What is Zapier and How Does It Work? Complete Explanation of Features, Apps, Best Practices, and Pricing

How does Zapier work?

Zapier works like a connector that connects thousands of apps together, but how does this magic work? Here is the complete process of Zapier integration, and you can learn how Zapier works with multi-step Zaps.

Step 1: Create a Zapier account.

Follow these steps to sign up for Zapierr accounts.

1. Zapier Website: zapier.com
2. Click on the sign-up button. 
3. You can sign up for your account with Google, and you can also sign up with your work email. 
4. If you sign up with your work email, fill in the required details. Work Email, First Name, and Last Name, then click on Get Started for Free.
5. After signing up, a new window will open, and you can see your Zapier dashboard.

Step 2: Start Your Zap

Follow these steps and create your first Zap.

1. Click on the Create button in the left corner. A slide will open, then click on Zaps.
2. Before starting, give the name of your zap to the middle top of the screen.
3. Now you can see the trigger and action options in your editor. 

Now move on to the next step.

Step3: Setup a trigger for your Zap

This is the beginning of your Zap. Set your trigger with these steps.

1. Click on the trigger option, and the box will automatically search.
2. Now search for the app that you want to select as a trigger and click on it. It will be selected as a trigger app.
3. App and Event options will open on the right side, and below you will see the Event Field. Select the trigger event that you want to perform as a trigger and click on the continue button.
4. Now here is the account connection option, Click on it and connect your app account with Zapier after some authorizations, and again click on continue. 
5. You are on the trigger fields, map your fields as per your requirements, and click on the Continue button. 
6. At the end of the trigger, you will see the test option. Click on the Test Trigger button, and if the trigger is tested successfully, go to the next step and set the Action Step.

Step 4: Set Your Action Step

Now here is our action step, so follow these instructions and set up your action in minutes. Keep in mind that your action will be performed based on your trigger.

1. Click on the Action option and it will automatically open the search box.
2. Search for an app that you want to select as an action app, and if you see your app, click on it, and it will be selected as your action app.
3. On the right side, you will see the app and event options here. Select the action event that you want to perform and click on Continue.
4. Now connect your account with Zapier. It will show you the authorization prompt. Follow it, and your account will be connected. Then click on continue. 
5. Set your action field as per your requirements. After that, click on Continue. 
6. Now you will go to the test step and click on the test button.
7. If your step is tested successfully, publish your Zap and enjoy your first Zap automation. 

Zapier Apps

Zapier is famous for its vast app library, which supports over 7,000+ apps. Approximately, it supports all apps that are famous in businesses, but these apps are divided into categories; some of them are free apps, and some are premium apps.

Zapier Free Apps: Zapier provides a Zapier Free plan, and you can use all the free apps in this plan. 

Zapier Premium Apps: In simple words, if you want to use Zapier Premium apps, you have to upgrade your Zapier plan because these apps are not usable in the Zapier Free Plan.

The Best Zapier Automation Use Cases

Zapier is made for business; it doesn’t matter what kind of business you have. But we mention here the best use cases of Zapier.

Marketing Automation 

Today’s businesses rely on their marketing because if your marketing is strong, your revenue and popularity will always be strong. Zapier provides many famous marketing software programs for automation that you can use for your business or organization. Here are some marketing apps listed below.

Hubspot

Hubspot is one of the best CRMs in the world and the best all-in-one marketing software. There are 24 triggers and 30 actions available in Zapier for HubSpot integration.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a CXA (customer experience automation) company that provides the best cloud-based marketing automation software. Zapier provides 19 triggers and 28 actions for ActiveCaimpaign.

LeadConnector (GHL)

LeadConnector (Go High Level) is a famous platform for marketing, nurturing leads, and boosting business. Zapier provides 1 trigger and 6 actions for LeadConnector.

Project Management

You can use Zapier Project and Workflow Management Automation because every business needs software for their project management, but sometimes handling software together will be a much more difficult and time-consuming process. This project management automation is one of the most useful automations in Zapier. Zapier provides a lot of software for project management. A few of them are listed below. 

Trello

Trello is the best team collaboration tool that helps you know who is doing what in your team and which projects are done and processed. Everything is possible with Trello, but managing software together is not possible for every team because it takes too much time. Zapier allows us to connect Trello with other 7000+ apps with 14 triggers and 30 actions that help us create the most useful automation. 

Asana

Asana is the best project management platform that is mostly used by organizations for project management, task tracking, and monitoring progress. Zapier offers automation with Asana that helps us control our project management with Asana. Zapier provides us with 14 triggers and 20 actions for Asana integration.

Monday.com

Monday.com is also famous for project management and team collaboration. Monday is not just a project management software but it also works as CRM that helps you to organize your business and projects. Zapier offers powerful integration with Monday.com to manage your business without putting in manual offers and time. Zapier offers 7 Triggers and 23 Actions for powerful integration.

eCommerce  management

In this digital era, online shopping has increased to 33% of the population in the world, and this industry is worth $6 trillion, but managing an eCommerce store is too difficult because this system needs more employees and more time for management. Zapier is also very useful for eCommerce businesses. You can easily handle an eCommerce store with the help of Zapier Automation. Here are some apps that are mostly used by Zapier Automation, listed below.

Shopify 

Shopify is the most popular eCommerce app all over the world and helps you create an online store in a simple way. You can easily manage and handle eCommerce with this app, but if you want more relaxation from repetitive tasks, you need Zapier for Shopify integration. Zapier will automatically handle your eCommerce store with Shopify. In Zapier, you can use 18 triggers and 32 actions for Shopify automation. 

WooCommerce

WooCemmerce is an open-source WordPress eCommerce plugin that helps you manage and organize your eCommerce store in WordPress. You can use WooCommerce for small and large businesses. Zapier allows you to automate WooCommerce with other 7000+ apps that help you manage your eCommerce business in less time and effort. Zapier provides us with 11 triggers and 34 actions for WooCommerce integration. 

BigCommerce 

BigCommerce is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms that is best for those owners who want more flexibility and minimal maintenance. There are many automations available in Zapier for BigCommerce that help you automate your business online store and make your business easier to handle. In Zapier, you can use 11 triggers and 11 actions for BigCommerce.

Best Practices for Using Zapier 

If you want to use Zapier effectively, follow these steps to follow the best practices for using Zapier.

Use Canvas before starting an automation

Always keep in mind that before starting a zap or automation, you need to make a diagram of your workflow because it helps you understand how it will go on, and you can easily make a zap if your diagram is ready before your automation. Set the canvas diagram as per your needs. For example, if you are making a zap, select what you want to choose as a trigger and how many actions you will use in your integration.

Give a Name to your Zap.

Many of the users make mistakes in that they don’t give a name to their zaps, and some of them give a name but not a detailed name. This mistake always causes problems when you make more zaps and automation, they don’t find their zap and just scroll, so it will be time-consuming and irritating. Always give a detailed name of your Zap; it will help you find your Zap if you remember what this automation actually does. 

Organize Your Zaps

If you want to work on large-scale automation and are using Zapier for the whole business system, you have to organize your Zaps in the proper way. Always make folders for your automation, it will help you find your zap location. For example, if you have many zaps but organize them in folders like marketing zaps, management zaps, and productivity zaps, you will be more comfortable in the future finding and managing them. 

Duplicate your Zap before making changes

If you have a duplicate of your Zap, You will don’t worry about making changes because you know that the original version is available in your Zapier dashboard. Sometimes users didn’t make their zap’s duplicate and made changes to it, but when they realized I also needed an original version, they couldn’t do anything because it was too late. 

Use Built-in Templates 

Zapier provides thousands of built-in Zaps Templates that we can use without doing extra effort and research just select the template and adjust it based on your requirement and save your time more than expectations.

Benefits of Zapier 

There are many advantages of Zapier that make zapier more useful for any business but some of the main advantages are listed below.

1. Save Your Time 
2. Boost Your Productivity
3. Automate Repetitive Tasks

Save Time 

Zapier is just like a time-saving machine. You can save thousands of hours through Zapier because it will automate your business and help you focus on your main goals. 

Boost Productivity

Productivity is needed by every business because every business relies on productivity. Many businesses have flopped because they can’t maximize productivity. But nowadays, Zapier is the best solution to maximize productivity. Zapier can increase your productivity by more than 50% if you utilize its properties. 

Automate repetitive tasks.

Repetitive tasks are the biggest hurdle for humans, and humans also make errors in repetitive tasks, but here is Zapier’s work as a hero. Zapier can handle all your repetitive tasks without human errors.

Zapier Pricings

Zapier has Four pricing plans Free, Professional, Team, and Enterprise, and these plans are based on tasks means how many tasks you want. These plans help customers to choose the best for them based on their business size and requirements. Zapier also provides 14-day free trial on paid plans.

Free Plan

The free plan offers 100 tasks per month and the more beneficial point is that you can use it for a lifetime without cost any money. This plan is best for basic workflow if you’re looking for advanced and complex automation so move on next plan. This plan’s features are listed below.

• Unlimited Zaps.
• Two-Step Zaps.
• AI power-ups.

Professional Plan

This plan starts from 19.99 USD/month with 750 tasks. With these features

• Multi-Step Zaps
• Unlimited Premium apps
• Webhooks
• Email Support

Team Plan

The Team plan starts from 69 USD/month with 2k tasks. This plan is best for teams and medium sizeed businesses. Team plan features are listed below

• Unlimited users
• Shared workspace 
• Shared app connections
• Premier Support 
• SSO add-on SSO add-on ( contact zapier team)

Enterprise Plan

This plan is made for large businesses and organizations and prices are not mentioned for pricing details you have to contact with Zapier team. This plan has these features

• Advanced admin permissions and app controls
• Annual task limit 
• Observability 
• SAML SSO
• Designated Technical Support 

These prices are based on annual billing but if you choose monthly billing you will pay 33% extra.  

Summary

Zapier is an automation tool that connects 7000+ apps and helps us automate our business. In this modern era, automation is necessary for every business to be productive. Zapier has three basic terms: Zap, Trigger, and Action, and it also has advanced features for complex automations like Multi-Step Zap, Webhooks by Zapier, Formatter by Zapier, Path by Zapier, Filter by Zapier, Code by Zapier, Zapier Tables, Zapier Interfaces, and Zapier Canvas. Zapier works as a connector between different apps, so just make it and enjoy your first automation. Zapier has two different categories of apps one of them is Free apps and the second one is Zapier Premium apps. Zapier also gives us many templates for different types of automation like marketing automation, project management automation, and eCommerce store management automation that help us in our business, but before starting, always read what practices make you more professional Zapier users, like using Canvas, giving a proper name to zaps, organizing folders, and making duplicates before making changes in Zapier. You can have many benefits after using Zapier like saving time, boosting productivity, and automating repetitive tasks. Zapier has a free plan for basic automation and three other pricing plans that start from 19.99 USD/month and you can also choose an Enterprise plan based on your business requirements.