# Relay.app vs Zapier (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified October 23, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Do not choose Relay.app for new work: Relay.app shut down, ending free access on August 15, 2026 and paid access on September 14, 2026, and it no longer accepts customers. Choose Zapier if you need no-code automation across thousands of apps, with a free plan of 100 tasks/month and Professional from $19.99/month billed annually. The deciding factor is availability, and former Relay.app users who relied on human-in-the-loop approval of AI steps should confirm Zapier covers that pattern, since the Zapier listing data does not describe it.

**Choose Relay.app if:** Not for new work: Relay.app stopped accepting customers, and all paid access ended September 14, 2026; You are a former Relay.app customer rebuilding automations from its exports: workflows as JSON, run history, and stored tables as CSV; You need historical context: Relay.app paired AI prompt steps with human-in-the-loop review, so a person could approve or edit an AI-generated action before it ran

**Choose Zapier if:** You need an automation tool you can sign up for today: Zapier is active, with a free plan of 100 tasks/month on two-step Zaps; You want the largest pre-built integration library in no-code automation, with thousands of Zapier app connectors; You are moving off Relay.app and need multi-step workflows with filters, paths, and webhooks, which Zapier includes from Professional at $19.99/month billed annually for 750 tasks; Your team needs shared workflows and SAML SSO, which Zapier Team includes from $69/month billed annually for 25 users and 2,000 tasks; You want AI help building automations through Zapier's AI-assisted Zap building and AI fields, with Zapier Agents and Chatbots available as separately billed add-ons

## At a glance

|  | Relay.app | Zapier |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | Pricing not verified | Free tier · paid from $19.99/mo |
| License | — | Freemium |
| Best for | no current use: Relay.app shut down on September 14, 2026; this record is for teams replacing its human-in-the-loop workflows | non-developers and small operations teams who need to connect thousands of different apps through simple trigger-action automations, without engineering resources |
| Ratings | Product Hunt 5/5 (43 reviews) | Capterra 4.7/5 (3,069 reviews) |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Relay.app | Zapier |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Product status | No (shut down; paid access ended September 14, 2026) | Yes (active, pricing published) |
| Starting price | No (no pricing or sign-up) | Yes (free plan; Professional from $19.99/mo billed annually) |
| Free tier | No (free access ended August 15, 2026) | Yes (100 tasks/mo, two-step Zaps, unlimited Zaps) |
| Paid plans | No (discontinued; annual subscribers refunded pro rata) | Yes (Professional $19.99/mo (750 tasks), Team $69/mo (2,000 tasks), billed annually) |
| Pricing basis | No (discontinued) | Partial (metered by tasks; unused tasks do not roll over) |
| Platforms | No (formerly web; discontinued) | Yes (web) |
| License | No (formerly freemium; discontinued) | No (closed-source, freemium) |
| App integrations | No (discontinued; formerly app-to-app Workflows and Sequences) | Yes (thousands of pre-built connectors) |
| Multi-step workflows | No (discontinued) | Yes (from $19.99/mo (Professional); free plan limited to two steps) |
| AI workflow steps | No (discontinued; formerly AI prompt steps) | Yes (AI-assisted Zap building and AI fields) |
| Human approval of AI steps | No (discontinued; formerly Relay.app's standout feature) | Unknown |
| MCP server support | No (discontinued; formerly supported) | Unknown |
| Shared workflows and SSO | No (discontinued) | Yes (shared Zaps and SAML SSO from $69/mo (Team)) |
| Data export | No (JSON and CSV exports were offered only before shutoff) | Unknown |
| External rating | Partial (5/5 from 43 reviews (Product Hunt), before the shutdown) | Yes (4.7/5 from 3,069 reviews (Capterra)) |

## Is Relay.app still available?

No, Relay.app has shut down: free-user access ended August 15, 2026, paid access ended September 14, 2026, and the company no longer accepts new customers.

Relay.app announced the closure in mid-2026. Paying customers received a 60-day transition window with 25,000 monthly workflow steps and 10,000 AI credits during the wind-down, and annual subscribers received prorated refunds. Relay.app offered export tools for workflows as JSON, run history, and stored tables as CSV so customers could migrate before access ended.

## Can Zapier replace Relay.app?

Yes, Zapier can replace Relay.app for most app-to-app automations, since Zapier connects thousands of apps through multi-step Zaps with filters, paths, webhooks, and AI fields, but the Zapier listing data does not describe Relay.app's human-in-the-loop review of AI steps.

The Zapier listing data does not mention importing Relay.app exports, so former Relay.app users should plan to rebuild each workflow as a Zap, using the exported JSON as a reference. Teams whose Relay.app automations depended on a person approving an AI-generated action before it ran, or on MCP server support, should test that Zapier can reproduce the step before moving business-critical workflows.

## How much does Zapier cost for a former Relay.app user?

Zapier starts free for 100 tasks/month on two-step Zaps, and multi-step workflows like Relay.app's start on Zapier Professional at $19.99/month billed annually for 750 tasks, or $29.99 billed monthly.

Zapier Team costs $69/month billed annually, or $103.50 billed monthly, for 2,000 tasks, 25 users, shared Zaps, SAML SSO, and priority support. Professional pricing rises with task volume up to $2,199/month for 1 million tasks. Each action a Zap performs counts as one task, and unused tasks do not roll over, so teams that ran high-volume Relay.app workflows should count their monthly actions before picking a tier. Zapier Agents and Chatbots are billed separately from the task allowance.

## What did Relay.app do that Zapier may not?

Relay.app's standout was human-in-the-loop AI, where a person could review or edit an AI-generated step before it executed, and Relay.app also supported MCP servers; the Zapier listing data describes neither.

Zapier's documented AI features are AI-assisted Zap building, AI fields, and the separately billed Zapier Agents and Chatbots. Zapier's filters and conditional paths handle branching logic, though the Zapier listing notes complex multi-branch logic can be harder to debug in Zapier's linear editor than in visual-flow tools like Make.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### Relay.app

- Pro: Human-in-the-loop steps put an approval, data-entry or AI-review step anywhere in a workflow.
- Pro: A chat-first AI builder drafted workflows from a plain-language description, with a visual editor for manual changes.
- Pro: Connected 200+ apps and could publish workflows as custom MCP servers for AI assistants such as ChatGPT or Claude.
- Pro: Gave paying customers 60 days of free access, extra steps and AI credits, and JSON/CSV export tools during the wind-down.
- Con: Shut down in September 2026; there is no product, account or pricing left.
- Con: All accounts, workflows and run history were permanently deleted after the wind-down deadlines.
- Con: Exports covered workflow definitions, run history and tables, but every automation had to be rebuilt by hand in another tool.

### Zapier

- Pro: Free plan supports real two-step automations, not just a trial, at 100 tasks/month.
- Pro: Broadest app-integration library among no-code automation tools, covering thousands of connectors.
- Pro: AI-assisted Zap building and AI fields reduce the manual setup needed for common workflows.
- Pro: Multi-step Zaps with filters, paths, and webhooks cover moderately complex logic without custom code.
- Con: Task-based pricing means cost scales directly with automation volume, and high-frequency workflows can get expensive fast.
- Con: Unused monthly tasks don't roll over, unlike some competitors' credit systems.
- Con: Team and Enterprise features like SSO and shared workflows require a meaningful jump in monthly cost over Professional.
- Con: Complex multi-branch logic can be harder to debug in Zapier's linear Zap editor than in visual-flow competitors like Make.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Team starting new no-code automation work today | Zapier | Zapier is active with a free plan and published pricing, while Relay.app ended all access on September 14, 2026 and accepts no new customers. |
| Former Relay.app customer rebuilding multi-step workflows | Zapier | Zapier Professional adds multi-step Zaps with filters, paths, and webhooks at $19.99/month billed annually, and exported Relay.app workflows can serve as a reference for the rebuild. |
| Small business connecting a form to a CRM on a zero budget | Zapier | Zapier's Free plan runs two-step Zaps for 100 tasks/month at no cost; Relay.app's free access ended August 15, 2026. |
| Team that requires a person to approve AI-generated actions before they run | Tie | Neither is confirmed: Relay.app offered this review step but has shut down, and the Zapier listing data does not describe an approval step for AI actions. |
| Former Relay.app user trying to recover workflows after shutoff | Tie | Neither can help: Relay.app offered JSON and CSV exports only before access ended on September 14, 2026, and the listing data describes no recovery path after that date. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use Relay.app or Zapier?

Use Zapier, because Relay.app shut down and ended all paid access on September 14, 2026. Zapier is an active no-code automation platform with a free plan of 100 tasks/month and paid plans from $19.99/month billed annually.

### Is Relay.app cheaper than Zapier?

Relay.app has no price because it no longer sells subscriptions, and its annual subscribers received prorated refunds. Zapier is free for 100 tasks/month, with Professional from $19.99/month and Team from $69/month, both billed annually.

### Can Zapier replace Relay.app?

Yes for most app-to-app automations, since Zapier connects thousands of apps with multi-step Zaps, filters, paths, webhooks, and AI fields. The Zapier listing data does not describe Relay.app's human-in-the-loop review of AI steps or its MCP server support.

### When did Relay.app shut down?

Relay.app ended free-user access on August 15, 2026 and paid-customer access on September 14, 2026, after announcing the closure in mid-2026. Paying customers got a 60-day transition window with 25,000 monthly workflow steps and 10,000 AI credits.

### Can I still export my Relay.app workflows?

No, Relay.app offered exports of workflows as JSON, run history, and stored tables as CSV only until paid access ended on September 14, 2026. Former customers who saved those files can use them as a reference when rebuilding automations in Zapier.

## Neither a match?

- 5 alternatives to Relay.app: https://findalternative.to/relay-app
- 4 alternatives to Zapier: https://findalternative.to/zapier

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