Runflow and Zapier: connecting apps is one thing, operating an agent is another.
No-code automation across thousands of apps, billed per task. Where it stops and where the agent begins.
In one paragraph.
Zapier is the fastest way to connect two apps without writing code, and at that it is hard to beat. The limit shows up when the process stops being a sequence of steps and starts to require judgment, when the system that matters is the ERP running in-house, and when the operation has to prove every decision to an auditor.
Zapier and Runflow.
The comparison is about the delivery model, not about a feature list. Features change month to month; who builds it, who sustains it and how it is billed is what decides the project.
| Zapier | Runflow | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A no-code automation platform connecting more than 9,000 apps, in Zapier's own description. | An AI agent orchestration platform, plus the Forward Deployed engineers who deploy it with your team. |
| Who builds what goes to production | Your team, assembling the Zap step by step. | Our engineers, inside your operation, building alongside your team. |
| What happens after go-live | Your team maintains and tunes it. | We stay in the tuning cycle after go-live, and your team takes over whenever it wants to. |
| Integration with the systems that run the business | A broad catalog of cloud apps. | More than 150 connectors for ERP, CRM, APIs and channels, including the legacy systems and the ones that only exist in Brazil. |
| Governance for regulated sectors | Account controls and execution history for the Zaps. | A per-decision trail with replay, human approval at the risk points and cost by team, ready to use. |
| How it is billed | By tasks consumed from the monthly allowance, with plans by feature tier. Agents and chatbots have their own billing unit. | By scope, defined in the free assessment. No hidden setup fee. |
| Where the data runs | A cloud service. The plans page does not offer self-hosting. | Your cloud, with your own keys, or operated by Runflow. Per-client isolation and compliance with the LGPD, Brazil's data protection law. |
We are not always the answer.
When Zapier is the right choice
- What you need is to connect two cloud apps, fast and without a technical team.
- The volume is low and the process is standard, with no exception that requires judgment.
- Nobody is going to ask for that process's audit trail.
- You want to start today, without a project.
When Runflow is the right choice
- The process runs inside the ERP, the CRM and the official WhatsApp, not only between cloud apps.
- The case requires interpreting the customer's request and deciding, not just moving data from one place to another.
- A regulated sector: SUSEP, Brazil's insurance regulator, ANS, the health regulator, professional secrecy, the LGPD with per-client isolation.
- The data cannot leave your environment.
In practice the two coexist, and that is how we recommend it. The deterministic path stays in the tool you already use, and the agent takes on what requires interpretation. Runflow integrates with whatever is already running.
What changed in a real operation.
Osten Group
+30%
in contact-to-visit conversion, with the first-contact team going from 7 people to 2.
PX Ativos Judiciais
4% to 10%
conversion on first contact, roughly R$ 1.5 million converted over the year without growing the team.
Vero
R$ 2 million
saved on overtime.
You are evaluating more than one.
Information about Zapier according to the public material at zapier.com, accessed on August 24, 2026.
Bring a real process and see what changes.
In a no-cost conversation with an expert, we look at the process you have today and tell you plainly whether the case calls for an agent or whether the tool you already use solves it.