Back in 2009, when Cazoomi was launched, the iPaaS world was incredibly tiny. Almost no one had heard about the term, and almost everyone called us crazy for building an integration solution. Fast forward 14 years, and there are dozens of iPaaS vendors.
SyncApps was launched in the middle of a worldwide crisis, thrived during the pandemic, and is currently navigating what’s bound to be a complicated year. What better time for an iPaaS industry round-up and our platform show-off?
iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) is a set of automation solutions that integrate software applications and platforms deployed in different environments. You can use iPaaS to integrate applications or on-premise data with cloud data, public cloud data with private cloud data, and so on.
Any combination you can think of is possible. You can build your own iPaaS from scratch (but that’s an endeavor that will take years and millions of dollars), or you can use a ready-made solution.
Currently, G2 lists 200+ iPaaS vendors. Did you see us there?
Needless to say, the competition is steep. This begs the question:
Back in 2009, working with Salesforce and NetSuite implementations, we identified a problem: companies of all sizes were beginning to amass huge amounts of data. With digitalization growing at a faster pace than ever, we knew it was only a matter of time before most companies would start drowning in data.
And we were right: organizations lose between 15 and 25% of their revenue to poor data management. Worse yet, 89% of companies struggle with data integration.
This is where iPaaS comes into play. We saw a problem, and we created a solution.
With an iPaaS vendor like SyncApps, you won’t drown in data: you’ll comfortably and effortlessly swim in it. Data management is easy and profitable if done right.
Don’t believe me? Try our platform for free, and let me know how your swimming went.
This is our rationale for building SyncApps in the first place: we saw a need and anticipated the market will grow exponentially, so we built it.
Now let’s see why this matters for you:
Think of iPaaS as a fishing boat: you’ve got access to the (data) lake, but without a fishing boat, you’ll be stuck on the shoreline, and you’ll only be able to reach the smallest fish in the pond.
With a boat, on the other hand, you’ve got access to the entire lake. You can move across it whenever you want to and reach down to pick up the exact fish you want — smaller today, bigger tomorrow, or hundreds of them the day after tomorrow.
The coolest thing about this boat is that it’s not one-size-fits-all. Depending on the size of your (data) lake and your needs, you can opt for a tiny boat with paddles or choose the motor-powered deluxe version that will get you across the lake in a few seconds.
As in real life, you’ll pay for the type of boat you use, and it’s easy to scale up and down.
OK, I’m hungry for seafood now, so let’s move on from the water metaphors.
iPaaS can help you make sense of your data:
These are just a few examples of what iPaaS can do for you. There are so many use cases for it that it would be impossible to list them all — by the time we’d be over, a thousand others would pop up.
Want to make more sense of your data? Then it’s time to choose an iPaaS vendor. However, with 200+ options out there, it’s easier said than done.
Let’s take a quick look at what a good iPaaS solution vendor should bring to the table:
There is no one-size-fits-all in iPaaS, so no single vendor that’s the right fit for everyone. No, not even SyncApps. For instance, we specialize in helping small- and medium-sized companies, plus even some billion-dollar organizations, turn their data into cash. We’re not for everyone, and we don’t plan to be anytime soon.
There are, however, a few features any iPaaS vendor should have to make it on your shortlist:
Plug-and-play solutions are great, but before you buy, make sure you can customize them. Remember the no one-size-fits-all bit above?
You will need to customize the integrations and automations so you can leverage them to the fullest. Make sure you can do that with your iPaaS solution or, at the very least, that your provider is willing to build something for you from scratch — be careful, though, as this option is bound to be costly.
I know, I just said customization matters. But the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
A few pre-defined automations will help you get up and running fast, with zero code lines and no tech support. You can customize them later, but it’s essential to have a quick initial set-up.
For example, on SyncApps, you’ll find hundreds of pre-defined automations and integration options. It takes less than half an hour to create your first automation — even if you use our platform for the first time.
Right now, your data lives in the cloud (public or private) or on-premise. But that may change. Can your iPaaS solution still be useful if you make that change?
Data storage options evolve fast, and favorites change. Data migration is a hurdle in itself, so make sure that you don’t need to change your iPaaS vendor as well.
Data breaches made headlines in mainstream media several times last year. That’s how you know you should never skimp on your security or take your providers’ security practices lightly.
You’ll be trusting them with your data and that of your customers and leads. Make sure they are trustworthy.
At SyncApps, for example, we do not house customer data. Yet we do encrypt all data in transit and credentials at rest to make sure you are protected. Better yet, Intuit tests our platform yearly for security standards. Look for third-party evaluation procedures like this one in your iPaaS vendor, don’t rely solely on the tests they make!
Pricing is a thorny topic. It shouldn’t be the first thing you take into account when you select your iPaaS vendor, but you obviously need to factor it in.
Irrespective of your budget, look for a provider that offers real flexibility. You’ll notice that a lot of iPaaS vendors have free tiers — that’s great, but can you really use them for real-life use cases?
The same goes for the first pricing tier: if it looks too cheap to be true, then it probably isn’t. Instead, it’s just a scheme to get you to upgrade after less than a month.
The SyncApps pricing is designed to offer you great value from day 1, no matter what plan you are on. We’re happy when your business grows thanks to our solution, so we don’t punish you for growing! On our Basic plan, you can sync up to 10 million records per month, so it’s virtually unlimited!
Most iPaaS solutions are (or should be) easy to use. But this doesn’t mean that you won’t need an expert’s support to speed things up. Or that you can’t use some extra inspiration on how to automate more things in your business.
Before you sign-up for an iPaaS solution, make sure their support department is reliable and FREE — yes, you can be charged for support in some cases.
The SyncApps support department is ready to help 24/7. The response time is minimal, and you also get up to five calls with integration experts per year. And no, you don’t have to pay anything extra for this — it’s completely free on all the plans above our Basic plan.
Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s take a look at the top iPaaS vendors in 2023 and beyond.
For the purpose of this list, we’re going to stick to the iPaaS solutions (+ MC4SF) that are most similar to SyncApps. We know this space (and our competitors, d’oh!) well enough to make comparisons that help you make choices.
Let’s start with the most predictable one:
You know it, and you (hopefully!) love it. As pioneers of the iPaaS world, we at SyncApps have kept evolving for 14 years and counting.
With SyncApps, you get 250+ prebuilt workflows, so you can get started within minutes. Of course, customization is our middle name, which means you can easily create your own flows too.
We specialize in robust Salesforce and NetSuite automations, and you can choose among 150+ other integrations as well.
Other reasons why we feel like we top this list:
If you use Mailchimp (Intuit) like millions of customers out there do, then connecting your favorite eCommerce vendor or CRM is mostly built in using their own technology or that of embedded Zapier flows for apps.
Since SyncApps focus is on NetSuite and Salesforce deep integrations, we thought mentioned their Mailchimp integration app on Salesforce’s AppExchange. It is a quick way to move records from one solution to the other. It’s trendy because it’s free, so it’s the first contact businesses usually have with iPaaS if using Mailchimp and Salesforce.
With MC4SF, you can sync your Mailchimp subscribers, and Salesforce leads across platforms, so you can view campaign stats, manage your contacts, access Mailchimp’s marketing tools, and more.
However, the app is very limited and glitchy.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense that it is that way: since it’s a free product, an add-on that Mailchimp offers, it doesn’t bring in any revenue. So support is non-existent, and new features are rarely added.
When a Salesforce upgrade happens, it can take years to be reflected in MC4SF — if ever. So you’ll always be lagging behind. And your data synced to Salesforce is removed if you ever leave Mailchimp’s integration.
All of these downfalls are reflected in MC4SF’s rating on App Exchange: 2.51 at the time of writing.
More reasons why you could find a more reliable iPaaS solution for Mailchimp and Salesforce here.
Zapier helps you connect thousands of apps and solutions and create a lot of automations that save you a lot of time. Their model is based on triggers and actions and allows you to automate things across apps.
For instance, if you got a new email subscriber, you can add a trigger to add it to your CRM as well.
Zapier’s pricing starts at $0 (for individual users and single-trigger actions, which means very little automation for the 100 tasks you get) and goes up to $4,999/month billed annually for up to 2 million tasks.
Zapier’s solution is fun and easy to use. However:
Celigo can also automate thousands of business processes, and our favorite feature of theirs (yes, we can say that about our competitors!) is their 30-day free trial.
You will also find a lot of cool NetSuite and Salesforce pre-built automations to save you some time and an SDK to build your own.
You will have to contact their team to learn about their prices, but don’t expect it to be the most affordable iPaaS vendor out there.
Tray.io is a no-code platform that allows the user to integrate software applications using automated workflows. You can build and streamline processes using its visual workflow editor. Tray.io’s Connector Press integrates with any online software.
Tray.io also has a Mailchimp to Salesforce integration, but it won’t allow you to sync your marketing metrics or get actionable insights by combining the data from the two solutions.
Their pricing, usually 5 figures per month, is based on the type of automation you need in your organization and can be seen on a demo you can book on the Tray.io site.
N8N is a freemium, self-hosted iPaaS. If you have the IT infrastructure and staff to support it, it can be a good alternative to paid solutions. However, if you do not, it will cost you FAR more to create a dedicated team and buy the infrastructure for it than to pay a monthly subscription.
It also comes with native integrations and core nodes that allow custom configurations.
The paid prices start at ~$20/month for 5,000 workflow executions.
Dell Boomi is enterprises’ preferred iPaaS vendor. It comes with a comprehensive library of application and technology integrators. Connecting NetSuite and Salesforce with your marketing apps takes some time, as you will need to have a dedicated resource to manage the Boomi platform.
Support is accessible via email, but if you need a dedicated specialist to talk to, it will be steep. The prices also reflect their enterprise target audience: expect to pay roughly four to five times more than you’d pay for another solution, like SyncApps.
Workato is another enterprise-level iPaaS solution. It comes with pre-built connectors and fully cloud-native architecture, but it can also be used for on-premise data.
Their automations are both API- and UI-based, and the platform has more than 500,000 ready-to-use automations for common business cases.
However, the pricing is not publicly available, so you will need to ask for a personalized quote.
If you have more than 100 leads, email addresses, customers, suppliers, or staff members, an iPaaS solution is a must-have. You may perceive it as yet another cost, but it will pay for itself within one to three months (according to SyncApps users).
Managing your data without an iPaaS solution can be more costly. Think about the missed opportunities because no human can spot the combined insights iPaaS can. Or the hundreds of man-hours you have to pay for when you do manual data migration. Or the incalculable cost of not properly segmenting your campaigns.
This iPaaS vendor comparison is designed to help you make the choice that suits your business needs best. Our advice: take a couple of iPaaS solutions for a test drive. Sign up for free trials and see which of them is easier to use and has all the features you need — or the willingness to add them soon.
Start here with a SyncApps free trial. It takes less than a minute to sign up, and you don’t even need a credit card.
