AI Index / Workflow automation tools

Best Workflow automation tools

What AI assistants actually recommend when buyers ask about workflow automation tools — measured on a rolling 4-week window across 4 engines, published as open data.

Updated 2026-09-18 · 28 sampled answers · rolling 4-week window · methodology

Rankings are measured from sampled AI answers — never editorial, never paid. Orbator builds AI-visibility tooling; when Orbator itself appears in any category, it is measured by the same rules as everyone else.

Rolling 4-week window28 samples4 enginesmethodologydata studies

Measured by Orbatormethodology owner Henrik Tellewindow ends Sep 18, 2026

Sample: 28 AI answers · Window: Aug 21, 2026Sep 18, 2026 (4-week rolling) · trend vs prior 4 weeks (70 answers)

Samples by engine: GEMINI 7 (last run Aug 27, 2026) · CHATGPT 7 (last run Aug 27, 2026) · CLAUDE 7 (last run Aug 28, 2026) · PERPLEXITY 7 (last run Aug 27, 2026) · GROK 0 (last run Aug 3, 2026 — stalest)

How these numbers are made: sampling design · prompt provenance · what counts as a mention · what we cannot see

On the record: This ranking is frozen as a dated snapshot every day. View this category's history to see what entered and left the ranking and when, or read what the engines actually said on a given day.

What is the best workflow automation tools?

Across 28 sampled AI answers from 4 engines, Make is recommended most often — appearing in 71.4% of recommendations, followed by n8n (64.3%) and Zapier AI (53.6%).

This is a measurement of share of voice across 4 AI engines — not an editorial pick. See the full ranking below.

How this ranking is measured

Orbator asked Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity buyer questions about workflow automation tools and sampled 28 answers between Aug 21, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026. Recommendation share counts the answers that recommended or listed a product, so a passing mention or a warning adds nothing to it. A category publishes once it holds at least 20 independently sampled answers in the window. Read the full methodology or download this ranking as CSV.

How to choose Workflow automation tools

Buyer prompts in this window split five ways, and the leaders change with the question. Make was recommended in 100% of the 8 best_in_category runs and in 75% of the 8 problem_solving runs. n8n led the alternatives prompts at 100% of 4 runs, and was recommended in 62.5% of the 8 problem_solving runs. Zapier AI led the recommendation intent, which asked which tool has the best AI-powered action builder, at 100% of 4 runs. The comparison prompt, event-driven versus scheduled automation, produced no clear leader, with Make and n8n each at 25% of 4 runs.

No product in the top five carries a pricing fact in this window. The verified facts on record are Microsoft's shared cloud storage feature and PC platform, both last verified 2026-09-05. Shortlist against the prompt closest to your own.

Written from this window's measured data · not yet reviewed

recommendedlistedneutral mentionwarned againstRecommendation share counts answers that recommend or list it — neutral mentions and warnings shown for transparency
#ProductShareTrendEngines
1

make.com

71.4%

95% CI 52.984.7%

20 mentions · avg pos 4.6

first pick 10%

GEMINI 71.4%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 85.7%PERPLEXITY 57.1%
Claim
2

n8n.io

64.3%

95% CI 45.879.3%

18 mentions · avg pos 5.8

first pick 5.6%

GEMINI 42.9%CHATGPT 57.1%CLAUDE 100%PERPLEXITY 57.1%
Claim
3

zapier.com

53.6%

95% CI 35.870.5%

15 mentions · avg pos 1

first pick 20%

GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 71.4%CLAUDE 57.1%PERPLEXITY 71.4%
Claim
4

microsoft.com

39.3%

95% CI 23.657.6%

11 mentions · avg pos 5.2

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 42.9%PERPLEXITY 42.9%
Claim
Features: cloud storage ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: PC ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
5
Power Automate

35.7%

95% CI 20.754.2%

10 mentions · avg pos 5.2

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 42.9%CLAUDE 28.6%PERPLEXITY 42.9%
Claim
6

integromat.com

28.6%

95% CI 15.347.1%

8 mentions · avg pos 7.9

first pick 0%

GEMINI 71.4%CLAUDE 42.9%
Claim
7

powerautomate.microsoft.com

25%

95% CI 12.743.4%

7 mentions · avg pos 5.7

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6%
Claim
8

workato.com

21.4%

95% CI 10.239.5%

6 mentions · avg pos 4.8

first pick 16.7%

GEMINI 42.9%CHATGPT 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Features: Enterprise AI Governance ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: API ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
9

gumloop.com

17.9%

95% CI 7.935.6%

5 mentions · avg pos 3.8

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6%
Claim
10

monday.com

17.9%

95% CI 7.935.6%

5 mentions · avg pos 9

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 42.9%
Claim
11

hubspot.com

14.3%

95% CI 5.731.5%

4 mentions · avg pos 3

first pick 0%

CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
12

zoho.com

14.3%

95% CI 5.731.5%

4 mentions · avg pos 6.8

first pick 25%

GEMINI 42.9%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
13

airtable.com

14.3%

95% CI 5.731.5%

4 mentions · avg pos 9

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Pricing: Team: $20 a month (free tier available) ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Automated user provisioning ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: Desktop ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Gmail ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
14

ifttt.com

14.3%

95% CI 5.731.5%

4 mentions · avg pos 13

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 28.6%
Claim
Pricing: Pro: $2.99 a month, $35.88 a year (free tier available) ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Multi-action Applets ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: iOS ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Google Sheets ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
15

jotform.com

14.3%

95% CI 5.731.5%

4 mentions · avg pos 13

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
16

activecampaign.com

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 3

first pick 33.3%

GEMINI 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
17

tray.ai

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 4.3

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Features: 700+ connectors ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Claude Code ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
18

pipedrive.com

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 6

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
19

kissflow.com

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 7

first pick 0%

CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 28.6%
Claim
Features: Workflows ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
20

slack.com

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 7.3

first pick 33.3%

CHATGPT 28.6%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
21

clickup.com

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 8.5

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
22

pipedream.com

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 8.7

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Features: AI Agent Builder ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Supabase ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
23
Cflow

10.7%

95% CI 3.727.2%

3 mentions · avg pos 9.5

first pick 0%

GEMINI 28.6%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
24

activepieces.com

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 2

first pick 50%

GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%
Claim
25
Airflow

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 2

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
26

unito.io

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 4.5

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
27
Outfunnel

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 5

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
28

mailchimp.com

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 5.5

first pick 50%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
29

windmill.dev

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 5.5

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CHATGPT 14.3%
Claim
30

clay.com

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 6

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
Pricing: Launch: $167 a month (free tier available) ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Job change signals ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: API ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Databricks ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
31

azure.microsoft.com

7.1%

95% CI 222.6%

2 mentions · avg pos 10

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
32
Cron

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 1

first pick 100%

CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
33

stripe.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 1

first pick 100%

CHATGPT 14.3%
Claim
34

airflow.apache.org

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 2

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
Features: Programmatically author, schedule and monitor workflows ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: Web ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Google Cloud Platform ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
35

jenkins.io

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 3

first pick 0%

CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
Features: Plugins ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: macOS ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
36

lindy.ai

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 3

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
Pricing: Plus: $29.99 a month ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Connected to everything ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: Slack ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Gmail ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
37

teamwork.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 3

first pick 0%

PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Pricing: Free ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Gantt, Table, List & Board views ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: Mobile ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Slack ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
38

aws.amazon.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 4

first pick 0%

CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
Features: pay-as-you-go approach for pricing ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
39

learn.microsoft.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 4

first pick 0%

CHATGPT 14.3%
Claim
40

trello.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 4

first pick 0%

PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Pricing: Standard: $5 a month (free tier available) ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Unlimited cards ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: iOS ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Slack ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
41

vellum.ai

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 4

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
42

relay.app

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 5

first pick 0%

PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
43

viasocket.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 5

first pick 0%

PERPLEXITY 14.3%
Claim
Pricing: Free ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Features: Conditional logic ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: API ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Slack ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
44

kestra.io

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 7

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
Features: Declarative Workflows ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Platforms: Kubernetes ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
Integrations: Airbyte ↗ source · verified Sep 5, 2026
45

asana.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 14

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
46
Kafka

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 16

first pick 0%

CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim
47

stepper.io

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 16

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
48

larksuite.com

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 18

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
49
Windows Task Scheduler

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions · avg pos 19

first pick 0%

GEMINI 14.3%
Claim
50

notion.so

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions

first pick 0%

CHATGPT 14.3%
Claim
51
Pabbly Connect

3.6%

95% CI 0.617.7%

1 mentions

first pick 0%

CLAUDE 14.3%
Claim

Reading the numbers: Share is a point estimate on 28 sampled answers, so each row also shows its 95% CI — the Wilson score interval around that share. When two products' intervals overlap, the gap between them isn't statistically meaningful at this sample size. First pick is the share of a product's recommending answers where it was named first, which separates “always mentioned” from “usually the top recommendation”. Full methodology.

Independence: Orbator customers are badged for disclosure. Customer status does not affect prompts, sampling, extraction, or ranking — see the methodology. Your product on this list? Claim it to see the prompts behind your rank and track it weekly.

Watch this category

These rankings move. Get one email a week on who AI recommends in Workflow automation tools. No account needed.

Compare the leaders

Head-to-head pages for products ranked in Workflow automation tools. Each one sets out sourced facts side by side, plus which product AI assistants recommend more, engine by engine.

The top five Workflow automation tools, one by one

Make ranks first with a recommendation share of 71.4% of 28 sampled answers in the 4-week window to 2026-09-05. Its mention breakdown splits 9 recommended against 11 listed, with 4 in context. Engine spread runs from 85.7% of Claude's 7 answers down to 57.1% of Perplexity's 7 answers. It was mentioned in 24 runs overall.

n8n follows at 64.3% of 28 sampled answers in the same window, with 12 recommended against 6 listed and 2 in context. It is the widest-spread product in the top five, recommended in 100% of Claude's 7 answers and 42.9% of Gemini's 7 answers.

Zapier AI sits third at 53.6% of 28 sampled answers, with 15 recommended, 0 listed and 12 in context, and the highest first-recommendation rate in the top five at 20. ChatGPT and Perplexity each recommended it in 71.4% of their 7 answers, Gemini in 14.3%.

Microsoft ranks fourth at 39.3% of 28 sampled answers, 8 recommended against 3 listed. Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity each recommended it in 42.9% of their 7 answers, Gemini in 28.6%. Recorded facts include shared cloud storage and PC as platform, both last verified 2026-09-05.

Power Automate closes the top five at 35.7% of 28 sampled answers, with 7 recommended against 3 listed. ChatGPT and Perplexity each recommended it in 42.9% of their 7 answers, Claude and Gemini in 28.6%.

Written from this window's measured data · not yet reviewed

Where the engines disagree

The four engines did not converge on one name. Among the top five, Claude recommended n8n most across its 7 answers. Gemini and ChatGPT both led with Make, each across 7 answers. Perplexity led with Zapier AI across its 7 answers.

n8n carries the widest gap between engines. It was recommended in 42.9% of Gemini's 7 answers and 100% of Claude's 7 answers, a spread of 57.1 points. Zapier AI shows a similar split in the other direction, recommended in 14.3% of Gemini's 7 answers and 71.4% of both ChatGPT's and Perplexity's 7 answers. Make is the steadiest of the five, ranging from 57.1% of Perplexity's 7 answers to 85.7% of Claude's 7 answers. Each engine contributed 7 runs to the 28 sampled answers.

Written from this window's measured data · not yet reviewed

What moved this window

This is the first measured window on record for workflow automation tools. It runs 2026-08-08 to 2026-09-05, 28 days, on 28 sampled answers across 4 engines with 7 runs each. There is no prior window to compare against, so no product entered or left the top ten, and no share change can be reported yet.

Make leads the window at 71.4% of 28 sampled answers, followed by n8n at 64.3% and Zapier AI at 53.6%. Microsoft sits at 39.3% and Power Automate at 35.7%. The confidence intervals are wide at this sample size, from 52.9 to 84.7 for Make and from 20.7 to 54.2 for Power Automate. 51 products were ranked in total. Treat the ordering as provisional until a second window lands.

Written from this window's measured data · not yet reviewed

What the engines actually said

Every number on this page is measured from sampled answers, and those answers are kept. The archive holds dated excerpts of what each engine answered, never full answers. Read the answer archive for workflow automation tools to see the excerpts by date and engine, or view the ranking history to see what entered and left this ranking and when.

Questions buyers ask about Workflow automation tools

What is the best workflow automation tools?

Across 28 sampled AI answers from 4 engines (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026), Make is recommended most often for workflow automation tools, appearing in 71.4% of recommendations, followed by n8n (64.3%). This is a measurement of what AI assistants recommend, not an editorial verdict.

What does ChatGPT recommend for workflow automation tools?

ChatGPT recommends Make most often for workflow automation tools. It appears as a recommendation in 71.4% of ChatGPT's sampled answers in this window (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026). Other engines answer differently. The per-engine breakdown in the ranking shows each one.

How is this measured?

Orbator samples AI answers to buyer questions across 4 engines and counts how often each product is recommended. No product pays for placement. The workflow automation tools ranking is based on 28 answers in the current 4-week window (Aug 21, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026). Full methodology is published at https://www.orbator.io/ai-index/methodology.

Compare the top workflow automation tools side by side

Verified facts for the most-recommended products — each sourced and dated. No editorial scoring, just the data side by side.

Microsoftmicrosoft.comWorkatoworkato.comAirtableairtable.comIFTTTifttt.comTray.aitray.ai
PricingTeam: $20 a month (free tier available) ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Pro: $2.99 a month, $35.88 a year (free tier available) ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026
Featurescloud storage ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Enterprise AI Governance ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Automated user provisioning ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Multi-action Applets ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026700+ connectors ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026
PlatformsPC ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026API ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Desktop ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026iOS ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026
IntegrationsGmail ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Google Sheets ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026Claude Code ↗ sourceverified Sep 5, 2026

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