Eleven automation tools connect your apps and run workflows without a subscription — seven hosted free plans and four open-source applications. Free automation is rationed by tasks, credits or steps per month, from 100 to unlimited, and the open-source tools run unlimited workflows on your own server. The table leads with the monthly quota. Prices are USD and were checked on 21 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free automation plan that fits
- Hosted, no card, open source underneath: Activepieces — 1,000 credits a month with unlimited flows free forever; MIT-licensed if you want to self-host.
- Unlimited, self-hosted, AI-ready: n8n — unlimited workflows on your own server; its cloud is paid from €20.
- Visual multi-step scenarios: Make — 1,000 credits a month on the visual builder.
- The brand everyone knows: Zapier — 100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps only.
Which workflow automation tools tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool on this page runs event-triggered workflows between apps indefinitely without a subscription. Seven are hosted free plans (Zapier, Make, IFTTT, Pipedream, Pabbly Connect, Integrately, Relay.app) and four are open source or source-available (Activepieces, n8n, Windmill, Huginn), two of which also offer a free hosted tier. We excluded Microsoft Power Automate, whose pricing page shows only a 30-day trial.
Free automation is rationed by a monthly unit — tasks (Zapier, Pabbly, Integrately 100), credits (Make and Activepieces 1,000), steps (Relay 100) — and by shape: Zapier’s free plan allows two-step Zaps only, Pabbly two workflows of two steps, IFTTT two applets. The unit names are not comparable across vendors, so the Scorecards state each vendor’s definition.
The table shows the one limit most likely to push you to a paid plan, whether a card is needed to start, and the Free Score. The rows below open into the full Scorecard with every limit, the upgrade trigger, the cheapest paid step and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A |
Open source | 1,000 credits/mo · unlimited flows | No | 92 | Scorecard ↓ |
| n |
Open source | Self-hosted unlimited · cloud paid | No | 88 | Scorecard ↓ |
| M |
Free forever | 1,000 credits/mo | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Open source | Self-hosted · 50 users · unlimited runs | No | 80 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 100 tasks/mo · 2-step only | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | Development-only credits · count unstated | No | 72 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | 100 tasks/mo · 2 workflows · 2 steps | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| I |
Free forever | 100 tasks/mo · 15-min interval | No | 68 | Scorecard ↓ |
| R |
Free forever | 100 steps/mo · free GPT-4o | No | 66 | Scorecard ↓ |
| H |
Open source | Self-hosted · no vendor | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| I |
Free forever | 2 applets | No | 56 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 21 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free automation plan plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1A
ActivepiecesUS · 1,000 credits a month with unlimited flows free forever on the cloud, no card; MIT-licensed community edition to self-hostOpen source1,000 credits/mo · unlimited flowsNo card92⌄
- What’s free
- Cloud Free: 1,000 credits per month, unlimited flows, free forever with no card; Community Edition open source under MIT
- Hard limits
- 1,000 credits/month (the page says ‘daily’ reset in one place and monthly in another)
- Time limit
- Unlimited (free forever)
- Card required
- No. The page states free forever, no card.
- Upgrade trigger
- Credit 1,001 in a month
- Cheapest paid step
- Plus $20/month flat, 10,000 credits
- Best free for
- A small team that wants a Zapier-shaped tool with ten times the free quota, and the option to self-host
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · activepieces.com/pricing · github.com/activepieces
2n
n8nGermany · unlimited workflows self-hosted under a source-available license; the tool of choice for AI and agent automationsOpen sourceSelf-hosted unlimited · cloud paidNo card88⌄
- What’s free
- Self-hosted n8n: unlimited workflows and executions on your own server, 400+ integrations, code nodes, AI and agent nodes
- Hard limits
- Self-hosted: none stated · cloud trial 1,000 executions and 5 concurrent · Sustainable Use License, not OSI open source (per the project’s own naming; the license page did not load)
- Time limit
- Unlimited self-hosted
- Card required
- No. Self-hosted.
- Upgrade trigger
- Wanting n8n Cloud
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter €20/month billed annually, 2,500 executions
- Best free for
- A technical team that wants unlimited automation and AI workflows on its own infrastructure
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · n8n.io/pricing · github.com/n8n-io (license page URL returned 404)
Why it ranks here. The most capable tool on this list and free without limit if you run it. There is no free cloud tier, the license is source-available rather than open source, and the license page returned a 404 on the verification date — all reflected in friction.
3M
MakeCzech Republic · the visual scenario builder, free for 1,000 credits a monthFree forever1,000 credits/moNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: 1,000 credits per month on the visual scenario builder with multi-step scenarios, routers and filters
- Hard limits
- 1,000 credits/month · active-scenario and interval limits not stated in the text we could read · Make now bills in credits rather than operations
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Credit 1,001 in a month
- Cheapest paid step
- Core: price not shown in the page text we could read
- Best free for
- Anyone who wants multi-step automations with branching on a free plan
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · make.com/en/pricing (plan cards did not render)
Why it ranks here. Multi-step scenarios free is what Zapier withholds, and the quota is ten times Zapier’s. The pricing page rendered no plan cards to our fetch, so the paid price and the scenario limits are unverified and flagged.
4W
WindmillUS · an open-source platform for scripts, flows and apps with unlimited executions self-hosted, built for engineering teamsOpen sourceSelf-hosted · 50 users · unlimited runsNo card80⌄
- What’s free
- Community Edition: free and open source, unlimited executions, self-hosted; AGPLv3 and Apache-2 sources with free-to-use proprietary features
- Hard limits
- Max 50 users (10 with SSO) · 3 workspaces · 4 groups · 100 guest users per 30 days · cloud free-tier limits not separately stated
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- A commercial license or enterprise features
- Cheapest paid step
- Enterprise from $120/month ($20 per developer seat plus compute units)
- Best free for
- An engineering team that writes automations in Python or TypeScript and wants a scheduler and UI around them
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · windmill.dev/pricing · github.com/windmill-labs
Why it ranks here. A developer platform more than a no-code tool, which the core-job score reflects; unlimited runs and a 50-user cap make it the most generous self-hosted option for a team that codes.
5Z
ZapierUS · the category’s brand: unlimited two-step Zaps, Tables and Forms, with 100 tasks a month and 15-minute pollingFree forever100 tasks/mo · 2-step onlyNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Free: unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms with 100 tasks per month, two-step Zaps, 15-minute update time
- Hard limits
- 100 tasks/month · two-step Zaps only · 15-minute polling
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated for Free; the 14-day Professional trial needs no card.
- Upgrade trigger
- A multi-step Zap or task 101
- Cheapest paid step
- Professional from $19.99/month monthly (yearly saves 33%; annual price not shown in the page text)
- Best free for
- A simple two-app connection that fires a few times a day, with the widest app library
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zapier.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The largest integration library and the smallest useful quota: 100 tasks and no multi-step. For one trigger and one action it is fine; the moment you need a filter in between, it is $19.99.
6P
PipedreamUS · code-level workflows with a free development tier, no card; production use needs a paid planFree foreverDevelopment-only credits · count unstatedNo card72⌄
- What’s free
- Free: no credit card required; usage credits for development only; Node, Python, Go and Bash steps, 2,000+ integrations
- Hard limits
- Credit count not stated · development only
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No. The page states free, no credit card required.
- Upgrade trigger
- Running workflows in production
- Cheapest paid step
- Startup $99/month annual ($150 monthly), 10,000 credits
- Best free for
- A developer prototyping code-level workflows before paying for production
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · pipedream.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Powerful and explicit about being a sandbox: the free tier is for development, and the first production plan is $99. The free credit count is not published, which costs capacity and friction points.
7P
Pabbly ConnectIndia · 100 tasks a month across two two-step workflows free, no card, with lifetime plans sold in rupeesFree forever100 tasks/mo · 2 workflows · 2 stepsNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 100 tasks per month, up to 2 workflows with up to 2 steps each, no credit card
- Hard limits
- 100 tasks/month · 2 workflows · 2 steps
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- No. The page states no credit card is required.
- Upgrade trigger
- Task 101 or a third workflow
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard ₹1,138/month on a three-year plan, 10,000 tasks (USD not shown); lifetime plans from ₹32,799
- Best free for
- A budget user who will buy a lifetime plan once two workflows are not enough
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · pabbly.com/connect/pricing (INR shown)
Why it ranks here. Zapier’s free shape made smaller — two workflows — with the distinctive lifetime-deal path after. The page renders prices in rupees only.
8I
IntegratelyIndia · one-click prebuilt automations with 100 tasks a month freeFree forever100 tasks/mo · 15-min intervalNo card68⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 100 tasks, 15-minute update time, a small number of automations (the free-plan row is labelled ‘5’ without saying of what)
- Hard limits
- 100 tasks/month · 15-minute interval · the free row’s labels are ambiguous on the page
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Task 101
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $19.99/month billed annually, 2,000 tasks
- Best free for
- Someone who wants ready-made automations to switch on rather than build
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · integrately.com/pricing (free-row labels ambiguous)
Why it ranks here. The prebuilt library is the point; the free plan matches Zapier’s quota and its page does not clearly state what else is capped, which we flag.
9R
Relay.appUS · human-in-the-loop AI workflows with 100 steps a month and free GPT-4o usage on the free tierFree forever100 steps/mo · free GPT-4oNo card66⌄
- What’s free
- Free tier: 100 steps at $0 and free GPT-4o usage, approvals and human-in-the-loop steps
- Hard limits
- 100 steps/month (inferred from the pricing table)
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Step 101
- Cheapest paid step
- 750-step tier at $9 (likely annual) or $19.99 (likely monthly); the table does not label which
- Best free for
- A team that wants approval steps and AI inside automations
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · relay.app/pricing (table layout unclear)
Why it ranks here. A distinctive product whose pricing table was hard to read: the free steps and the paid billing basis are inferred from table order and flagged for re-verification.
10H
HuginnOpen source · agents that monitor and act on your behalf, MIT-licensed, self-hosted, no vendor and no supportOpen sourceSelf-hosted · no vendorNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- Self-hosted agents that watch feeds, sites and APIs and act on events; MIT license
- Hard limits
- None
- Time limit
- Unlimited (MIT license)
- Card required
- No.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- A developer who wants fully self-hosted monitoring agents and does not need a visual builder
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · github.com/huginn/huginn
Why it ranks here. Free and unlimited and a decade old, with no vendor, no hosted option and a programmer’s interface. Scored for capacity; not a substitute for the no-code tools above.
11I
IFTTTUS · two applets with unlimited runs free; a consumer tool with a $2.99 Pro planFree forever2 appletsNo card56⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 2 applets, standard speeds, unlimited applet runs, mobile app
- Hard limits
- 2 applets
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third applet
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $2.99/month, $35.88 billed annually
- Best free for
- Personal and smart-home automations, not business workflows
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · ifttt.com/plans
Why it ranks here. Two applets is a personal quota and the integration library is consumer-oriented. Listed because it appears in every search; ranked last for business use.
Which free automation plan has no credit-card requirement?
Activepieces, Pipedream and Pabbly Connect state that no card is needed; n8n, Windmill and Huginn are downloads. Zapier says it only for its trial; Make, Integrately, Relay and IFTTT do not state it, which we record as “not stated”. No free plan here converts to a paid one automatically.
Compare the quotas by what a unit means. Zapier, Pabbly and Integrately count tasks (one action run); Make and Activepieces count credits (one module or step execution, so a five-step scenario costs five); Relay counts steps. On that basis Activepieces’ and Make’s 1,000 credits still buy several times more than Zapier’s 100 tasks, and only Zapier and Pabbly restrict shape to two steps. Self-hosted n8n, Windmill and Huginn count nothing.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free automation plan fits your situation?
Small business, a few automations, no card
Activepieces Cloud Free. 1,000 credits and unlimited flows.
Technical team, unlimited and private
n8n self-hosted.
Need branching and routers free
Make, 1,000 credits.
One trigger, one action, obscure app
Zapier Free; the library is the reason.
Engineers who script their automations
Windmill Community Edition.
Approval steps with AI
Relay.app Free.
Which paid workflow automation providers can you move to?
When the free tier stops being enough, these are the providers in the Kurums Solutions Directory. Every company there is listed free and A–Z by our editors, with a buyer’s guide for the category — no one pays for a position.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, connecting two apps so that an event in one triggers an action in the other, without code. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 21 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
For each product we opened the pricing page and recorded the free tier’s stated limits, the cheapest paid plan and its billing basis, and the card requirement if stated. Make’s page rendered no plan cards, so its paid price and scenario limits are unverified; n8n’s license page returned a 404; Relay’s table layout left its free steps and paid billing basis inferred; Integrately’s free-row labels are ambiguous; Pabbly prices in rupees. All are flagged. Microsoft Power Automate was checked and excluded.
Prices are USD except n8n Cloud (EUR) and Pabbly (INR). We did not run workflows through these tools; the score measures the published free tier, not reliability.
Frequently asked questions
Which free automation tool allows the most runs?
Self-hosted n8n, Windmill and Huginn have no limit. Among hosted plans, Activepieces and Make allow 1,000 credits a month; Zapier, Pabbly and Integrately 100 tasks.
Does Zapier’s free plan allow multi-step Zaps?
No. Zapier Free allows two-step Zaps only, with 100 tasks a month. Make, Activepieces and Relay allow multi-step workflows free.
Is n8n free?
Self-hosted, yes, without limits under its Sustainable Use License. n8n Cloud has no free tier; Starter is €20 a month for 2,500 executions.
Is Make still measured in operations?
No. Make now bills in credits; the free plan is 1,000 credits a month. Older guides quoting operations are out of date.
Is Power Automate free with Microsoft 365?
Not according to its pricing page, which shows a 30-day trial and Premium at $15 a user; no free plan or M365 inclusion is stated there.
How is this different from the Best Automation Software comparison?
This list answers ‘where can I automate without paying’. The Best comparison answers ‘which one should I buy’. Both use the same no-sponsorship rule.
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