<p><img src="https://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5f9856c40c60aa00190d4906-2400/GettyImages-1252473576.jpg" border="0" alt="person using desktop laptop tablet at home work office computer" data-mce-source="MoMo Productions/Getty Images"></p><p></p><bi-shortcode id="summary-shortcode" data-type="summary-shortcode" class="mceNonEditable" contenteditable="false">Summary List Placement</bi-shortcode><p>On the Zapier website, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/zapier">Zapier</a> describes itself as "the glue that connects thousands of web apps." At its essence, Zapier is an automation tool that lets you easily create workflows by linking productivity apps and services together with sets of if/then commands. In this way, it's not unlike IFTTT (If This Then That), a similar tool that links unrelated services togetherthough Zapier is more focused on business and productivity applications, while IFTTT leans into smart devices and the Internet of Things. </p><h2><strong>How Zapier works</strong></h2><p>You use Zapier's web interface to create commands called zaps. Each zap is composed of two main parts: a trigger and an action. </p><p>The trigger is the event that kicks off the zapin programming lingo, you can think of it as the "if this happens" part of the operation. Zapier works with more than 2,000 apps and services, so there are countless triggers you can base a zap on. </p><p>The action is the event that completes the zap. It's the "then do this" part of the command and the automation that simplifies your task or workflow. For example, a zap might be written to create an event on a Google Calendar based on every new Trello card that gets added to your board, or a zap might create a to-do list in an app like Todoist based on emails you star or flag in Gmail. </p><p><img src="https://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5ffe179ea8de7700187d380a-2015/WhatisZapier-1.png" border="0" alt="What_is_Zapier 1" data-mce-source="Dave Johnson/Business Insider" data-mce-caption="Every zap is really just a trigger and an action."></p><p>When a zap runs, it processes a piece of data. Every time that happens, it counts as a task. This is important because Zapier's pricing tiers are largely based on how many tasks you run each month. </p><p>Zapier isn't a traditional programming environment and you don't need to have any knowledge of programming to use Zapier. It's more like a simplified macro editor, in which the only thing you need to do is specify the trigger and action and fill in the details of exactly how the zap should work. Zaps aren't difficult to create and they can mostly be made by selecting options from dropdown menus. But Zapier gives you the ability to extensively customize zaps, as well as to create multi-step zaps (if you pay for one of the premium subscriptions levels). </p><h2><strong>How to get started with Zapier</strong></h2><p>If you don't yet have a Zapier account, go to <a href="https://zapier.com/">Zapier.com</a> and click "Get Started Free." </p><p>Once you have a Zapier account, you should see the main screen, which is Zapier's dashboard. This is where you can see your existing zaps, create new ones and work with existing templates. Hover the mouse on the left side of the screen to see options to make a new zap, see your existing zaps, see apps and services you've connected to Zapier, and more. </p><p><img src="https://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5ffe1899a8de7700187d3815-2009/WhatisZapier-2.png" border="0" alt="What_is_Zapier 2" data-mce-source="Dave Johnson/Business Insider" data-mce-caption="The Zapier dashboard is where you create zaps and manage your existing ones."></p><p>To make a new zap, move the mouse over the plus button at the top left and click "Make a Zap."</p><p>Follow the instructions to build your zap. Start by choosing the app you want to set as a triggerfor example, if you want to perform an action when you "star" an email, choose "Gmail" and then set "New Starred Email" as the trigger event. After each step, click "Continue."</p><p>Click "Trigger" and specify what you want to happen when an email is starred. For example, you could click "OneNote" and then specify "Create Note in Section" to copy the information about the email to a specific section of OneNote. You'll need to also choose what information to copy there, such as the subject, email body, or sender. </p><p><img src="https://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5ffe1920fe7e140019f7e913-2003/WhatisZapier-3.png" border="0" alt="What_is_Zapier 3" data-mce-source="Dave Johnson/Business Insider" data-mce-caption="Zaps might seem intimidating at first, but they're easy to build if you follow each step."></p><p>When the zap is finished, you can click the buttons to test and then turn on the zap. </p><h2><strong>What Zapier costs</strong></h2><p>Zapier has several pricing plans, ranging from a free version to large enterprise deployments. While you can use Zapier for free, you don't get access to any of the "premium" app integrations. Zapier places about 60 apps behind the premium paywallpremium apps include Salesforce, Zendesk, PayPal, Pinterest, and Shopify. Here are the plans you can choose from:</p><p><strong>Free</strong>: You can use the free plan to explore Zapier and use it if your needs are very modest. You can use up to five single-step zaps that perform no more than 100 tasks per month. You can't use any "premium" apps or services. </p><p><strong>Starter</strong>: At $19.99 per month, the Starter plan limits you to 20 zaps and no more than 750 tasks per month. You can create multi-step zaps and can use up to three premium apps. (You can upgrade to 1,500 tasks per month for $39.)</p><p><strong>Professional</strong>: Starting at $49 per month, you can deploy unlimited zaps. This pay level gives you 2,000 tasks per month, but you can upgrade through four pay levels to 20,000 tasks per month for $189. </p><p><strong>Team</strong>: This tier starts at $299 per month for unlimited Zaps and 50,000 tasks per month. (There are multiple levels up to 2,000,000 tasks for $3,499 per month). This level includes a number of additional features including shared workspaces for team collaboration. </p><p><strong>Company</strong>: The highest tier starts at $599 per month for 100,000 tasks but scales up to $3,599 for 2,000,000 tasks. It includes advanced enterprise administrative features like single sign-on and account consolidation, as well as live training services.</p><h2>Related coverage from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-reference" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="4c86c1c3a45644bf07d168dc4c802e5e">Tech Reference</a>:</h2><ul><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-machine-learning" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="5820fb829761e66a137f425a61a2d768">What is machine learning' Here's what you need to know about the branch of artificial intelligence and its common applications</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-microsoft-authenticator" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="6af2e2923e3d3b80cc2e23ec3e61e1fe">What is Microsoft Authenticator' Here's what you need to know about the two-factor authentication app that can secure your online accounts</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-trello" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="9cbc4bc7aec0bfd528cb1508251e06d5">What is Trello' Here's what you need to know about the online project management tool</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-slack" data-analytics-position="18" data-analytics-module="" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="9f94711fedb80b2332a28df33171efa8">What is Slack' Everything you need to know about the professional messaging program</a></h3></li><li><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-microsoft-teams" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="16fa9a78682455aed48c8be155319b50">What is Microsoft Teams' Here's what you need to know about the workplace communication tool</a></h3></li></ul><p><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-from-home-essentials-hub'tht" >A guide to everything you need to work from home, according to product reviewers</a></strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-zapier#comments">Join the conversation about this story »</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pikes-peak-hill-climb-colorado-most-dangerous-racetrack-2020-2">Why Pikes Peak is the most dangerous racetrack in America</a></p>
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