5 Best Free Alternatives to Relay.app in 2026
By Noahlast updated
Compared: free alternatives to Relay.app
| Alternative | Best for | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relay.appreference | no current use: Relay.app shut down on September 14, 2026; this record is for teams replacing its human-in-the-loop workflows | Low | Pricing not verified |
| Zapier | non-developers and small operations teams who need to connect thousands of different apps through simple trigger-action automations, without engineering resources | Low | Free tier · paid from $19.99/mo |
| Make | operations, marketing, and IT teams that need visual, branching automation workflows across 3,000+ apps, beyond what simpler linear automation tools support | Moderate | Free tier · paid from $12/mo |
| n8n | technical teams that want to mix visual workflow building with custom code, either self-hosted for full control or on cloud paying per execution instead of per step | Moderate | Free |
| Pipedream | developers who want code-level control (Python, Node.js, Bash, or Go) inside no-code-style workflow automation, and teams building AI agents against thousands of APIs | Moderate | Free |
| Activepieces | engineering-adjacent teams that want Zapier-style automation but need self-hosting, EU data residency, or freedom from per-task pricing (Activepieces does not currently hold SOC 2 certification; its FAQ says the program is in progress) | Moderate | Free tier · paid from $16/mo |
Relay.app
Zapier
Make
n8n
Pipedream
Activepieces1Zapier — best Relay.app alternative for non-developers and small operations teams who need to connect thousands of different apps through simple trigger-action automations, without engineering resources
Zapier is the best place for non-developers to rebuild Relay.app automations, now that Relay.app has shut down and permanently deleted every account, workflow and run history. Relay.app connected 200+ apps; Zapier has the largest pre-built integration library in workflow automation, with thousands of connectors, so most apps a Relay.app workflow touched can be connected without custom API work. Zapier's Free plan runs two-step Zaps on 100 tasks a month, and Professional costs $19.99/month billed annually for 750 tasks, within a dollar of Relay.app's final $19/month Professional plan. Professional adds multi-step Zaps, filters, paths, webhooks and AI fields. Zapier also holds 4.7/5 from 3,069 Capterra reviews, the deepest review base here. Zapier is the wrong rebuild target for teams whose Relay.app workflows paused for a teammate to approve, enter data or review AI output, because Zapier's listing names no human-in-the-loop step; n8n is the closer match there. Zapier also meters every action as a task, unused tasks do not roll over, and moving from 750 to 2,000 tasks on Professional roughly doubles the bill.
Compared to Relay.app: still operating where Relay.app shut down and deleted all accounts and data in September 2026, thousands of pre-built connectors against the 200+ apps Relay.app connected, no human-in-the-loop approval step named in Zapier's listing
Wins:Still operating with current published pricing, where Relay.app ended service on September 14, 2026 and permanently deleted all accounts, workflows and run history · Thousands of pre-built app connectors, against the 200+ apps Relay.app connected · 4.7/5 from 3,069 Capterra reviews, the deepest review base among Relay.app's replacements
Loses:No human-in-the-loop approval, data-entry or AI-review step is named in Zapier's listing, the feature that set Relay.app apart · Free plan allows 100 tasks a month on two-step Zaps only, where Relay.app's final Free plan included 200 steps and 500 AI credits a month · Every action counts as a task, unused tasks do not roll over, and moving from 750 to 2,000 tasks on Professional roughly doubles the monthly bill
Pros
- Free plan supports real two-step automations, not just a trial, at 100 tasks/month.
- Broadest app-integration library among no-code automation tools, covering thousands of connectors.
- AI-assisted Zap building and AI fields reduce the manual setup needed for common workflows.
- Multi-step Zaps with filters, paths, and webhooks cover moderately complex logic without custom code.
Cons
- Task-based pricing means cost scales directly with automation volume, and high-frequency workflows can get expensive fast.
- Unused monthly tasks don't roll over, unlike some competitors' credit systems.
- Team and Enterprise features like SSO and shared workflows require a meaningful jump in monthly cost over Professional.
- Complex multi-branch logic can be harder to debug in Zapier's linear Zap editor than in visual-flow competitors like Make.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $19.99/mo — $19.99/month Professional billed annually (750 tasks) vs Relay.app's final $19/month Professional on annual billing; Zapier Team at $69/month billed annually (25 users) vs Relay.app Team at $59/month (10 users) (verified )
2Make — best Relay.app alternative for operations, marketing, and IT teams that need visual, branching automation workflows across 3,000+ apps, beyond what simpler linear automation tools support
Make is the Relay.app replacement for operations, marketing and IT teams whose workflows branched, looped or waited, now that Relay.app has shut down and deleted all accounts and data. Relay.app's visual editor handled conditional paths, loops and waits. Make's canvas scenario builder covers the same multi-path logic with routers, filters and error handling, and Maia, Make's natural-language assistant, drafts automations from a plain description, close to how Relay.app's chat-first AI builder worked. Make connects 3,000+ apps against Relay.app's 200+ and holds 4.8/5 from 408 Capterra reviews. The Free plan gives 1,000 operations a month, and Core costs $12/month billed annually for 10,000 operations, $7 under Relay.app's final $19/month Professional plan. Make is a weaker rebuild target for teams that relied on Relay.app's human-in-the-loop steps, because Make's listing names no approval or review step. Make's learning curve is also rated moderate where Relay.app's was low, its listed prices are annual rates with monthly billing costing more, and the Free plan runs scenarios no more often than every 15 minutes.
Compared to Relay.app: a canvas builder with routers and filters for the branching logic Relay.app's editor handled, 3,000+ apps against the 200+ Relay.app connected, Core at $12/month billed annually against Relay.app's final $19/month Professional plan
Wins:Canvas scenario builder with routers, filters and error handling covers the conditional paths and loops Relay.app workflows used, and Maia drafts scenarios from plain language · 3,000+ app integrations against the 200+ Relay.app connected, with 4.8/5 from 408 Capterra reviews · Core at $12/month billed annually for 10,000 operations, $7 below Relay.app's final $19/month Professional plan, plus a 1,000-operation Free plan
Loses:No human-in-the-loop approval or review step is named in Make's listing, the feature Relay.app was built around · Moderate learning curve against Relay.app's low one, and complex branching scenarios take real time to learn · Free plan runs scenarios at a 15-minute minimum interval, and listed prices are annual rates, with monthly billing costing more
Pros
- Visual scenario builder supports branching, routers, and filters for genuinely complex multi-path automations.
- 3,000+ app integrations cover most common business tools out of the box.
- Free tier (1,000 ops/month) is enough to build and test real automations before paying.
- Core plan starts at $12/month, undercutting some competitors for lower-volume users.
Cons
- Operation-credit pricing means complex or high-volume scenarios can burn through a plan's monthly allowance quickly.
- Listed tier prices are annual-billing rates; paying monthly costs more.
- Complex branching scenarios have a real learning curve for non-technical users.
- Free plan's 15-minute minimum interval between scenario runs limits near-real-time automation.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $12/mo — $12/month Core billed annually (10,000 operations) vs Relay.app's final $19/month Professional on annual billing; Make Teams from $38/month billed annually vs Relay.app Team at $59/month (10 users) (verified )
3n8n — best Relay.app alternative for technical teams that want to mix visual workflow building with custom code, either self-hosted for full control or on cloud paying per execution instead of per step
n8n is the closest replacement for the feature that defined Relay.app, now that Relay.app has shut down and permanently deleted its customers' workflows. Relay.app let a workflow pause for a teammate to approve, enter data or review AI output; n8n's listing names multi-agent AI workflows with human-in-the-loop approval, the only alternative here that does. n8n bills per full workflow execution rather than per step, where Relay.app's plans counted steps (200 a month on its final Free plan), so long workflows do not multiply cost. Cloud Starter is €20/month billed annually for 2,500 executions with unlimited users and workflows, and the Community edition self-hosts free via Docker, keeping workflows on your own servers. Any n8n node can also run custom JavaScript or Python. n8n holds 4.6/5 from 48 Capterra reviews. n8n is a harder move for the non-technical teams Relay.app served: n8n's learning curve is rated moderate against Relay.app's low, n8n connects 500+ apps, more than Relay.app's 200+ but far fewer than Make's 3,000+, cloud prices are in euros and jump from €50/month Pro to €667/month Business, and self-hosting means running Docker yourself.
Compared to Relay.app: human-in-the-loop approval in AI workflows, the feature Relay.app was built around, billing per full workflow execution where Relay.app counted steps, a free self-hosted Community edition that keeps workflows on your own servers
Wins:Human-in-the-loop approval in multi-agent AI workflows; n8n is the only alternative here whose listing names the feature Relay.app was built around · Bills per full workflow execution, not per step, where Relay.app's plans metered steps (200 a month on its final Free plan) · Free self-hosted Community edition via Docker keeps workflows on your own servers, and any node can run custom JavaScript or Python
Loses:Moderate learning curve against Relay.app's low one, and code nodes assume some technical skill · 500+ app integrations, more than Relay.app's 200+ but far fewer than Make's 3,000+ or Zapier's thousands · Cloud prices are in euros and jump from €50/month Pro to €667/month Business, and self-hosting means running Docker, updates and scaling yourself
Pros
- Bills per full workflow execution, not per step, which can be cheaper than per-task pricing for complex automations.
- Free, fully-featured self-hosted Community edition via Docker with the complete automation engine.
- Every node can be extended or replaced with custom JavaScript or Python code.
- 500+ pre-built app integrations plus native support for building multi-agent AI workflows with human-in-the-loop steps.
Cons
- Large price jump between Pro (€50/month) and Business (€667/month) cloud tiers, with nothing in between.
- Sustainable Use License is not OSI-approved open source; enterprise features require a separate commercial license even for self-hosted use.
- Self-hosting requires managing your own Docker infrastructure, updates, and scaling, unlike a fully managed cloud automation tool.
- Visual canvas can get cluttered on large workflows with many branches and custom code nodes.
Pricing: Free — €20/month Starter billed annually (2,500 executions, unlimited users) vs Relay.app's final $19/month Professional on annual billing; the self-hosted Community edition is free (verified )
4Pipedream — best Relay.app alternative for developers who want code-level control (Python, Node.js, Bash, or Go) inside no-code-style workflow automation, and teams building AI agents against thousands of APIs
Pipedream is the Relay.app replacement for developers who want to write code where a no-code step falls short, now that Relay.app has shut down and deleted all accounts and data. Any Pipedream step can run Python, Node.js, Bash or Go next to no-code connectors, with 1,000+ pre-built integrations, managed authentication, and built-in queues, data stores and private networks. Relay.app published workflows as custom MCP servers for assistants such as ChatGPT or Claude; Pipedream runs MCP servers exposing 10,000+ tools to AI agents and includes an AI agent builder. Pipedream's core workflow engine is open source on GitHub, and the platform is SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR compliant. Pipedream is a poor fit for the non-technical teams Relay.app served. Pipedream's learning curve is rated moderate against Relay.app's low, code steps assume programming ability, and Pipedream's listing names no human-in-the-loop step. The Free plan's daily execution credit cap suits evaluation rather than production, and paid prices could not be confirmed because the pricing page renders client-side, where Relay.app published $19 and $59 plans. Pipedream's 5.0/5 rating rests on 6 Capterra reviews.
Compared to Relay.app: Python, Node.js, Bash or Go in any step where Relay.app was a no-code builder, MCP servers exposing 10,000+ tools where Relay.app published workflows as custom MCP servers, paid prices unconfirmed where Relay.app published $19 and $59 plans
Wins:Any step can run Python, Node.js, Bash or Go next to no-code connectors, where Relay.app was a no-code builder · MCP servers expose 10,000+ tools to AI agents, alongside an AI agent builder, queues and data stores · Open-source core workflow engine plus SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR compliance
Loses:No human-in-the-loop approval step is named in Pipedream's listing, the feature Relay.app was built around · Moderate learning curve against Relay.app's low one, and code steps assume programming ability · Paid prices could not be confirmed because the pricing page renders client-side, the Free plan's daily credit cap suits evaluation rather than production, and the 5.0/5 rating rests on 6 Capterra reviews
Pros
- Mixes no-code app connectors with real code (Python, Node.js, Bash, Go) in the same workflow step.
- 1,000+ pre-built integrations and managed authentication across connected services.
- MCP servers expose 10,000+ tools for AI agent workflows out of the box.
- Core workflow engine is open source, and the platform is SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliant.
Cons
- Credit-based paid pricing is hard to estimate before building, since the pricing page isn't published as static, comparable numbers.
- Free plan's daily execution credit cap limits it to light usage or evaluation, not production workloads.
- Writing custom code steps assumes at least basic programming ability, a steeper ask than pure no-code tools for non-technical users.
Pricing: Free — Free with a daily execution credit cap and unconfirmed credit-based paid tiers vs Relay.app's final Free plan (200 steps and 500 AI credits a month) and $19/month Professional
5Activepieces — best Relay.app alternative for engineering-adjacent teams that want Zapier-style automation but need self-hosting, EU data residency, or freedom from per-task pricing (Activepieces does not currently hold SOC 2 certification; its FAQ says the program is in progress)
Activepieces is the Relay.app replacement that matches the most of its feature list on one free cloud plan, now that Relay.app has shut down and permanently deleted every account. Relay.app combined a chat-first AI builder, built-in Tables and custom MCP servers; Activepieces' cloud Free plan lists chat-to-automation, AI agents, tables, MCP and API access with unlimited flows and no card required. Plus costs $16/month billed yearly for up to 5 users, $3 under Relay.app's final $19/month Professional plan, and the MIT-licensed Community Edition self-hosts free via Docker or Helm with unlimited flows, runs and users. Activepieces connects 700+ apps against Relay.app's 200+, with 60% of those pieces community-contributed, and its GitHub repo has 23.9k stars. Activepieces is the wrong pick for teams that relied on Relay.app's human-in-the-loop steps, since Activepieces' listing names no approval step. Self-hosting Activepieces to avoid another shutdown is also a weaker deal, because the free Community Edition drops AI agents, chat-to-automation, tables, MCP and API access. Team jumps to $166/month for 25 users, and the 5.0/5 rating rests on 7 Product Hunt reviews.
Compared to Relay.app: chat-to-automation, tables and MCP on a free cloud plan like Relay.app's chat-first builder and Tables, free MIT-licensed self-hosting where Relay.app's hosted service deleted all data at shutdown, no human-in-the-loop approval step named in Activepieces' listing
Wins:Cloud Free plan lists chat-to-automation, AI agents, tables, MCP and API access with unlimited flows, the closest match here to Relay.app's chat-first builder, Tables and MCP servers · MIT-licensed Community Edition self-hosts free via Docker or Helm with unlimited flows, runs and users · 700+ integrations against Relay.app's 200+, and Plus at $16/month billed yearly undercuts Relay.app's final $19/month Professional plan
Loses:No human-in-the-loop approval step is named in Activepieces' listing, the feature Relay.app was built around · The free self-hosted edition drops AI agents, chat-to-automation, tables, MCP and API access, along with SSO and audit logs · Team jumps to $166/month for 25 users from the 5-user Plus plan, and the 5.0/5 rating rests on only 7 Product Hunt reviews
Pros
- MIT-licensed Community Edition is genuinely free to self-host with unlimited flows, runs, and users.
- 700+ integrations including Gmail, Slack, HubSpot, and OpenAI, with 60% of pieces community-contributed.
- SOC 2 Type II and GDPR-compliant cloud hosting for teams that need it without self-hosting.
- AI agent builder and chat-to-automation for turning natural-language requests into flows.
Cons
- AI agents, chat automation, and API access are withheld from the free self-hosted edition.
- Team plan jumps to $166/month for 25 users, a steep step up from the $16/month Plus tier's 5-user cap.
- Enterprise features (SCIM, custom roles, audit logs) require contacting sales for custom Ultimate pricing.
- Younger project than Zapier or Make, so its integration library, while growing fast, is smaller than established competitors.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $16/mo — $16/month Plus billed yearly (up to 5 users) vs Relay.app's final $19/month Professional on annual billing; Activepieces Team at $166/month billed yearly (25 users) vs Relay.app Team at $59/month (10 users) (verified )