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18 min read

20 Web Apps That Ruled the Workplace in 2016

By Matthew Guay · December 13, 2016
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Each year the Zapier team publishes an updated version of this report. Check the latest list of Fastest Growing Apps for this year.

Few things grab the Zapier team's attention like popular new apps—and we're not alone. Whenever the next Pokémon Go or Snapchat comes out, you can't help but hear about it, even if you don't read tech news.

Among those most talked about apps, the rising stars of business software are often overlooked. For a SaaS (software as a subscription) tool, Slack's fame is an anomaly—buzz about the team messaging and collaboration app can't be missed. But if you were to ask a colleague for the lowdown on the latest top scheduling tool or task manager, they'd likely start googling.

So how do you find the best software to use at work when the search results surface hundreds of project management tools, email sending providers, marketing automation apps, and eCommerce platforms? Zapier's data and latest report can help.

Finding the Fastest-Growing Apps for Work

At Zapier, our app automation tool helps teams and more than 1.5 million professionals get the most out of their favorite software, such as Trello, Evernote, and Dropbox. Over 750 business apps across 50-plus categories integrate with Zapier.

Using our online editor, Zapier users have created more than 6 million automated workflows—known as "Zaps"—and collectively automate over 65 million tasks per month. Some of those triggered tasks are between two apps, such as supplying a sales teams with new leads by connecting Typeform and Salesforce. Others are more complex, involving five to ten apps and 10, 15, or 20-plus steps. Not only do salespeople get the new leads in this version, but additional steps in the workflow look up the person's email and company for publicly available information, add a task to their to-do list, and make a note in a reporting spreadsheet.

These workflows are at the heart of businesses—filled with critical processes, information, and communication channels relied on by companies. For five years, we've tracked how business apps are used in these functions, and now for the first time we're sharing some of that data in this new report, Web Apps That Ruled the Workplace in 2016.

The Results

After reviewing data on the more than 750 apps integrated with Zapier, two growth rates emerged that will be valuable to anyone considering a new app for their business software stack in 2017:

  • Fastest-Growing Apps - The services with the greatest growth rate or increase in users this year on the platform. We looked at the apps that have been on Zapier for more than a year and had a sizable user base with live Zapier integrations (at least 300 users) on January 1, 2016

  • Fastest-Growing New Apps and APIs - The services with greatest growth rate based on daily user growth on the platform. We looked at apps that either first launched or released their API (the technology used to integrate apps) on Zapier in late 2015. This way, an app or API that launched mid-year could still make the list.

Data was collected from January to October 2016.

Zapier fastest growing apps 2016

Some of the 10 fastest-growing apps may come as a surprise, if you've never heard of services like Airtable, OmniFocus, Agile CRM, or Acuity Scheduling before. You already know about Slack, of course, and their popularity made chart-topping growth numbers for 2016 a challenge. But that didn't stop it from rounding out the group with a still tremendous 158% user growth on Zapier. Google Sheets and Office 365 accomplished the same feat: each started with a large user base on Zapier, and still finished among the fastest-growing.

HubSpot landed two apps on the list: its marquee marketing automation tool and its two-year-old CRM (customer relationship management) app. Appropriately, these two services make up two-thirds of what HubSpot calls its growth stack.

Read more analysis of the Fastest Growing Apps on Zapier in 2016

Zapier Fastest Growing new apps 2016

Facebook Lead Ads, a fresh advertising product from the social media giant, topped the list of the 10 fastest-growing new apps and APIs. The lead generation service launched in March and quickly gained traction with marketers. Google Forms, Excel, and Basecamp are familiar brand names among the 10, too, each either releasing a new version or API this year. Then there are the up-and-comers: Calendly, MeisterTask, ClickFunnels, Kajabi, Convertkit, and Chatfuel.

Read more analysis of the Fastest Growing New Apps and APIs on Zapier in 2016


The Fastest Growing Apps in 2016

On average, software integrated with Zapier saw 125% user growth in 2016. Leading the pack far out in front is a simple database app called Airtable with 682% growth—almost twice that of the second fastest-growing app, Acuity Schedule. Along with No. 3 HubSpot CRM, these services are part of a trend to offer apps that modernize and simplify work.

Apps That Modernize and Simplify Work

Founded in 2012, (1) Airtable makes it easy to organize data in hybrid spreadsheets and databases. It's like Microsoft Access reinvented for the modern web—a mobile-friendly personal database that's easy to use for anyone who's ever used a spreadsheet. You can quickly enter data, add images and formatting to make your work look polished, filter through information, and link entries to find anything you need. Connect Airtable to your online form collecting leads, say, and it's one of the easiest ways to run reports and surface trends for your sales team—or find information from any data you're working with.

In second place and an entirely different category is (2) Acuity Scheduling with 415% growth. It's a tool that makes booking appointments surprisingly slick—enough that it's now a core part of many of our customers' workflows. And (3) HubSpot CRM, which has a generous feature set for even its free users, logged 252% growth.

Traditional Software Now in the Cloud

Some of the fastest growing apps are traditional desktop software that's moving to the cloud. If you needed a custom email account a decade ago, odds are you'd install Exchange on your server and maintain it in-house. Today, (8) Office 365 lets you deploy email, calendar, and other core apps to your team in a few clicks. That simplicity has driven its 187% growth on Zapier. In the same way, (6) Google Sheets brings your spreadsheets to the cloud, and (5) OmniFocus integrations let you track team tasks from web apps in your personal to-do list app on your Mac—those apps saw 199% and 209% growth, respectively.

Automate Marketing and Keep Your Team's Info in One Place

Keeping all your marketing tools together can make your team more effective at closing sales. (4) Agile CRM, (7) HubSpot, and (9) ActiveCampaign are all focused on various parts of marketing automation—Agile CRM at helping you reach out to customers wherever they are, HubSpot with tracking all of your marketing efforts, and ActiveCampaign through powerful email workflows—and they grew at 219%, 197%, and 166% respectively. And last but not least, (10) Slack has continued its fast growth—only this year, it was only our tenth fastest growing app at 158% after its dramatic early growth in 2015.

Here's a deeper look at each of the fastest-growing apps on Zapier in 2016:

1. Airtable

Airtable screenshot

Airtable is an easy-to-use relational database—as robust as a database builder like Microsoft Access, but as user-friendly as a spreadsheet like Google Sheets. Adding data is as simple as typing in a spreadsheet—and you can drag-and-drop in photos and media to bring your data to life. Then, with Airtable's filters and database-style linked fields, you can connect your data and find the info you need from any device. You can use it to organize any data you need—your projects, property, or even your plans for the new year—then quickly find data in those listings whenever you need it.

Airtable this year launched native iPad, Mac, and Windows apps—and recently added calendar and kanban views to visualize data the way you want.

Airtable Price: Free for unlimited databases with up to 1,200 records each; from $12/month per user for 5k+ records per database

Airtable Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

Get email notifications for new Airtable base records

  • Airtable logo
  • Email by Zapier logo
Airtable + Email by Zapier
More details
    Some of your Airtable bases are very sensitive, and you

    Add new Typeform entries to Airtable as records

    • Typeform logo
    • Airtable logo
    Typeform + Airtable
    More details
      Rather than collecting and inputting data from endless amounts of form entries, use this Typeform to Airtable automation. Set it up and each time a new entry is submitted in Typeform, Zapier will create a new record in Airtable. Create complete and accurate records for your form entries in your Airtable database automatically!

      Create Trello cards from new Airtable records

      • Airtable logo
      • Trello logo
      Airtable + Trello
      More details
        Are you looking to streamline your Trello card creation tasks? This Zapier integration can help. Once active, this integration automatically generates a card in Trello for each new record added in Airtable.

        2. Acuity Scheduling

        Acuity Scheduling screenshot

        Acuity Scheduling lets your clients book appointments when you're ready for them. Instead of having to check your calendar each time someone wants to schedule a meeting, you can set the hours you're available—with your vacation and holidays blocked automatically—and let contacts choose an available time in their own timezone. Acuity Scheduling will them remind you and your contact so no one ever misses a meeting—and everyone avoids the "when are you free?" back-and-forth hassle.

        With their new WordPress plugin that makes it easy to embed event bookings into your website, it's easier than ever let your clients book appointments.

        Acuity Scheduling Price: Free for 1 user and basic features; from $10/month for reminder emails, customizations, payments and more

        Acuity Scheduling Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

        Add new Acuity Scheduling appointments to a Google Sheets spreadsheet

        • Acuity Scheduling logo
        • Google Sheets logo
        Acuity Scheduling + Google Sheets
        More details
          Do you need an easy way to keep track of your Acuity Scheduling appointments? As soon as new Acuity Scheduling appointments are created, Zapier can automatically add rows to a Google Sheets spreadsheet for new appointment details.

          Add or update ActiveCampaign contacts for new Acuity Scheduling appointments

          • Acuity Scheduling logo
          • ActiveCampaign logo
          Acuity Scheduling + ActiveCampaign
          More details
            You already save time by having your clients book appointments online, on their own with Acuity Scheduling. With this Acuity Scheduling ActiveCampaign integration you can automatically add new appointment contacts to ActiveCampaign as new contacts and connect with those contacts through your email marketing.

            Create Google Contacts for new Acuity Scheduling appointments

            • Acuity Scheduling logo
            • Google Contacts logo
            Acuity Scheduling + Google Contacts
            More details
              If you need to follow up with your Acuity Scheduling clients with Gmail, use Zapier to update your Google Contacts directly when clients book new appointments.

              3. HubSpot CRM

              HubSpot CRM screenshot

              You need a better way to keep track of your contacts, leads, suppliers, customers, sponsors, investors, and everyone else that interacts with your company. That's why you need a CRM—or customer relationship manager—and HubSpot CRM can take on that task for free. From the same team behind marketing automation tool HubSpot, HubSpot CRM lets you track every interaction with each of your contacts across your entire team. You'll never have to wonder what your coworker talked about with the person you're meeting again.

              After launching in late June 2015, HubSpot CRM's team followed up this year by launching a mobile app, one that now combines HubSpot CRM and its core HubSpot marketing tools. Even if you use your CRM mostly from your email inbox, its new template tools let you turn any Gmail email into a template that you can reuse later for an even simpler way to stay in touch with your contacts.

              HubSpot CRM Price: Free for core features and up to 1 million contacts

              HubSpot CRM Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

              Create or update HubSpot CRM contacts for new subscribers on Mailchimp

              • Mailchimp logo
              • HubSpot logo
              Mailchimp + HubSpot
              More details
                Need to make sure you have every chance to develop those relationships beyond your newsletters? Activate this Mailchimp-HubSpot CRM integration and we'll make sure to keep your CRM updated from then on. Once you do, every new subscriber added to Mailchimp will either add a new contact to HubSpot CRM or update an existing entry, keeping track of all of them for you automatically.

                Add contacts to Hubspot from new Gravity Forms entries

                • Gravity Forms logo
                • HubSpot logo
                Gravity Forms + HubSpot
                More details
                  If you use Gravity Forms on your Wordpress website and would like to capture contact information to add to Hubspot, now you can with the help of Zapier. Anytime anyone fills out your form, Zapier will automatically create a new contact in Hubspot, so you don't have to worry about doing that tedious work ever again.

                  Create Hubspot CRM contacts from new Contacts+ contacts

                  • Contacts+ logo
                  • HubSpot logo
                  Contacts+ + HubSpot
                  More details
                    We've all been there: receiving someone's business card, then having to manually enter the information into our CRM. Now, you can automate this process and never have to worry about it again. You build the relationships and let this integration handle the rest.

                    4. Agile CRM

                    Agile CRM screenshot

                    Want to turn your new leads into customers? Agile CRM includes all the tools you need to do that. It can expand your marketing reach with email, SMS, and social messages, add a personal touch with phone calls, and gamify your sales to keep your team motivated to make the next sale. With your tasks, deals, contacts, and marketing tools in one place, you'll easily know where a lead is in the sales process anymore.

                    The Agile CRM team has been busy this year, launching WordPress and Joomla extensions, tools to send video emails and search through your contacts by voice. It even improved its free plan, so now you can manage contacts with 10 colleagues for free.

                    Agile CRM Price: Free for 10 users and 50,000 contacts with core CRM features; from $8.99/month Starter plan for email campaigns, landing pages, and more

                    Agile CRM Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                    Turn new AWeber subscribers into Agile CRM contacts

                    • AWeber logo
                    • Agile CRM logo
                    AWeber + Agile CRM
                    More details
                      Connect your subscribers to your Agile CRM contacts to create the ultimate marketing tool. Once set up, each time a new subscriber is added in AWeber, Zapier will automatically create a new contact in Agile CRM. Now you can spend more time focusing on strategy while Zapier focuses on data.

                      Add new ClickFunnels Classic contacts to AgileCRM

                      • ClickFunnels Classic logo
                      • Agile CRM logo
                      ClickFunnels Classic + Agile CRM
                      More details
                        Are you using AgileCRM to manage your clients and automated emails? Use this integration to send ClickFunnels Classic contacts directly to your AgileCRM account. You can even set a tag to help identify the contact.

                        5. OmniFocus

                        OmniFocus screenshot

                        OmniFocus is the perfect counterpart to your team project management app. It's a powerful to-do list app for your own tasks and appointments, helping you stay productive with the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology. Most at home on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, OmniFocus' email powered integrations let you combine it with your team apps to plan everything together.

                        OmniFocus now works with iOS integrations with its support for URL schemes—and its Apple Watch version was listed as the App Store's Best of 2015. It offers some of the best native app features, along with cloud sync that supports end-to-end encryption and integrations.

                        OmniFocus Price: From $39.99 for Standard edition Mac or iOS app

                        OmniFocus Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                        Create OmniFocus tasks from new saved Slack messages

                        • Slack logo
                        • OmniFocus logo
                        Slack + OmniFocus
                        More details
                          Using Slack to talk with your team and discuss your upcoming projects? Use Zapier to easily turn your conversations into tasks in OmniFocus, so you'll never forget to do anything your team's discussed. Just save a message in Slack when it contains something you need to do, and once you turn on this integration, Zapier will automatically copy the message and add it to your OmniFocus inbox as a new task.

                          Create OmniFocus tasks for new starred emails on Gmail

                          • Gmail logo
                          • OmniFocus logo
                          Gmail + OmniFocus
                          More details
                            Looking for a little extra help making sure you address all those action items in important emails? Set up this Gmail OmniFocus integration and we'll help you stay organized by automatically creating a new Omnifocus task with all the data from any email you star on Gmail.

                            Create OmniFocus tasks for new notes on Evernote

                            • Evernote logo
                            • OmniFocus logo
                            Evernote + OmniFocus
                            More details
                              Want to make sure to fully develop your notes on Evernote, even if you have to take a break from them? Activate this Evernote OmniFocus integration and we'll make sure to track them all, creating tasks on OmniFocus for every new note on Evernote automatically from then on.

                              Tip: Learn everything about managing your work in OmniFocus with our in-depth OmniFocus guide.

                              6. Google Sheets

                              Google Sheets screenshot

                              Spreadsheets are the original killer app—and they're still one of the most versatile ways to crunch numbers and make sense of data. Google Sheets started out as a basic online alternative to Excel and one of its best features was its low price of free. Today, with a powerful library of add-ons alongside its built-in features, you might choose Google Sheets for its powerful features. It's today's online spreadsheet app to beat.

                              Google Sheets is even pushing spreadsheets forward, with its new Explore tool that automatically makes graphs and finds insights from your data. That, along with Sheets' powerful add-ons that work online and now on Android, let you start putting AI to work for you.

                              Google Sheets Price: Free for full features and 15GB storage; additional storage from $1.99/month for 100GB; from $5/month per user G Suite for business use

                              Google Sheets Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                              Save new Eventbrite attendees to Google Sheets spreadsheets

                              • Eventbrite logo
                              • Google Sheets logo
                              Eventbrite + Google Sheets
                              More details
                                Rather than constantly exporting CSV files, use Zapier to automatically add new attendees to a Google Sheets spreadsheet. Once you set up this Eventbrite-Google Sheets integration, new attendees from that point forward are automatically added to your spreadsheet.

                                Save new Gmail emails matching certain traits to a Google Spreadsheet

                                • Gmail logo
                                • Google Sheets logo
                                Gmail + Google Sheets
                                More details
                                  Often it's helpful to store, backup and organize emails matching certain characteristics to a Google Spreadsheet. This Gmail Google Sheets integration makes it a breeze to setup a simple rule (i.e. emails from:

                                  Send Slack messages whenever Google Sheets rows are updated

                                  • Google Sheets logo
                                  • Slack logo
                                  Google Sheets + Slack
                                  More details
                                    If you use Google Sheets to collaborate with your team on spreadsheets, it can be tough to keep track of every change your coworkers make. This Zap makes it simple: it sends you a new Slack message whenever a Google Sheets spreadsheet row is updated.

                                    7. HubSpot

                                    HubSpot screenshot

                                    The original HubSpot marketing tools are a powerful companion to HubSpot CRM—they're enough to manage your blog, email newsletters, signup forms, and much more. With automated workflows, you can stay in touch with leads using drip emails, and customize the message based on their interactions with your site. Figure out which pages on your site are performing the best, use SEO tools to target your content marketing, and track the results on your individual leads back in HubSpot CRM.

                                    You can now manage projects in HubSpot, too, to keep your tasks organized along with your contacts and marketing efforts. And if you ever need help trying to hone your marketing skills, HubSpot's new Growthbot in Facebook Messenger can offer up automated replies that just might help.

                                    HubSpot Price: From $200/month Basic plan for core features and up to 100 contacts

                                    HubSpot Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                    Create or update HubSpot contacts from new Contacts+ business cards

                                    • Contacts+ logo
                                    • HubSpot logo
                                    Contacts+ + HubSpot
                                    More details
                                      Keep your marketing pipeline effortlessly updated with Zapier automation. Once activated, this Contacts+-HubSpot integration will create a new contact in HubSpot for every new business card you add to Contacts+, or update an existing contact if a matching email is found.

                                      Add or update HubSpot contacts from new Acuity Scheduling appointments

                                      • Acuity Scheduling logo
                                      • HubSpot logo
                                      Acuity Scheduling + HubSpot
                                      More details
                                        Create or update your HubSpot marketing contacts from new Acuity Scheduling appointments automatically, once this integration is set up. Zapier can monitor your Acuity Scheduling account for new appointments and can create or update HubSpot contacts from the client data as they make bookings.

                                        Create or update HubSpot contacts for new Typeform entries

                                        • Typeform logo
                                        • HubSpot logo
                                        Typeform + HubSpot
                                        More details
                                          Don't waste time transferring the information over to your CRM manually - automate it! Once active, this integration will ensure that every time a new Typeform is received a HubSpot contact will be created or updated automatically. Keeping your contact list healthy and accurate at all times without any effort on your part has never been easier.

                                          8. Office 365

                                          Office 365 screenshot

                                          Want Exchange email without the hassle of running a server? Office 365 gives you that and more with one simple account. You can deploy Exchange-powered email to your entire team, along with hosted Sharepoint, Office Online apps, and file sharing in OneDrive for Business. Need Office apps on your Mac or PC? You can get those in your Office 365 subscription, along with Microsoft's newest apps like Microsoft Teams. It's a simple way to get your team's core productivity tools with one subscription.

                                          With strong growth throughout the year—51% growth for Office 365 revenue in this quarter alone—along with a new version of Office launching last year, Office 365 is an increasingly popular way to pull all of your team apps together. You can email in Outlook, chat in the new Microsoft Teams app, and manage all of your users from one place in the new Office 365 admin center.

                                          Office 365 Price: From $5/month per user Office 365 Business Essentials plan, which includes Exchange Online email, Office Online apps, and 1TB file storage

                                          Office 365 Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                          Add Microsoft Outlook events to Google Calendar

                                          • Microsoft Outlook logo
                                          • Google Calendar logo
                                          Microsoft Outlook + Google Calendar
                                          More details
                                            Some people prefer to use Google Calendar, but others like to have their email, contacts and calendar in Microsoft Outlook. If you're reading this, you probably use both, and need a way to keep them on the same page. Use this Zapier automation to add detailed events in Google Calendar whenever new events are created in Microsoft Outlook.

                                            Add new Microsoft Outlook events to Todoist as tasks

                                            • Microsoft Outlook logo
                                            • Todoist logo
                                            Microsoft Outlook + Todoist
                                            More details
                                              With calendar events, there's no excuse for not showing up on time, but what about managing all the stuff that goes into preparing for the event? With this integration, your Microsoft Outlook events will automatically create tasks in Todoist. Suddenly your calendar perfectly matches your to-do list, and everything makes sense again!

                                              9. ActiveCampaign

                                              ActiveCampaign screenshot

                                              Starting your marketing out with email newsletters? ActiveCampaign is the email app that'll grow with you. It's great for sending email newsletters. It also includes marketing automation tools to send customized emails based on your contacts' interactions with emails. You can track details about each contact in ActiveCampaign's included CRM to use your emails to close deals, make sales, and do the job your emails started out.

                                              ActiveCampaign's focus this year has been on automation, with a new drag-and-drop automation builder that gained features throughout the year to trigger on dates, RSS feeds, field changes, clicks, and more. Combine that with its new Chrome extension, and ActiveCampaign can be a powerful tool that fits right into your existing workflows.

                                              ActiveCampaign Price: From $9/month Lite plan for sending unlimited emails to 500 contacts

                                              ActiveCampaign Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                              Add or update ActiveCampaign contacts for new Acuity Scheduling appointments

                                              • Acuity Scheduling logo
                                              • ActiveCampaign logo
                                              Acuity Scheduling + ActiveCampaign
                                              More details
                                                You already save time by having your clients book appointments online, on their own with Acuity Scheduling. With this Acuity Scheduling ActiveCampaign integration you can automatically add new appointment contacts to ActiveCampaign as new contacts and connect with those contacts through your email marketing.

                                                Add subscribers to ActiveCampaign from new Unbounce submissions

                                                • Unbounce logo
                                                • ActiveCampaign logo
                                                Unbounce + ActiveCampaign
                                                More details
                                                  Make sure your prospects start getting your news ASAP. After you turn on this integration, it will automatically subscribe every new respondent to your Unbounce form into the appropriate ActiveCampaign list, ensuring you never have to worry about users missing your updates again!

                                                  Add or update ActiveCampaign contacts with new Facebook Lead Ads leads

                                                  • Facebook Lead Ads logo
                                                  • ActiveCampaign logo
                                                  Facebook Lead Ads + ActiveCampaign
                                                  More details
                                                    Whether you're setting up an event or selling a product, it can be a challenge to process new leads from successful ad campaigns—unless you automate your way to organization. With this Zap active on your dashboard, Zapier will automatically create new contacts or update an existing match on ActiveCampaign whenever a new lead's submission is detected from Facebook Lead Ads.

                                                    10. Slack

                                                    Slack screenshot

                                                    Slack is the rare enterprise app that went viral. A team chat app that takes the best of technical tools like IRC and consumer chat apps like LINE or Messenger and combines them into a productive work tool, Slack is the one place for your team and private discussions. Chat about anything in channels, jump on a quick call, or build Slack bots to pull in data from your apps automatically. It's the way teams stay in touch today.

                                                    After launching the Slack Fund to build an ecosystem around Slack, the fund has invested $1.97M in 11 companies this year. That, along with new API tools including an Events API for real-time notifications and message buttons for Slack apps put Slack at the center of today's more connected—even if distributed—office.

                                                    Slack Price: Free for 10 integrations and a 10k message archive; from $8/month per user Standard account for unlimited

                                                    Slack Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                    Send new inbound emails via Slack channel messages

                                                    • Email by Zapier logo
                                                    • Slack logo
                                                    Email by Zapier + Slack
                                                    More details
                                                      Don't have time to check all of your inboxes? Maybe someone else on the team is in charge of emails, but doesn't have access. This is the integration you need. Once it's active, all new incoming emails to the email address you choose will be automatically sent to the Slack channel of your choice!

                                                      Add new saved Slack messages to Todoist as tasks

                                                      • Slack logo
                                                      • Todoist logo
                                                      Slack + Todoist
                                                      More details
                                                        To create new tasks in Todoist right from Slack, use this integration. The next time you save a message in Slack, a Todoist task will be automatically created, saving you time for more important work.


                                                        The Fastest Growing New Apps and APIs of 2016

                                                        From the latest apps to new takes on old favorites, the best apps of this year had two things in common: App integrations and APIs. APIs are the bridge between your favorite apps, the tech that keeps your data synced between apps and powers automated workflows to get more done in less time. They help developers focus on what their app does best, reaching broader audiences through partner apps and letting users manage their own data rather than being siloed into individual apps.

                                                        That's a trend you'll find in this year's fastest growing new apps and APIs, led by (1) Facebook Lead Ads. A new ad offering from Facebook that was launched last fall, Facebook Lead Ads gained an API this year and became one of the most popular ways to get actionable results from your ads. Viewers can now fill out a form and send you contact info right from an ad, so you can reach out with special offers and additional info.

                                                        Coming in second, (2) Google Forms launched as a stand-alone app this year with a brand new design, extra features, and a marketplace of add-ons to make it one of the best free ways to create forms and surveys. Our fourth and tenth apps, (4) Basecamp 3 and (10) Chatfuel for Facebook, are also new apps that launched in the past year. Basecamp 3 is a new take on Basecamp with chat inside your projects, and its much-awaited API was launched this summer after Basecamp 3 itself launched last fall. Chatfuel for Facebook came out this summer after Facebook opened Messenger to developers, as a simple way to build bots without any code.

                                                        Finding an agreeable meeting time between multiple parties is a perfect job for connected apps, a place where our third fastest growing app (3) Calendly excels. (5) ConvertKit, (7) ClickFunnels, and (8) Kajabi each helps you market your products through emails, landing pages, and courses, respectively—each task that needs help from your other apps through integrations. And (6) MeisterTask's unique take on task management means your to-do list can kick off tasks in other apps through its new API.

                                                        Spreadsheet apps are tools you've likely used in your business since its earliest days, and with the new (9) Excel API, your spreadsheets have learned new tricks. With its added integrations, your apps can save data to Excel Online automatically, synced to your computer via OneDrive so your spreadsheets are always up to date.

                                                        Here's a deeper look at each of the fastest-growing new apps and APIs on Zapier in 2016:

                                                        1. Facebook Lead Ads

                                                        Facebook Lead Ads Screenshot

                                                        Facebook Lead Ads are ads like you've never seen them. Instead of just showing a graphic or video and hoping people notice it, Facebook Lead Ads let interested viewers fill out a form and directly send you their contact info. That way, you can continue the conversation, sending them additional info for a much better chance of turning them into a customer.

                                                        Facebook Lead Ads Price: Varies on ad target market, market size, ad campaign duration, and more

                                                        Facebook Lead Ads Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                        Subscribe new Facebook Lead Ad leads to a Mailchimp list

                                                        • Facebook Lead Ads logo
                                                        • Mailchimp logo
                                                        Facebook Lead Ads + Mailchimp
                                                        More details
                                                          Facebook Lead Ads are an excellent way to grow your list of individuals interested in learning more about your product or service, but taking a next step with those people can sometimes take a back seat to your other tasks. With this Facebook Lead Ads-Mailchimp integration, you'll no longer need to think about adding new leads to a marketing campaign—each new lead is automatically added to the list of your choice.

                                                          Send emails in Gmail for new leads in Facebook Lead Ads

                                                          • Facebook Lead Ads logo
                                                          • Gmail logo
                                                          Facebook Lead Ads + Gmail
                                                          More details
                                                            A personal welcome email is a great way to kick-start a relationship with a new customer.This Zap can help with that, triggering whenever a new lead follows your call to action on Facebook Lead Ads. This integration automatically inserts their details into your email template and sends them your personal message from Gmail. You also have the option of sending their details to a teammate so they can follow up instead.

                                                            2. Google Forms

                                                            Google Forms Screenshot

                                                            Google's included a forms tool with Google Sheets for years—but this year, it redesigned that tool and launched it as a standalone app: Google Forms. For the low price of free, Google Forms includes the core tools you need to build forms and surveys. You can route respondents to questions based on their values, quiz them and let them know their results, and log responses to a spreadsheet. And if that's not enough, you can add extra features with Google Forms add-ons.

                                                            Google Forms Price: Free; From $5/month G Suite for business use

                                                            Google Forms Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                            Create Trello cards from new Google Forms responses

                                                            • Google Forms logo
                                                            • Trello logo
                                                            Google Forms + Trello
                                                            More details
                                                              When someone fills out a form in Google Forms, you likely have a list of things to do with that new information. With this integration, you won't have to create those tasks manually in your to-do app every single time, or worry about forgetting to do them! Let Zapier automation handle that for you by automatically saving new Google Forms responses as Trello cards.

                                                              Create Zendesk tickets from new Google Forms responses

                                                              • Google Forms logo
                                                              • Zendesk logo
                                                              Google Forms + Zendesk
                                                              More details
                                                                If you're using Google Forms to provide an easy way to submit tickets, set up this Zap to handle the data entry for you. From that point on, every new Google Form response you receive will automatically trigger the creation of a new ticket on Zendesk, including all the details you need to take action and resolve issues quickly.

                                                                Update HubSpot contacts from new Google Forms responses

                                                                • Google Forms logo
                                                                • HubSpot logo
                                                                Google Forms + HubSpot
                                                                More details
                                                                  One of the easiest ways to gather leads on your website is through a simple form. Why not turn those responses directly into contacts in your CRM? This simple integration can take care of that for you! Automatically create or update your HubSpot contacts from data received in a Google Forms response.

                                                                  Learn all of Google Forms' hidden features with our in-depth Google Forms Guide.

                                                                  3. Calendly

                                                                  Calendly screenshot

                                                                  The back-and-forth of scheduling meetings can waste more time than the meetings themselves. Calendly cuts that out, letting you list the times you're available so your meeting attendees can choose the time that works for them in their own timezone. It'll then add the event to both of your calendars, and remind you when it's time to jump on that call.

                                                                  Calendly Price: Free for 1 event type; $8/month per user Premium plan for unlimited event types and custom branding

                                                                  Calendly Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                  Create Google Calendar events from new scheduled Calendly events

                                                                  • Calendly logo
                                                                  • Google Calendar logo
                                                                  Calendly + Google Calendar
                                                                  More details
                                                                    When you schedule a time to meet with someone, not adding that to your calendar means you very well might miss the meeting. If you have trouble remembering to add meetings to your calendar, let Zapier help! This integration automatically generates a new event in Google Calendar from the details of each new scheduled Calendly event.

                                                                    Add or update ActiveCampaign contacts for new Calendly invitees

                                                                    • Calendly logo
                                                                    • ActiveCampaign logo
                                                                    Calendly + ActiveCampaign
                                                                    More details
                                                                      After an invitee schedules a meeting, you often want to add or update a contact in different apps to easily stay in touch with them. With a little help from this Zapier integration, you can automatically send new Calendly invitees right over to ActiveCampaign without having to do any manual work yourself.

                                                                      Create Zoom meetings for new Calendly events

                                                                      • Calendly logo
                                                                      • Zoom logo
                                                                      Calendly + Zoom
                                                                      More details
                                                                        When the time comes, you'll want to jump right into the discussion and not worry about setting up a meeting and sending out links. Zapier can do all of that for you once you activate this Zap. Every new event created on Calendly will trigger the automation, creating a Zoom meeting for each one. You can then add a step to your Zap to send the Join URL to the invitee by email or any other medium you'd like.

                                                                        4. Basecamp 3

                                                                        Basecamp 3 screenshot

                                                                        Basecamp 3 is the Basecamp you know and love, along with the best features from its former companion apps, Campfire and Backpack. You can keep track of all your tasks, notes, conversations and more inside projects—and create as many projects as your team needs for the same price. Then, when you need to chat about your work, the new built-in Campfire chats let you keep the conversation right inside your projects to keep your team focused.

                                                                        Basecamp 3 Price: Free for 1 project; from $29/month Basecamp for Us plan for full features with in-house teams

                                                                        Basecamp 3 Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                        Add new Basecamp to-dos as tasks in OmniFocus

                                                                        • Basecamp logo
                                                                        • OmniFocus logo
                                                                        Basecamp + OmniFocus
                                                                        More details
                                                                          If your to-do list is scattered across multiple apps, it can be hard to know where to start. Use this Zapier integration to create one master to-do list. After you set it up, every time a new to-do is added to a list in Basecamp, Zapier will automatically create a new task in OmniFocus. With all your to-dos in one place, you're ready to conquer the day.

                                                                          Add new Basecamp to-dos as issues in JIRA

                                                                          • Basecamp logo
                                                                          • Jira Software Server logo
                                                                          Basecamp + Jira Software Server
                                                                          More details
                                                                            If your teams use different project management tools, it can be clunky to move tasks from one team to another. Not anymore, thanks to this Zapier integration. After you set it up, new Basecamp to-dos will automatically be added to JIRA as issues. Your teams will finally be speaking the same language.

                                                                            Create Basecamp to-dos from new labeled Gmail messages [Business Gmail Accounts Only]

                                                                            • Gmail logo
                                                                            • Basecamp logo
                                                                            Gmail + Basecamp
                                                                            More details
                                                                              When a message arrives in your inbox from an important client, you want to get that action item out of your email and onto your to-do list as quickly as possible. Use this Zapier automation to turn emails into to-do's in a flash. After you set it up, whenever you add a label (like "urgent" or "due today") to a new email, Zapier will add this email to a to-do list in Basecamp. Then, take a minute and revel in the calmness of your inbox.

                                                                              Get a behind-the-scenes look at Basecamp with our exclusive walkthrough of how the Basecamp team uses Basecamp.

                                                                              5. ConvertKit

                                                                              ConvertKit screenshot

                                                                              Often it takes time to convince people to purchase your products. ConvertKit can handle that for you. Whenever you want to launch a new product, you'll make a landing page to gather emails, and ConvertKit will then send out drip emails to convince them to make the purchase—or train them how to use your product. Once your product is ready to sell, your leads will be ready to hit buy instantly.

                                                                              ConvertKit Price: From $29/month for 1,000 subscribers and unlimited emails

                                                                              ConvertKit Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                              Add ConvertKit subscribers from a Google Sheets spreadsheet

                                                                              • Google Sheets logo
                                                                              • Kit logo
                                                                              Google Sheets + Kit
                                                                              More details
                                                                                Google Sheets spreadsheets are a great way to gather information. Connect your contact spreadsheet to ConvertKit with this Zap, and you can easily add them as contacts to ConvertKit and send them automated emails or add them to a course.

                                                                                Add new Eventbrite attendees to Kit tags

                                                                                • Eventbrite logo
                                                                                • Kit logo
                                                                                Eventbrite + Kit
                                                                                More details
                                                                                  People like getting together and doing things. Eventbrite lets you keep track of the people coming to your workshop, 5k, or festival so you know what (and who) to expect. Kit takes it even further by giving you the power to automatically email your attendees after the event, tag them in multiple events, and share a follow up sequence to your next Eventbrite shindig.

                                                                                  6. MeisterTask

                                                                                  MeisterTask screenshot

                                                                                  A simple checkbox belies all the work that goes into completing a task. MeisterTask can help you manage the workflow your tasks go through before completion. You can add columns for each stage in your workflow, then drag tasks between them as they progress. That's when MeisterTask jumps into action, running automated workflows based on the stage a task is in to automatically notify team members, set due dates, and more.

                                                                                  MeisterTask Price: Free for 2 integrations; $9/month per user Pro plan for full features and unlimited integrations

                                                                                  MeisterTask Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                                  Create tasks in MeisterTask from new Google Calendar events

                                                                                  • Google Calendar logo
                                                                                  • MeisterTask logo
                                                                                  Google Calendar + MeisterTask
                                                                                  More details
                                                                                    "What's next on my calendar today?" That's a question many of us ask ourselves frequently. If you ever wish you could seamlessly connect your calendar to your task app, now with the help of Zapier you can!

                                                                                    Create MeisterTask tasks using a Google Chrome extension

                                                                                    • Zapier Chrome extension logo
                                                                                    • MeisterTask logo
                                                                                    Zapier Chrome extension + MeisterTask
                                                                                    More details
                                                                                      Have your most productive day yet by adding new tasks to MeisterTask right from your browser. Using the Zapier Chrome extension, you can click a button, enter your to-do, and Zapier will automatically add it to your project board. It’s a quick, intuitive way to get your tasks logged right as they come across your desk.

                                                                                      7. ClickFunnels

                                                                                      ClickFunnels screenshot

                                                                                      ClickFunnels is one app for every part of your customer acquisition process. You can build a landing page with its drag-and-drop editor, gather contacts with its forms, and use its automations to stay in touch with marketing emails. Then, you can build a full store in ClickFunnels, using the same tool to sell your products as you've used to promote it.

                                                                                      ClickFunnels Price: From $96/month ClickFunnels plan for up to 100 pages, 3 domains, and 20,000 monthly visits

                                                                                      ClickFunnels Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                                      Post new ClickFunnels contacts to a Slack channel

                                                                                      • ClickFunnels Classic logo
                                                                                      • Slack logo
                                                                                      ClickFunnels Classic + Slack
                                                                                      More details
                                                                                        Do you need to get an immediate notification when someone opts in so that you can follow up with them? Use this Zap to send Slack messages when someone opts in to your ClickFunnels pages. This is especially helpful when you need your team to follow up immediately with new leads.

                                                                                        Create Podio contacts from new ClickFunnel contacts

                                                                                        • ClickFunnels Classic logo
                                                                                        • Podio logo
                                                                                        ClickFunnels Classic + Podio
                                                                                        More details
                                                                                          Are you looking for a way to add your ClickFunnels contacts to Podio? This Zapier integration will allow you to do just that. Every time a new contact opts in on your ClickFunnels page, they will be added to Podio.

                                                                                          8. Kajabi

                                                                                          Kajabi screenshot

                                                                                          Want to share your skills in an online course? Kajabi is the tool you need. It can host your course videos, send new lessons to students via email, and help you build a beautiful website to feature your courses. It even includes payment tools so you can sell your courses, as well as communication tools to reach out to individual students, see their progress, and offer personalized feedback.

                                                                                          Kajabi Price: From $129/month Basic plan for selling 5 products

                                                                                          Kajabi Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                                          Get email notifications for new Kajabi purchases

                                                                                          • Kajabi logo
                                                                                          • Email by Zapier logo
                                                                                          Kajabi + Email by Zapier
                                                                                          More details
                                                                                            You won't always have time to check your sales dashboard, but that doesn't mean you can't keep up with business. After setting up this Zapier integration, we'll notify you whenever there's a new purchase on Kajabi, automatically sending you an email notification with all the details you need to react, or just keep up.

                                                                                            Add new Kajabi customers to Keap Max Classic

                                                                                            • Kajabi logo
                                                                                            • Keap logo
                                                                                            Kajabi + Keap
                                                                                            More details
                                                                                              Copying contact data between apps is a pain. Let us handle it, and save your time for work that matters. After you've configured this integration, it will trigger with each new purchase made made on Kajabi, automatically copying your customer's details into Keap Max Classic so you're never missing anyone, wherever you look.

                                                                                              Grant new PayPal customers access to an offer on Kajabi

                                                                                              • PayPal logo
                                                                                              • Kajabi logo
                                                                                              PayPal + Kajabi
                                                                                              More details
                                                                                                You've made a PayPal sale, now what? Avoid scrambling to provide your customers with access to your product by setting up this automation to do it for you. Once this integration is active Zapier will automatically grant your customers access to a Kajabi offer whenever they make a successful purchase on PayPal, so you're free to move on to the next sale.

                                                                                                9. Excel

                                                                                                Excel screenshot

                                                                                                From its original release on the Macintosh in 1985 to its brand new web app edition, Excel continues to be one of the most popular spreadsheet tools. You can now crunch and chart numbers collaboratively with your team, pulling in data from your apps and using new add-ons to bring in the features you need. It even now includes a survey and form tool for a quick way to gather data directly into a spreadsheet.

                                                                                                Excel Price: Included with Office 365 plans starting at $5/month per user for Office 365 Business Essentials

                                                                                                Excel Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                                                Add new Jotform submissions to Excel spreadsheet rows

                                                                                                • Jotform logo
                                                                                                • Microsoft Excel logo
                                                                                                Jotform + Microsoft Excel
                                                                                                More details
                                                                                                  The days of exporting your form submissions by hand are over. Set up this integration and Zapier will do it for you from now on. Any new Jotform submission will automatically create a new row on an Excel spreadsheet with all the responses you want, ready to be sorted, calculated, and analyzed at your leisure.

                                                                                                  Add new Slack channel messages to an Excel spreadsheet

                                                                                                  • Slack logo
                                                                                                  • Microsoft Excel logo
                                                                                                  Slack + Microsoft Excel
                                                                                                  More details
                                                                                                    Slack's search is a powerful tool, but if you're tired of the endless scrolling, set up this Zap to easily bring a copy of everything into Excel. It'll fire off whenever a new message is posted to a specific channel on Slack, automatically adding the contents to an Excel spreadsheet so you can sort by user, filter by content, or even simply keep a separate record of the valuable conversation that happens in chat.

                                                                                                    Add new SurveyMonkey responses to Excel spreadsheets

                                                                                                    • SurveyMonkey logo
                                                                                                    • Microsoft Excel logo
                                                                                                    SurveyMonkey + Microsoft Excel
                                                                                                    More details
                                                                                                      Excel spreadsheets make a great repository for all those survey responses, and with this integration in place, you won't need to worry about any manual exporting. Simply set up this Zapier automation and it will trigger automatically whenever a new response is received on SurveyMonkey, adding every item to a new row on Excel for safekeeping and processing.

                                                                                                      Learn how to get the most out of Excel Online and move your spreadsheet workflow to the cloud with our Excel Online Guide.

                                                                                                      10. Chatfuel for Facebook

                                                                                                      Chatfuel for Facebook screenshot

                                                                                                      Want to build an intelligent chat bot, but don't know where to start? Chatfuel for Facebook lets you build your own in minutes, without any coding. You can teach it what questions your customers might ask—and what to say back—then send automated messages whenever you have something to announce. Need to share maps, opening hours, or specials? You can build a bot for that and more, one that'll be accessible to a billion people on Facebook Messenger.

                                                                                                      Chatfuel for Facebook Price: Free

                                                                                                      Chatfuel for Facebook Users' Favorite Zapier Workflows:

                                                                                                      Create Chatfuel broadcasts for new RSS feed items

                                                                                                      • RSS by Zapier logo
                                                                                                      • Chatfuel logo
                                                                                                      RSS by Zapier + Chatfuel
                                                                                                      More details
                                                                                                        Don't waste your time adding content to your chat bot manually—Zapier can automate all of it. Once this integration is active, it will trigger with every new item that pops up on your RSS feed. The content will then be broadcast via Chatfuel automatically!


                                                                                                        The Fastest Growing App Categories and Trends in 2016

                                                                                                        CRM apps aren't new. Neither are ads. What is new, though, are the greater marketing insights CRM apps and ads now provide. New features in CRM apps can tell you who to contact next and what each one of them has viewed on your site, and modern ads help you gather contact info from people who clicked your ad.

                                                                                                        Those are only part of larger trends that are prevalent across professional software in 2016:

                                                                                                        A bot in Slack

                                                                                                        Bots

                                                                                                        Siri taught us to talk to computers, and Alexa made that something you could do from anywhere in your house even without a phone. Bots now let you get that same power inside your software—and without talking in the middle of the office.

                                                                                                        Much like how Siri or Alexa let you get facts from Wikipedia or set an alarm, bots let you find info from your business apps and get work done. You'll just type a command to them inside a messaging app—perhaps a team chat app like Slack, or even Facebook's Messenger—and the bot's code will find the info or do the task you want. The difference is, for the most part, you'll need to make your own bots, something tools like Zapier's app integrations and bot builders like Chatfuel are perfect for.

                                                                                                        Learn how to build your own bot in Slack with our step-by-step guide.

                                                                                                        Chat Everywhere

                                                                                                        In a related trend, messaging apps are everywhere. WeChat serves as the default way to interact with businesses in China, and Facebook Messenger's bot launch this summer aims to make it the default way you talk to brands everywhere else. Productivity software often now comes with chat tools, something you'll find today in apps like Flow and Basecamp 3. And consumer tools like Skype and Facebook are being repurposed for business conversations in tools like Microsoft Teams and Workplace by Facebook.

                                                                                                        Apps Inside Apps

                                                                                                        Similar to bots, you'll now see more of your favorite apps inside other apps. Want to schedule meetings from your Trello cards? A Trello Powerup that integrates your board with a meeting or calendar app is your best option.

                                                                                                        Instead of turning into a hub for everything, some professional apps are increasingly focused on being the absolute best at one task and leaving everything else to other apps that are the best at those tasks. WebMerge is great for filling in template documents—and it relies on data brought in from other apps. Mailparser and its new sibling app Docuparser are great at pulling data out of emails and documents—data that you can send to other apps with integrations. Even in consumer apps, you see a similar trend, with 3rd party apps inside of iMessage and sharing extensions on mobile devices.

                                                                                                        AI and Machine Learning

                                                                                                        Recognizing objects in photos isn't something any programmer can code in an afternoon. Neither is analyzing vast volumes of text for trends or predicting the next big thing. But thanks to tools like BigML and Algorithmia, you can find a code snippet from someone else who's already solved that problem and use it in your own app. Or, you could use a professional AI tool, as Google released its Cloud Vision API this year, joining IBM Watson, which is already an API that is powering a 3D printed, self-driving bus. None of this is brand new, really—it's just come to a point where it's semi-easy to use it all productively.


                                                                                                        The best part is, keeping up with these trends is simple with the apps that are most popular in Zapier's automated workflows this year. With tools like Airtable, HubSpot CRM, Facebook Lead Ads, Chatfuel and more, you can build workflows for your team with best-in-breed apps, share and locate data easier with bots, and get more done in less time.

                                                                                                        They're the tools that will keep your team on the cutting edge in 2017.

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                                                                                                        A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'