Relay.app vs Zapier
A 2026 side-by-side comparison of Relay.app and Zapier — pricing, key features, platforms, API access, and the trade-offs of each, based on data collected from their official sites.

Relay.app
A workflow automation platform that is currently winding down and shutting down in 2026.
Zapier
Automate work across 7,000+ apps with AI
Tagline
A workflow automation platform that is currently winding down and shutting down in 2026.
Automate work across 7,000+ apps with AI
Pricing
Rating
Platforms
API
Open source
Description
Relay.app is a workflow automation tool that is winding down its services. It will fully shut down on August 15, 2026 for free users and September 14, 2026 for paid customers. Existing users can export their workspaces, workflows, sequences, tables, and AI prompts during the wind-down period.
Zapier connects your apps and adds AI actions, agents, and chatbots to any workflow.
Key features
- Workflows
- Sequences
- MCP servers
- AI prompts
- Tables
- Run history
- Evals
- Guardrails
- Self-hostable
Pros
- Existing users can keep using Relay.app and running workflows through the end of the wind-down window.
- Users can export their workflows, sequences, and MCP servers as JSON files.
- Tables data can be exported as CSV files for seamless transition.
- Paid workspaces receive an additional 25,000 steps and 10,000 AI credits per month for free during the transition.
- Automatic prorated refunds are initiated for annual customers for the unused remainder of their billing period.
- Prorated refunds for annual customers are processed quickly within 5 business days.
- Paying customers get extended access for free for 60 days through September 14, 2026.
- Past invoices remain accessible to existing users via a dedicated link.
- 7,000+ app integrations
- No-code interface
- Built-in AI actions
- Multi-step workflows
- Huge template library
- Team collaboration
- Highly reliable execution
- Extensive documentation
Cons
- The service is permanently shutting down in August/September 2026.
- New signups for the platform are now turned off.
- Free-to-paid upgrades are no longer available for existing free accounts.
- All associated user data will be permanently deleted after the respective shutdown deadlines.
- No mobile application is referenced on the main page.
- No open-source code version or self-hosting options were listed.
- Task-based pricing gets expensive
- Slower than coded alternatives
- Limited advanced logic
- Debugging can be painful
- Many triggers are polling only
- Free tier restrictive
- Enterprise features gated
- Overkill for simple tasks
Pricing plans
- Free to buildUSD0
- • Gain access to Zapier Partner Program benefits
- • Tap into millions of existing users
- • Instantly connect your product to 9,000+ popular apps
Which one should you pick?
- Choose Relay.app if you need Workflows.
- Choose Zapier if you need Evals and API access.
- On budget: Relay.app is freemium, Zapier is freemium.