IFTTT

What it is

IFTTT is the oldest idea in consumer automation: if this, then that. Something happens in one service, and something else happens in another. It connects more than 1,000 brands and services, and unusually for this category that includes connected devices and consumer apps alongside business tools.

An applet is one automation. On the free plan you get 2 of them with unlimited runs. Pro adds multi-action applets and webhooks, so one trigger can do several things and you can connect something that has no official integration. Pro+ removes the applet limit and adds AI services and filter code.

Who it's for (and who it isn't)

It fits individuals and very small businesses who want three or four automations to exist, cheaply, without learning a builder. At $2.99 per month, Pro is priced like a consumer subscription rather than business software, and for someone who wants a social post to archive itself and a form entry to reach their phone, that is the correct amount to spend.

It is a weaker fit for business process automation. Multi-step logic, branching, error handling and volume are what Zapier and Make are built for, and trying to run an operation on applets means discovering the ceiling repeatedly. Teams and shared ownership are also not the model here.

Pricing

IFTTT is freemium. The free plan is 2 applets with unlimited runs at standard speeds. Pro is $2.99 per month, or $35.88 per year, and adds multi-action applets, webhooks and faster speeds. Pro+ is $8.99 per month, or $107.88 per year, with unlimited applets, AI services and advanced filter code.

This is the cheapest tier of automation software by a wide margin, and the price honestly reflects the scope. Compare it to Zapier on capability, not on cost, because they are not competing for the same job.

Set it up

Official guide: How do I create Applets?

1. Create an IFTTT account on the Free plan at ifttt.com/join. Enter an email and password and click "Get started", or click "Continue with Google". The Free plan allows 2 applets (an applet is one automation that links two apps) with unlimited runs, so pick the one annoyance you most want gone first. Your account is now ready.
2. Look for a ready-made applet first. Go to ifttt.com/explore and type the names of the two apps you want to link. A card with a "Pro" or "Pro+" badge needs a paid plan, so pick one without a badge. You now see cards for applets other people published.
3. Click the card, then click "Connect". Fill in any fields it asks for, and sign in to each app when prompted. The applet reacts only to things that happen after you turn it on. The applet is now on.
4. If no card fits, build your own. Click "Create" at the top right, open the "Classic" tab, click "Add" next to "If This" and pick an app and the event that should start the automation. You now see your trigger, the event that starts the applet, in the applet.
5. Click "Add" next to "Then That" and pick what should happen, which is called the action. Click "Continue", name the applet, then click "Finish". This uses your second free applet. Your applet is now saved and on.
6. Make the event happen yourself, for example by saving a file or sending a message. IFTTT checks some Free-plan applets for new events only once an hour, so wait up to an hour. Then go to ifttt.com/activity. You now see a list of runs that shows whether each one worked.
7. If a run failed, click the dropdown icon next to the failed step. You now see why it failed, for example "Action failed" for the app that caused it. Fix the field or reconnect that app, then make the event happen again. The new run now shows in the list.

When this works, one small repeat task in your work now happens by itself every time it comes up.

On Pro ($2.99/mo or $35.88/yr): multi-action applets, which do several things from one event, and webhooks, which let another tool start an applet by sending it a web request. On Pro+ ($8.99/mo or $107.88/yr): unlimited applets and advanced filter code, a short script that decides whether an action runs.

Strengths and limitations

The strength is the price and the breadth of consumer services. Nothing else in this category connects business apps and connected devices this cheaply, and the applet model is understandable to anyone in a minute.

The limitations are the ceiling and the reliability expectations. Two applets on free is a demonstration. Runs happen on a schedule rather than instantly at the lower tiers. There is no meaningful error handling, so a failed applet is a thing you discover later, and building anything a business depends on around that is a mistake this tool never claimed to prevent.