Zapier, AI automation or custom software? How to choose

Most businesses don't need to choose one of these forever. They need to pick the right one for the problem in front of them. Here's how we think about it.

Use a no-code tool when…

Tools like Zapier, Make and n8n are excellent at this. If this describes your problem, you probably don't need us — and we'll tell you so.

• The trigger and the steps are predictable: “when a form is submitted, add a row and send a Slack message”.
• The data is structured — fields, not free text.
• Volume is modest and a missed run isn't a disaster.
• Someone on your team is happy to own it.

Add AI when…

AI handles the fuzzy middle of a process. The important part is what surrounds it: tests on real examples, confidence thresholds, and a person approving anything risky.

• The input is messy: emails, PDFs, scans, chat messages.
• A step needs judgement: classifying a request, deciding who should handle it, drafting a reply.
• The work is repetitive but varied enough that fixed rules keep breaking.

Build custom software when…

• The process is central to how you make money, and off-the-shelf tools force you to work around them.
• You're stitching five tools together and paying for all of them.
• You need reliability at volume — retries, monitoring, audit trails.
• You're building a product to sell.

The honest answer is often “all three”

A typical system might use a no-code tool for simple notifications, AI to read incoming documents, and a small custom service to handle the business rules and keep everything in sync. The goal isn't the most impressive technology. It's the simplest setup that reliably solves the problem — and that your team can live with.