Help Guide for Activepieces and the New Open Source Automation Challenger

What Is Activepieces?

Activepieces is an open source workflow automation platform that launched in 2023. It's designed to be 'Zapier, but open source and actually beautiful'—combining the approachability of commercial tools with the freedom of self-hosting.

The platform focuses on three principles:

1. User-friendly first: Non-technical users should be able to build automations

2. Developer-extensible: Technical users can create custom integrations

3. Truly open: MIT license, self-hostable, transparent development

While newer than n8n, Activepieces has gained attention for its polished interface and rapid development pace.

Why Activepieces Is Worth Watching

Modern, Clean Interface

Activepieces has the most visually appealing interface among open source automation tools. It looks and feels like a modern SaaS product:

• Clean, uncluttered design
• Intuitive drag-and-drop
• Clear visual flow
• Fast and responsive

For teams used to consumer software, this matters.

Genuinely Easy Setup

Self-hosted tools often have complex installation. Activepieces offers:

• One-line Docker installation
• One-click cloud deployment options
• Clear documentation
• Minimal configuration needed

You can be running in under 5 minutes.

Growing Integration Library

Activepieces adds integrations rapidly:

• 150+ integrations (and growing weekly)
• Core business apps covered: Slack, Gmail, Sheets, HubSpot, etc.
• Webhook support for any service with APIs
• Community-contributed pieces

Developer-Friendly Extension

Creating custom integrations (called 'pieces') is straightforward:

• TypeScript-based development
• Clear documentation and examples
• Active contributor community
• Pieces published to official repository

If an integration doesn't exist, building it is achievable.

Activepieces vs Other Open Source Options

Choose Activepieces if: You prioritise user experience and interface quality.

Choose n8n if: You need maximum integrations or advanced features.

Choose Automatisch if: You want the simplest possible Zapier alternative.

Getting Started

Option 1: Activepieces Cloud

Managed hosting from the Activepieces team:

• Free tier: 1,000 tasks/month
• Pro: From £8/month for 10,000 tasks
• No server management required

Best for testing or non-technical teams.

Option 2: Self-Hosted (Docker)

Run Activepieces on your own server:

```bash

docker run -d \

-p 8080:80 \

-v activepieces_data:/root/.activepieces \

activepieces/activepieces:latest

```

Access at http://localhost:8080. Create account. Start building.

Requirements:

• Docker installed
• 512MB RAM minimum (1GB+ recommended)
• Any VPS from £5/month works

Option 3: One-Click Deployments

Deploy instantly to:

• Railway
• Render
• DigitalOcean App Platform
• Easypanel

Templates handle configuration automatically.

Building Your First Automation

The Flow Editor

Activepieces uses a linear flow design:

1. Trigger: What starts the automation

2. Actions: What happens next (in sequence)

3. Branches: Optional conditional paths

Click '+' to add steps. Drag to reorder.

Example: Contact Form to Slack + Spreadsheet

Goal: When someone submits your contact form, notify your team and log to a spreadsheet.

1. Create new flow

2. Add trigger: 'Webhook'

3. Copy the webhook URL

4. Configure your form to POST to this URL

5. Add action: 'Slack - Send Message'

6. Connect your Slack workspace

7. Choose channel, compose message using form data

8. Add action: 'Google Sheets - Insert Row'

9. Connect Google account

10. Select spreadsheet, map columns to form fields

11. Enable flow

12. Test by submitting form

Time: 15-20 minutes.

Using Pieces (Integrations)

Activepieces integrations are called 'pieces':

Triggers: Events that start flows

• New email received
• Form submitted
• Scheduled time
• Webhook called

Actions: Things to do

• Send email/message
• Create/update records
• Make API calls
• Transform data

Browse available pieces in the flow editor. Request or build missing ones.

Key Features

Branches (Conditional Logic)

Different actions based on conditions:

• If email contains 'urgent': Send to priority channel
• If amount > £500: Require approval
• If country = UK: Use UK templates

Create branches, set conditions, build separate paths.

Code Steps

When visual isn't enough, add code:

```typescript

export const code = async (inputs) => {

// Transform data, call APIs, run logic

const result = inputs.value * 2;

return { doubled: result };

};

```

TypeScript with full access to inputs from previous steps.

Loops

Process lists of items:

• For each email in inbox
• For each row in spreadsheet
• For each order in batch

Avoid per-item triggers that spike task counts.

Connections Management

OAuth credentials stored securely:

• One-click connection for supported apps
• Reuse across multiple flows
• Encrypted storage
• Easy reconnection when tokens expire

Flow History

Every run is logged:

• See exactly what happened
• Inspect data at each step
• Identify failures and causes
• Replay failed runs

Practical Automation Ideas

Lead Capture and Nurturing

1. Webhook receives form submission

2. Create contact in CRM

3. Send welcome email

4. Add to email sequence

5. Notify sales rep in Slack

Invoice Processing

1. Email trigger: Invoice attachment received

2. Extract PDF attachment

3. Parse key details (via AI or regex)

4. Log to accounting spreadsheet

5. If over threshold, request approval

6. File in organised folder structure

Social Media Automation

1. RSS trigger: New blog post

2. Generate social snippets (optionally with AI)

3. Post to LinkedIn

4. Post to Twitter

5. Log to content calendar

Customer Feedback Loop

1. Webhook: Support ticket closed

2. Wait 2 days

3. Send feedback survey email

4. When response received: Log to spreadsheet

5. If negative: Alert customer success team

Activepieces Limitations

Fewer Integrations (For Now)

150+ pieces vs n8n's 400+ or Zapier's 5,000+. The core apps are covered, but niche tools may require:

• Custom pieces (if you can code)
• HTTP/webhook workarounds
• Waiting for community additions

Check their piece library before committing.

Newer Platform

Activepieces launched in 2023:

• Smaller community than established tools
• Fewer resources/tutorials available
• Potential for breaking changes
• Less battle-tested at scale

That said, development is active and community is growing.

Advanced Features Still Developing

Some capabilities in competitors aren't yet in Activepieces:

• Advanced error handling options
• Multi-tenant setups
• Enterprise governance features

Check their roadmap for planned features.

Cost Comparison

Self-hosted Activepieces:

• Software: £0
• Basic VPS (1GB RAM): £5-10/month
• Total: £5-10/month, unlimited flows and runs

Activepieces Cloud:

• Free: 1,000 tasks/month
• Pro: £8/month for 10,000 tasks
• Still cheaper than Zapier/Make

Compared to:

• Zapier Professional: £39/month (2,000 tasks)
• Make Pro: £14.50/month (10,000 ops)
• n8n self-hosted: £5-10/month (unlimited)

Is Activepieces Ready for Business Use?

Yes, for:

• Straightforward automations
• Teams valuing clean UX
• Non-critical workflows
• Businesses willing to grow with the platform
• Those who can build custom pieces if needed

Wait a bit for:

• Mission-critical automation
• Heavy reliance on niche integrations
• Complex enterprise requirements
• Need for extensive community support

The Bottom Line

Activepieces represents a new generation of open source automation: built from the ground up to be user-friendly, not just powerful.

For small businesses tired of Zapier's pricing but intimidated by n8n's learning curve, Activepieces offers a middle path—genuinely easy to use while remaining open source and self-hostable.

The integration library is smaller but growing rapidly. The platform is newer but developing quickly. For teams whose needs are covered by existing pieces, Activepieces delivers an excellent experience at minimal cost.

Worth a test? Absolutely. The free cloud tier or quick Docker install makes evaluation trivial. Try it with one simple workflow and see if the experience clicks for you.

The automation space is better for having options. Activepieces is a compelling one.