Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. You can connect two or more apps to automate repetitive tasks without coding or relying on developers to build the integration. This guide walks you through key concepts to help you get started with Zapier.
Action
An action is an event a Zap performs after it is triggered. For example, if you want to send a text message each time you receive an email, the action is Send a text message’ Learn more about using actions in Zaps.
Alpha
An app, feature, or product labeled “alpha” is still in active development and may change. It is only available to a limited number of users by invite.
App
An app is a web service or application, such as Google Docs, Slack, or Salesforce. Zapier offers integrations for over 7,000 apps, letting you move data between them or automate repetitive tasks. Explore the apps you can connect to Zapier.
Autoreplay
If you're on a Pro plan or higher and enable Autoreplay, Zapier will retry any Zap steps that fail due to temporary errors or downtime. Autoreplay will retry the step again immediately, and then a few more times if there is still an issue. If you're on a Pro plan or higher, you can manually replay Zap runs that fail or were not successful.
NoteAutoreplay is an account-wide setting. If it's enabled, it will work for all Zaps in the account. In Enterprise accounts:
- Only admins and owners can enable this feature for all Zaps in the account.
- Any member can override the Autoreplay setting for the account by enabling autoreplay for individual Zaps.
Beta
An app, feature, or product labeled “beta” is still in active development and may change. There are 2 kinds of betas:
- Open: available to all Zapier users.
- Closed: only available to members of Zapier’s Early Access program.
Filter
Filters can be added to any Zap to restrict it to run only when certain conditions are met. For example, if you want to send a text message each time you receive an email, you can add a filter so the Zap only runs when emails are received from a specific email address. Learn more about using filters in Zaps.
Multi-step Zap
A single-step Zap has one trigger and one action. If the Zap has more than one action, or includes filters or searches, it is considered a multi-step Zap. Multi-step Zaps are only available on paid plans.
Paths
Paths let you build advanced workflows to perform different actions based on different conditions. Paths use conditional, if/then logic: if A happens in your trigger app, then perform this action, if B happens, then perform this other action, and so on. Learn more about using paths in Zaps.
Polling interval
The polling interval or update time is the frequency that Zapier will check your trigger apps for new data. The polling interval varies between 1 to 15 minutes based on different pricing plans.
Note- Triggers labeled Instant will always trigger Zaps immediately (regardless of pricing plan). The trigger app will push the data to Zapier when the event happens.
- Users on Company plans can change when their polling triggers run.
Premium app
Premium apps are available to users on paid plans. Premium apps are available for use on free trials but require a paid plan after the trial ends.
The full list of premium apps can be found in Zapier's App Directory. Premium apps are also marked with a Premium tag in the Zap editor.
Task
A task is an action your Zap successfully completes. For example, if your Zap has an action to create new Google Contacts, each contact that is created will count as one task. Learn more about tasks in Zapier.
Test record
When you first set up your Zap trigger, Zapier will attempt to find some existing data from your trigger app to use in the Zap. For example, if your trigger brings in data from a new Google Sheets spreadsheet row, Zapier will pull in an existing row. The sample row can then be used as a test record to set up your action steps.
Trigger
A trigger is an event that starts a Zap. For example, if you want to send a text message each time you receive an email, the trigger is ‘new email in inbox’. Learn more about using triggers in Zaps.
Zap
A Zap is an automated workflow that connects your apps and services together. Each Zap consists of a trigger and one or more actions. When you turn your Zap on, it will run the action steps every time the trigger event occurs.
Learn more about creating a Zap and managing your Zaps.
Zap editor
The Zap editor allows you to create a Zap from scratch. In the Zap editor, you can set up a trigger and one or more actions.
Zap history
Your Zap History displays a log of all your Zap activity, including all the data that goes in and out of each of your Zap steps. Learn more about Zap History.
