Activepieces Review 2026: The AI Agent Automation Hub

activepiecesreviewai-agentsno-code-automationworkflow-automation

Activepieces is a strong choice for beginners who want open-source automation and AI agents in one place, especially if you are migrating from Relay.app or looking beyond Zapier and Make. This Activepieces review 2026 covers what it does, what it costs, and how to get started with Activepieces. The platform combines chat, agents, flows, and tables into a single workspace with an MIT license and cloud or on-prem hosting at the same price.

How We Tested

This review is based on Activepieces’ official documentation, pricing page, and changelog — we did not run the tool hands-on. Our sources include the official Activepieces product page, the pricing page, the changelog, and the agents documentation. We did not test agents in production, paid tiers’ enterprise features, or self-hosted deployments. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Why Activepieces matters now

Activepieces matters now because Relay.app is shutting down, and the platform’s September 2026 update made agents a first-class, reusable asset. Relay.app’s homepage states: “Relay.app will be shutting down on August 15, 2026 for free users and September 14, 2026 for paying customers” Relay.app shutdown notice. If you used Relay for AI-native automation, Activepieces offers a similar concept with agents, flows, and tables in one workspace Activepieces official product page. The September 2026 changelog update describes agents you can build from a sentence, keep as reusable assets, and edit with AI Activepieces changelog.

What is Activepieces and who is it for?

Activepieces is an open-source automation platform for non-developers who want to build workflows, AI agents, and data tables without writing code. It is for beginners who need a free starting point, teams that want unlimited automations, and organizations that require either cloud or on-prem hosting at the same price Activepieces official pricing page. The platform offers 760+ open-source pieces, which are pre-built connectors for popular apps, plus chat, agents, flows, and tables in one workspace Activepieces official product page. It is also for developers who want an MIT-licensed codebase they can inspect or extend.

Activepieces pricing: what does it cost in 2026?

Activepieces pricing in 2026 starts free and scales to flat monthly fees, with unlimited automations on every plan and one credit covering a whole run regardless of step count Activepieces official pricing page. The tiers are:

  • Free: $0, “free forever, no card.” Includes 100 credits/day, unlimited flows, Flows, Agents, Tables, MCPs, API access, and Chat to automation.
  • Plus: $16 flat/month billed yearly. Adds 10,000 credits/month, pay-as-you-go overage, up to 5 users, and bring your own AI keys.
  • Team: $166 flat/month billed yearly. Adds 50,000 credits/month, unlimited projects, 25 users, SSO, standard roles, global connections, and email support.
  • Ultimate: custom pricing. Adds custom yearly credits, dedicated workers, and execution/audit features.

All paid plans and the free tier include the option: “Cloud or on-prem at the same price” Activepieces official pricing page.

How does Activepieces compare to Zapier, Make, and n8n?

Activepieces compares to Zapier, Make, and n8n on a few specific attributes: licensing, hosting, and agent-building approach. Zapier and Make are closed-source SaaS incumbents, while n8n is the fair-code self-host favorite. Activepieces is MIT open-source with cloud or on-prem at the same price Activepieces official pricing page. The platform’s agent-building flow is distinct: you describe a task in a sentence and get a drafted agent with name, instructions, and tools Activepieces changelog. For broader context on how these tools compare, see our no-code tool comparisons. If you are evaluating n8n specifically, our n8n getting-started guide may help.

How do I get started with Activepieces for beginners?

To get started with Activepieces, sign up for the free tier, connect your apps, then build an agent from a sentence Activepieces agents documentation. The steps are:

  1. Sign up free at activepieces.com — no card required Activepieces official pricing page.
  2. Connect apps from the 760+ available pieces Activepieces official product page.
  3. Open the Agents page and describe the job, for example, “summarise my unread emails every morning” Activepieces changelog.
  4. Review the drafted agent — it includes a name, instructions, and tools picked from your connected apps.
  5. Connect the tools the agent needs, then publish. Publishing updates every flow already using the agent on its next run.
  6. Monitor credit use — the free tier allows 100 credits per day Activepieces official pricing page.

Activepieces limitations to know before you start

Activepieces has limitations worth knowing before you start, mainly around free-tier credit throttling, self-hosting trade-offs, and scope. The free tier allows 100 credits per day, so runs stall until the next day when over quota Activepieces official pricing page. One credit covers a whole run however many steps, but the 100/day limit is your budget constraint on the free plan. The Community Edition self-host lacks some paid conveniences — SSO, standard roles, and audit features are paid-tier only per the pricing page Activepieces official pricing page. SOC 2 compliance is not claimed on the pricing or FAQ pages, so enterprise buyers should verify. Activepieces is also not a UI builder for customer-facing apps; pair it with a front-end builder. For more on tool selection, browse our no-code automation tools.

Verdict

Activepieces is recommended for beginners who want a free, MIT-licensed automation platform with AI agents built from plain sentences. The free tier includes 100 credits/day, unlimited flows, and agents at no cost, which is ideal for learning Activepieces official pricing page. The September 2026 agent update makes agents reusable and project-scoped, a meaningful step forward for production use Activepieces changelog. For teams wanting both cloud and on-prem at the same price, Activepieces offers flexibility that closed-source SaaS tools do not. If you are comparing AI-native tools, read our Zapier Agents review or our Gumloop review for alternatives.

FAQ

Is Activepieces free to use?

Yes, Activepieces has a free tier that is “free forever, no card” Activepieces official pricing page. It includes 100 credits per day, unlimited flows, agents, tables, MCPs, API access, and chat to automation. Paid tiers start at $16 per month for more credits and users.

Can I host Activepieces on my own servers?

Yes, Activepieces can be self-hosted because it is open-source under the MIT license Activepieces GitHub repository. The pricing page states “Cloud or on-prem at the same price” for all plans, including free Activepieces official pricing page. Self-hosting requires managing your own infrastructure.

How is Activepieces different from Zapier?

Activepieces is MIT open-source, while Zapier is closed-source SaaS. Activepieces offers cloud or on-prem hosting at the same price and includes agents you build from a sentence Activepieces changelog. It also provides 760+ open-source pieces in one workspace Activepieces official product page. For a deeper comparison, see our Zapier vs. Make comparison.

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