Latenode
Latenode is a server-hosted solution, so you don't have to worry about the technical setup or maintenance of your scenarios:
The app version is always up to date.
The Latenode team fully monitors the infrastructure.
You can connect apps using OAuth without any barriers.
Latenode offers a unique and comprehensive free monthly package, including 500 execution credits, allowing up to 500 scenarios to be run entirely for free. The next tier, the Starter Package, is priced at only $19 and enhances the execution credits to 10,000.
Unlike Zapier, Latenode offers the advantage of not incurring additional charges for executing complex workflows that include numerous operations, steps, or tasks. With Latenode, there's no concept of Premium apps; all integrations are freely available to you. Financially, Latenode proves to be significantly more cost-effective - it's several hundred dollars less expensive each month, which adds up to thousands of dollars in annual savings. Our analysis yielded surprising results; in one particular use-case, Latenode was found to be 89.7 times more cost-efficient than Zapier.
Multi-step workflows and instant webhook execution across all pricing plans, eliminating the wait for an "update time" in simple 1-to-1 integrations.
Unlimited access to all tools, including JavaScript code with an in-built AI Assistant, on all paid plans and for all users during our Beta phase.
Headless browser capabilities for automating web interactions without an API. This includes parsing data from websites, taking screenshots, and more.
There are Locals (specific to a particular scenario) and Global (across the entire account) Variables, which can be set once or redefined in your scenarios as needed.
The ability to work with local and global variables within your custom JavaScript code. This task can and should be written by Latenode's AI, delegating the complex work.
Advanced error handling, allowing you to be proactive and define actions for when scenarios fail, a crucial aspect of running mission-critical processes.
The option to re-run failed scenarios with historical data, ensuring no detail is missed. This is particularly useful during the testing phase.
Flexibility to re-arrange workflows as desired, including changing the order of apps.
Scheduling execution and transforming data flexibly, from arrays to strings, parsing individual data pieces, and altering formats. Whatever you can conceive, Latenode makes it possible.
While Zapier is a functional tool for straightforward integrations, Latenode offers a range of features that is unparalleled. Using Latenode represents a significant upgrade, addressing the recurring challenges faced by users and businesses.
UI built for developers
In Latenode, an automation software like Zapier, you can write custom JavaScript code snippets to add, remove, and update the data you receive from a node. The Code node in Latenode gives you access to the incoming data, which you can manipulate. What’s really important is that in this Zapier-like platform, JavaScript code supports NPM packages, with over 1.2 million applications available within it. Ask AI to solve the task and see how NPM packages become integrated into your code.
Apart from the Latenode JavaScript, overall Latenode’s UI is closer to a developer’s own environment:
Use the Schedule Trigger node to run workflows at fixed intervals and times.
Implement multiple trigger nodes and wait for data.
Error notifications from the production version will always be sent to you via email, complete with their description.
Flexible array/string manipulation in Latenode could be requested via natural language.
Set and read the values of global and local variables directly within a JavaScript node.
Access the history of scenario changes and restore previous versions.
Run any of the scenario versions while keeping all the historical data intact.
Zapier
The Code Node feature in Zapier is a versatile step that can be integrated into your workflows, akin to other triggers or actions, with the unique capability of writing custom code in Python or JavaScript.
While Zapier does offer the functionality to embed code snippets into workflows, its scalability and sophistication are somewhat limited, particularly in areas like branching, looping, custom scripting, and making HTTP requests.
Zapier isn't ideally suited for highly complex workflows due to several constraints:
Code Steps can only output a maximum of 250 items.
The combined size of the code and the data it processes is capped at 6MB.
The platform does not support the use of external libraries, nor can you install or import libraries, often known as "npm modules".
The Webhook feature is exclusive to premium plans, and not every app is compatible with Zapier in terms of sending data back in a format that can be effectively utilized in subsequent workflow steps.
It's important to note that the Code app is a more advanced aspect of Zapier, and as such, the Zapier support team may not provide troubleshooting assistance for coding errors.