IBM Cloud Pak for Integration vs Zapier comparison

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Read 41 Zapier reviews

658 Views
462 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

Zapier and IBM Cloud Pak for Integration compete in automation and integration. Zapier has the upper hand in cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness, while IBM Cloud Pak for Integration offers features that cater to enterprises justifying its premium pricing.

Features: Zapier's key features include its ability to connect various web apps, ease of prototype workflows without coding, and extensive app integrations through pre-built Zaps. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration offers features like comprehensive API management, robust end-to-end encryption, and high-level messaging capabilities suited for complex enterprise environments.

Room for Improvement: Zapier could improve by expanding support for more complex business logic and enterprise features, offering more advanced data processing capabilities, and enhancing scalability for large-scale operations. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration can improve by simplifying its initial setup process, providing better cost transparency, and enhancing user interface design to be more intuitive for non-technical users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zapier is recognized for its straightforward deployment process and minimal need for technical support, making it ideal for users with limited IT resources. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, while requiring more complex setup due to its advanced features, offers detailed customer service support that assists in deploying sophisticated enterprise solutions.

Pricing and ROI: Zapier offers a more affordable pricing structure, facilitating rapid ROI for smaller businesses with low setup costs and flexible pricing. IBM Cloud Pak for Integration commands a higher price but delivers significant ROI by supporting advanced integrations that can streamline and enhance business processes over time.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Cloud Pak for Integration vs. Zapier Report (Updated: April 2025).

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration vs. Zapier

Download the complete report

Helped 850,236 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Ranking in Cloud Data Integration

16th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

API Management (24th)

Zapier

Ranking in Cloud Data Integration

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Cloud Data Integration category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Pak for Integration is 2.1%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zapier is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud Data Integration

Featured Reviews

Neelima Golla

Senior Software Engineer at NessPRO Italy

A hybrid integration platform that applies the functionality of closed-loop AI automation

I recommend using it because, in today's context, the cloud plays a significant role. Within the same user interface, you can develop applications and manage multiple applications, making it a more user-friendly option. Moreover, you can explore various other technologies while deploying on the cloud, broadening your knowledge of cloud technologies. In my case, the transition led to my learning of Kubernetes, enabling multi-scaling and expanding my technical skills. It was a valuable experience, and I had the opportunity to learn many new things during the migration process. I can easily rate it an eight or nine out of ten.

Read full review

FrankHo

Analyst at MSXI

Though the tool offers a visually appealing UI, it needs to improve its documentation

With Zapier, improvements are required in the areas of concerns like bugs, ease of use, and documentation. The product has many bugs, so users have to wait for a period ranging from five minutes to an hour to see where the Zap went. In Zapier, Zaps aren't very understandable owing to the way they work. As a user, you would think that in Zapier, a Zap works in a particular way once you set it up, but it won't happen. At times, some Zaps can interfere with each other, because of which there might be infinite loops that may occur, owing to which multiple Zaps continue to run or break down in general, after which nothing would run in your environment. You would not be notified about the breakdown of Zaps. The bugs in the product may be considered to understand or get an explanation of how Zaps works between software systems, so for something between Gmail and HubSpot, Zapier would explain through better documentation what would work and what wouldn't work. Maybe if Zapier had better functionality with Python or any other coding language in general, it would make the product a lot better.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It is a stable solution."

"Cloud Pak for Integration is definitely scalable. That is the most important criteria."

"Redirection is a key feature. It helps in managing multiple microservices by centralizing control and access."

"The most preferable aspect would be the elimination of the command, which was a significant improvement. In the past, it was a challenge, but now we can proceed smoothly with the implementation of our policies and everything is managed through JCP. It's still among the positive aspects, and it's a valuable feature."

"The most valuable aspect of the Cloud Pak, in general, is the flexibility that you have to use the product."

"Zapier luckily has a wide range of integrations, I would say."

"Zapier is a really good tool for connecting multiple different platforms and data sources. For example, with Quickbase, I can easily integrate data from other sources like AWS or task-tracking platforms such as ClickUp or Asana."

"The most valuable aspect of this solution is that it is very intuitive and has a very flat learning curve."

"The product's most valuable feature is automation."

"The ability to connect web applications to trigger actions in another app after having enriched, formatted, delayed, grouped, and filtered is really valuable for many businesses."

"The product's initial setup phase was very easy."

"What's most valuable in Zapier is its simplicity, seamlessness, and smooth plug-in, so you won't need to build code for every action. I'm not a developer, but I can use Zapier."

"The initial setup is pretty easy to do."

More Zapier pros

Cons

"Its queuing and messaging features need improvement."

"The initial setup is not easy."

"Setting up Cloud Pak for Integration is relatively complex. It's not as easy because it has not yet been fully integrated. You still have some products that are still not containerized, so you still have to run them on a dedicated VM."

"The pricing can be improved."

"Enterprise bots are needed to balance products like Kafka and Confluent."

"Some apps are not available yet. For instance, a connection with Joomla! would be great. In general, all the most-used apps are available, but I bumped into Joomla! with a client."

"Zapier needs to improve in the same way most RPA solutions should, such as Robocorp, Make, or UiPath. They are not good at helping you find the connections that you need for the problem that you have. For example, if need something on Instagram. I'm going to have to do research for hours to be able to find the components or the app, which is going to do what I need it to do. It makes it difficult to use the system when you don't know what to use."

"Being able to share Zaps and organize them with teammates would allow sharing and refining scenarios and even combining steps that require different people's credentials."

"I would like to see them improve the Quickbase integration. Currently, it only allows triggering actions when records are added, but it would be more useful if we could also trigger actions when records are modified or deleted."

"The pricing could be a little cheaper."

"There is room for improvement in the support. They are not responsive, and they don't take much time to get resolved."

"The solution does not work properly when we apply filters and we get errors."

"With Zapier, improvements are required in the areas of concerns like bugs, ease of use, and documentation."

More Zapier cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is an expensive solution."

"The solution's pricing model is very flexible."

"Zapier is a paid service. Its license renews monthly, and Zapier will downgrade your subscription to the free version when your credit card doesn't have funds. That significantly impacts your service because everything halts completely. Zapier doesn't have any hidden costs."

"Think your Zaps through to make sure you don't use more Zaps than you need."

"It's very affordable."

"It's very straightforward licensing. There's only one cost you have to pay, and if you want a relevant pricing plan, I think you have two or three different models or packages which include the number of notifications or Zaps, as they call it, that you can program."

"The least expensive plan is $24 a month, and you can go all the way to $800 a month if you're a huge company using many tasks."

"Per task, there is a monthly plan involving 15 euros...Also, in different forms, they just give you the ability to use different features. They charge 18.58 euros for the first standard plan, which includes 750 tasks. So, it is about 25 cents per task."

"There is a free plan that is, of course, limited. However, it allows you to understand and check true scenarios for a while."

"The price of Zapier is approximately $75 monthly."

More Zapier pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud Data Integration solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

850,236 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Pak for Integration?

The most preferable aspect would be the elimination of the command, which was a significant improvement. In the past, it was a challenge, but now we can proceed smoothly with the implementation of ...

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Pak for Integration?

Enterprise bots are needed to balance products like Kafka and Confluent.

What is your primary use case for IBM Cloud Pak for Integration?

It manages APIs and integrates microservices at the enterprise level. It offers a range of capabilities for handling APIs, microservices, and various integration needs. The platform supports thousa...

What do you like most about Zapier?

The product's most valuable feature is automation.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zapier?

The pricing is suitable. It's not cheap, but not expensive.

What needs improvement with Zapier?

The pricing could be a little cheaper.

IBM App Connect vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Comparisons

Compared 45% of the time

IBM API Connect vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 14% of the time

IBM DataPower Gateway vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 7% of the time

IBM InfoSphere DataStage vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 7% of the time

AWS Glue vs IBM Cloud Pak for Integration

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM Cloud Pak for Integration Competitors

Coefficient vs Zapier

Compared 22% of the time

Fivetran vs Zapier

Compared 14% of the time

SnapLogic vs Zapier

Compared 10% of the time

AWS Glue vs Zapier

Compared 10% of the time

Coupler.io vs Zapier

Compared 9% of the time

More Zapier Competitors

Product Reports

API Management

Download IBM Cloud Pak for Integration product report

Download Zapier product report

Overview

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration gives you complete, flexible integration using capabilities you need to move at today's speed of business, including the tools to help you achieve your application modernization goals as part of your journey to the cloud.

IBM

Zapier is a tool for primarily non-technical users to connect together web apps.

An integration between two apps is called a Zap. A Zap is made up of a Trigger and one or more Actions or Searches.

Whenever the trigger happens in one app, Zapier will automatically perform the actions or searches in another app in order.

Zaps are very lightweight and easy to set up. Zaps do not import or export old data (they only operate on new items created after the Zap is enabled). Zaps are also not kept in sync ("two way syncing") after the Zap is triggered.

Zaps are deceivingly simple if you're used to dealing with complex and difficult integrations. Their simplicity is what enables anyone to create them.

Sample Customers

CVS Health Corporation

BuzzFeed, Groupon, Spotify, Columbia University, FOX

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration vs. Zapier