IFTTT

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Before a scheduled calendar event begins, post a reminder to Slack. Automatically create an archive of your Spotify Discover Weekly playlists. Tell Google Assistant to change the color of your Hue smart lights. These automations are simple examples of what you can build with IFTTT, which rhymes with "gift" and stands for "if this, then that." The service makes it easy to connect internet-aware apps, devices, and services without any coding, and we appreciate the bright, visually intuitive designs of its website and mobile apps. The free version has major restrictions, but IFTTT is still an Editors' Choice winner for , alongside its more business-oriented competitor, .

IFTTT vs. Zapier

As mentioned, both IFTTT and Zapier help you connect apps and services that would otherwise not communicate with each other. Both are effective productivity tools and work well, but subtle differences exist between them.

Foremost, IFTTT and Zapier differ in their areas of focus. IFTTT works with digital voice assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri) and smart home devices (such as appliances, lights, and security systems). In contrast, Zapier offers more functionality for the enterprise crowd, including hooks to services such as Amazon S3, GoToWebinar, SQL Server, Wrike, and Zendesk.

The two overlap in the cloud, mobile, productivity, and social spaces. Both IFTTT and Zapier support , Dropbox, Facebook, Google Drive, Instagram, Slack, SMS messaging, Trello, and Twitter.

One major difference is that IFTTT offers mobile apps for Android and iOS, while Zapier only has a web interface. Zapier supports some mobile functionality, such as SMS messaging, but not much. IFTTT can access system-level information like battery status, Bluetooth connection state, and notification data on Android and App Store data, the Calendar app, and the Reminders app on iOS.

Previously, Zapier had the distinction of letting you create multistep automations, but IFTTT has since added that capability (albeit only for paying subscribers). An example of a multistep automation is: If I receive an email attachment in Gmail, then create a new task in the to-do app , and then post it to a Slack channel.

How Much Does IFTTT Cost?

IFTTT offers a free account, but it lets you create just two applets. The good news is that you can enable an unlimited number of applets from community members. Applets run at "standard" speed, and there's no limit to the number of times you can use them.

Zapier's free version also has some limitations. With it, you can run only up to 100 tasks per month. Zaps run every 15 minutes, and you can't use Premium apps. Zapier's Premium apps are simply those that it restricts to higher account tiers. Examples include MySQL, PayPal, QuickBooks, Salesforce, Zendesk, and many others. Otherwise, these apps work the same as regular ones. Furthermore, free users cannot enable Autoreplay, a fail-safe measure that reruns Zaps on a staggered schedule if they don't work on the first try.

IFTTT has two paid plans: IFTTT Pro and IFTTT Pro+. IFTTT Pro, which is for people with smart home and productivity needs, costs $34.99 (billed annually). It lets you create up to 20 applets, set up multi-action applets, and access exclusive triggers and actions. Applets also execute at the fastest available speed. IFTTT Pro+, which is mostly for small business owners, costs $149.99 (billed annually). It allows you to build an unlimited number of applets and take advantage of AI services. The latter can summarize blog posts, translate text, and more. Zapier's paid plans start at $239.88 (billed annually).

Getting Started With IFTTT

IFTTT's web interface has a bright, modern, and inviting design, complete with bold colors, large card-style elements, and smooth animations. The navigation menu on the right-hand side includes four options: Explore, Solutions, My Applets, and Create. The account profile drop-down menu lets you view your activity, see all your connected services, check your billing information, access help resources, and more.

From the account section, you can add a profile picture from another service, such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. You can also for more secure sign-ins. Enabling two-factor authentication is wise for any service, but especially for IFTTT, given the number of other accounts you will likely end up linking to it. It’s also possible to link your IFTTT account to your Apple, Facebook, or Google accounts. You can export your account data or delete your account entirely.

On the My Applets page, status indicators make it easy to tell which applets are active. You can click on any card to view related activity and change its settings. You can filter by Applets you published and archived here.

Head to the Explore section to search for and discover applets from community members and service providers. You can switch between dedicated Applets, Services, and Stories (curated collections of applets from IFTTT) sections. The Services section helpfully lets you filter options by category.

The Activity page (accessible via the account profile drop-down menu) shows all applet activity, such as when an applet ran (or failed) or when you linked a new service, going back to the very beginning. Each instance shows the date and time, and you can click through to see the total number of times an applet ran. However, we wish there were more organization or filtering tools here, as with Zapier. The longer you use IFTTT, the more unwieldy this section becomes.

Applet Options

You have two options when it comes to applets in IFTTT; you can use one that someone else already created or build one yourself. To add an applet to your account, start by searching for the service or topic relevant to the connection you want to create. If someone has already created the applet, there's no sense in recreating it for yourself. Just click on the card and switch it on. An example—if it's going to rain tomorrow, then send me a text message—is what started the whole site, as PCMag learned in a past interview with IFTTT founder Linden Tibbets.

Some applets require you to sign in to other accounts, but the simplest ones require only an email address or phone number. For example, you could use IFTTT to automatically send a text from your Android device to your spouse (or whoever, really) when you leave work each day. Other applets simply rely on the IFTTT app to push notifications. For example, you can enable an applet that notifies you every time the season changes on Mars.

Some of the prebuilt applets require you to enter additional information or make further customizations, but the methods for doing so are all visually consistent and mostly easy to understand. For example, all of the map-based functionalities use the same fluid interface, though we wish you could set a default location for them.

Other parts might trip up some users. For example, with the work departure applet, you have the option to change what appears in the message body. This section allows plain text input, as well as data snippets, which IFTTT calls ingredients. In this example, it gives you a drop-down list of three items: Occurred At (the time you left work), LocationMapImageUrl (a picture showing the location you left), and LocationMapUrl (a link to the map). Of course, other applets have different Ingredients, though some don't require them at all.

Creating IFTTT Applets

If the above is confusing, take the time to experiment with all the options. As with anything, the best way to understand how to use IFTTT is simply to keep at it. Once you get more comfortable with how it works, you can start building custom applets.

To start, simply click on the Create button in the top menu. As mentioned, IFTTT stands for "if this, then that," so you can think of an applet as having two main parts: this and that. IFTTT makes this connection obvious; it simply shows the above sentence on the creation screen. You click on the Add button next to "If This" to choose a trigger event and then the Add button next to the "Then That" part to complete the process. Alternatively, you can type out exactly what you want to happen by clicking the AI button. It helps to know what you want the applet to accomplish before diving into the creation steps. Let's say, for example, you want IFTTT to add a new entry to a spreadsheet each time you upload a video to Vimeo.

The first step is to specify the trigger service. For the sake of this example, select as the trigger. As with Zapier, IFTTT generates a list of trigger events related to the app, along with a description of each. Then, select the New Video Uploaded card.

Next, you choose the action service and the trigger action. In this case, that's Google Sheets and Add a Row to Spreadsheet. Completing the action fields comes next (telling IFTTT exactly what to do).

In this example, you need to define the name of the spreadsheet you want to use (it creates a new one with the new name if it doesn't already exist). You also choose what information IFTTT adds to the spreadsheet and its format. This is where ingredients come into play. Vimeo provides a couple of ingredients you can add anywhere in the setup, including in the Spreadsheet name and folder path, such as Title, Caption, Embed Code, UploadedAt, and URL. The last step is to review the applet and choose whether to enable notifications when it runs.

In testing, this applet worked as advertised. After we uploaded a short video to a Vimeo account, IFTTT added all of the requested information to a spreadsheet. The one catch is that the video has to be public in order for IFTTT to correctly detect the action.

With the ability to create multistep applets in a Pro account, you could go one step further and post the uploaded video to Slack or Twitter, for example. This brings IFTTT's automation capabilities more in line with those of Zapier.

IFTTT Mobile Apps

IFTTT offers apps for both Android and iOS. We tested the app on a Samsung Galaxy S24+ running Android 14. It carries over the website's clean look and vibrant, card-based elements. We didn't have any issues logging into our account, and the app ran smoothly.

The main screen shows a list of your applets and lets you toggle each one. A bottom navigation bar lets you create new applets or explore others from the community. The Activity section is the same as on the web; it organizes everything in a non-sortable list. All of your Account settings are accessible from the app, and you can even enable a dark theme.

Verdict: Build Smart Automations Without Coding

IFTTT is very capable and highly accessible. If you want two different apps, smart home devices, or services to communicate with each other, IFTTT likely offers some sort of solution. We just wish the free version had fewer limitations. Nevertheless, IFTTT is an Editors' Choice winner alongside Zapier. Both are powerful and flexible automation tools that support multistep automations, though they excel in different ways. Namely, IFTTT supports smart home products and offers excellent mobile apps, while Zapier natively covers more business-centric services.