications
Zapier – Ideal for those starting out with task automation
And there you have it, our comprehensive round-up of the leading task automation platforms available on the market that you can implement within your business to improve productivity.
Happy automating!
