The opportunity with workflow builders
More and more SaaS platforms are building workflow tools directly into their products. It’s easy to see why: automation is critical to user retention, and customers expect the ability to automate business processes in the products they already use every day.
These native workflow tools often follow a trigger and action model. A user defines a trigger, such as a form submission or a record update, and then adds one or more actions, like sending an email, updating a record, or posting a notification. This gives users a powerful, built-in way to streamline repetitive tasks without switching tools.
But even strong native workflow products face a challenge. They can only cover a limited set of 3rd party integrations, and building new ones is resource intensive. The moment users ask for more, like “Can I also send this to Google Sheets? Can I create a task in Asana? Can I notify my team in Slack?”, product teams run into the limits of what they can realistically build and maintain on their own.
Why this matters
A century ago, factories had to generate their own electricity. They built power plants on-site, hired teams to run them, and shouldered the overhead. When the electric grid came online, those factories gladly plugged in.
Workflow automation is at a similar point today. Platforms know automation is too important to ignore, but building and maintaining hundreds of integrations is not sustainable.
Zapier is the power grid of automation. And our new action runs functionality is the simplest way to plug your workflow builder into it.
Meet action runs
Action runs is a new capability in Zapier’s Workflow API that helps you take your workflow builder to the next level. Instead of being limited to the integrations you have built in-house, your users can now run any of Zapier’s 30,000+ actions across 8,000 apps directly inside your product.
Think of it as Zapier-as-a-service for workflow builders:
We handle authentication and integration maintenance.
You embed Zapier actions directly into your builder.
Your users get powerful, native automations that connect with the tools they already use.
What you can do with action runs:
Supercharge your builder: Let users create richer automations by adding steps like “Send a Slack message” or “Save to Google Drive” inside your flows without building those integrations yourself.
Simplify your roadmap: Instead of deferring user requests for new integrations, you can offer them today. The development effort to add one new Zapier-powered integration is roughly the same as adding 1,000.
Reduce friction for your users: Cover the cost of Zapier action runs for your end users so automations run seamlessly inside your product. This creates a smoother user experience and opens new upsell opportunities for you as a partner.
Want to add it to your workflow builder?
Action runs functionality is generally available starting at ZapConnect 2025. Using action runs requires a commercial agreement with Zapier, so contact us to get started.
Learn more about action runs in our technical docs:
The bottom line
Your workflow builder has the potential to do more. With action runs, you can plug into the world’s largest automation ecosystem, give your users the power they expect, and do it without slowing down your roadmap.
And because you include the cost of Zapier actions in your own product offering, you eliminate friction and unlock new upsell opportunities as automation becomes a native part of your product’s value.
Zapier is the power grid, action runs is the plug. And your workflow builder is about to get a whole lot stronger.
Want to go deeper?
Want to see how action runs can power your workflow builder? Connect with the Powered by Zapier team for a full demo, end-to-end.
