Workflow automation tools
Ken is our productZapier vs Workato: Which Is Better in 2026?
Pick Zapier if you want a free plan that renews monthly and paid plans from $19.99 a month billed yearly. Pick Workato if you need one enterprise platform for workflows, APIs and data pipelines across 10,000+ apps.
Ken is our product. Every fact about other tools comes from their public pages on the date shown.
The Verdict
Zapier or Workato?
Ken's view, from each vendor's public pages checked Oct 17, 2026.
Pick Zapier if
- You want a free plan that renews every month; Workato's free credits are a one-time grant.
- You want a paid plan under $30 a month, against $75 a month for Workato Pro.
- Non-technical teammates build automations, with Copilot drafting Zaps from a description.
Pick Workato if
- You need to reach databases and apps behind a firewall through the on-prem agent, offered on specific plans.
- You want one credit balance across workflows, API management, data pipelines and AI agents.
- You need 10,000+ app and system integrations.
At a Glance
In short Of the 9 features below, Zapier has 6 and Workato has 6 in full, from each vendor's public pages checked Oct 17, 2026.
| Feature | Zapier | Workato |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes - 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps only | Yes - 50,000 credits once, not renewed monthly |
| Prebuilt app integrations | Yes - 9,000+ apps; premium apps on paid plans | Yes - 10,000+ apps and systems |
| HTTP requests and webhooks | Yes - Webhooks by Zapier is a premium app, Professional and up | Yes - HTTP connector and Webhooks connector |
| AI steps and agents | Yes - AI by Zapier on paid plans, 1 to 5 tasks per step | Yes - genies in Agent Studio; AI by Workato on specific plans |
| Built-in B2B contact data and email finding | No - through connected apps only | No - through connected apps only |
| Native email and LinkedIn sending | Partial - email through a connected Gmail or Outlook account; LinkedIn app only posts | Partial - email through a connected Gmail account |
| CRM steps (HubSpot, Salesforce) | Yes - HubSpot on every plan; Salesforce is a premium app | Yes - HubSpot and Salesforce connectors |
| Custom code steps (JavaScript or Python) | Yes - JavaScript or Python on every plan, 1 task per step | Yes - JavaScript and Python connectors |
| Self-hosting | No - cloud only | No - cloud service; on-prem agent reaches private networks |
Rows are the features buyers compare in workflow automation tools. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
How Much Do Zapier and Workato Cost?
In short Zapier's lowest paid plan is Professional, $29.99 a month ($19.99 billed yearly). Workato's lowest paid plan is Pro, $75 a month.
| Tool | Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapier | Free | $0 | $0 | Flat |
| Includes100 tasks a month; Two-step Zaps only; 15-minute polling; 1 seat | ||||
| Zapier | Professional | $29.99 | $19.99 | Usage tiers |
| Includes750 tasks a month at the entry tier; Multi-step Zaps; Unlimited premium apps and webhooks; AI by Zapier steps; 1 seat | ||||
| Zapier | Team | $103.50 | $69 | Usage tiers |
| Includes2,000 tasks a month at the entry tier; 25 users; Shared Zaps, folders and app connections; SAML SSO; 1-minute polling | ||||
| Zapier | Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales | Custom |
| IncludesUnlimited users; Annual task limits; Advanced admin permissions and app controls; Technical Account Manager at a set threshold or as an add-on | ||||
| Workato | Free | $0 | $0 | Flat |
| Includes50,000 credits, one-time grant; Workflow orchestration, API management and AI agents; 10,000+ app and system integrations | ||||
| Workato | Pro | $75 | No yearly price | Usage tiers |
| Includes2,500 credits a month at the entry tier; Up to 3 users per workspace; Custom connectors; Intelligent document processing | ||||
| Workato | Enterprise | Contact sales | Contact sales | Custom |
| IncludesUnlimited users and workspaces; Enterprise security and governance; Multi-region deployment; Priority support and success services | ||||
Prices in USD from each vendor's pricing page: Zapier checked Oct 17, 2026, Workato checked Oct 17, 2026.
- Zapier: Professional runs from 750 to 2 million tasks a month and Team from 2,000 to 2 million. At 2,000 tasks, Professional is $49 a month billed yearly ($73.50 monthly) and Team is $69 ($103.50).
- Zapier: Yearly billing saves 33% versus monthly billing.
- Zapier: Pay-per-task billing keeps Zaps running past the task limit at a higher per-task rate, up to 3 times the plan's task limit, then Zaps pause until the next usage period. It is on by default for accounts that joined after January 2024; Free cannot use it.
- Workato: Pro tiers in Workato's self-service billing docs: $75 a month for 2,500 credits, $100 for 3,500, $275 for 10,000, $780 for 30,000 and $1,275 for 50,000. The Pro card on the pricing page shows $100 a month, the 3,500-credit tier.
- Workato: Pro is billed monthly by card; no yearly price is published. Unused Pro credits expire at the end of the billing month.
- Workato: One credit balance covers every capability: recipe tasks are counted per action step run, alongside API calls, data pipeline rows and genie actions.
What Are the Key Differences Between Zapier and Workato?
In short 6 differences that change which tool fits, each from the vendors' own pages.
| Topic | Zapier | Workato |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 100 tasks every month, two-step Zaps | 50,000 credits once, not renewed |
| Entry paid plan | Professional, $29.99 a month or $19.99 billed yearly, for 750 tasks | Pro, from $75 a month for 2,500 credits, billed monthly by card with no yearly price |
| Apps | 9,000+ apps | 10,000+ apps and systems |
| Users | 1 seat on Professional, 25 users on Team | Up to 3 users per workspace on Pro; unlimited on Enterprise |
| What the credits cover | Zap tasks; Zapier Agents and Chatbots have their own plans | One balance for recipe tasks, API calls, data pipeline rows and genie actions |
| Deployment | Cloud only | Cloud service; on specific plans, an on-prem agent reaches databases, files and apps behind a firewall |
Zapier vs Workato FAQ
Is Workato more expensive than Zapier?
To start, yes. Workato Pro starts at $75 a month for 2,500 credits, billed monthly. Zapier Professional starts at $29.99 a month, or $19.99 billed yearly, for 750 tasks. Both sell Enterprise plans through sales.
Does Workato have a free plan?
Yes, with 50,000 credits granted once and the same platform capabilities as Pro. Zapier's free plan renews 100 tasks every month but allows only two-step Zaps.
How many users do Zapier and Workato allow?
Zapier Professional has 1 seat and Team has 25 users. Workato Pro allows up to 3 users per workspace, and unlimited users need Enterprise.
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
Sources
Changelog
- Page published.