ToolRankBest free AI automation tools (with a real free plan)
Updated 16 Oct 2026 · Prices from vendor pages only · How we rank →
The short answer
These AI automation tools have a free plan or are free to use, and we confirmed it on each vendor's own pricing page. Zapier comes first: the largest app ecosystem with a free forever plan and simple task-based pricing. The cheapest verified paid plan here is Zapier Professional (from $19.99/month). 10 of the 10 have a free plan we could confirm. Every price below is from the vendor’s own page, checked 16 Oct 2026.
Ranked shortlist
- Zapier: The largest app ecosystem with a free forever plan and simple task-based pricing. Plan: Free: $0
100 tasks/month - Make: A visual scenario builder with thousands of app integrations and a free plan. Plan: Not yet verified
- CrewAI: Multi-agent orchestration framework plus hosted platform. Plan: Basic: Free
50 executions/month - LlamaIndex: Framework and cloud for agents over your documents. Plan: Free: $0/month
- Mastra: Open-source TypeScript agent framework. Plan: Starter: $0/month
100K observability events - Dify: Open-source platform for building LLM apps and agent workflows visually. Plan: Sandbox: Free
200 message credits - Flowise: Open-source drag-and-drop builder for LLM agents. Plan: Free: $0/month
2 flows & assistants - Langflow: Open-source visual builder for agents and RAG. Plan: Free and open source, plus a free cloud account
- Lindy: No-code AI agents for business tasks like email and scheduling. Plan: Free: $0
$50 of credits, lasts 7 days - Botpress: Platform for building AI chat agents. Plan: Free: $0
100 conversations/month
Order follows ToolRank’s editorial ranking in Automation & Agents, filtered to tools that fit this page. Anything we couldn’t confirm on a vendor page says “Not yet verified”.
Side by side
| Rank | Tool | Relevant plan | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Main limitation | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Zapier | Free: $0 100 tasks/month | $19.99/month (Professional) | 100 tasks/month; Zaps, Tables and Forms included | Non-technical teams automating across many SaaS apps | Free plan is 100 tasks/month; costs scale with task volume. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #2 | Make | Not yet verified | Not yet verified | 1,000 credits/month, 1 MB data storage, 1 data store | Ops teams who want visual, branching automations | Credit-based billing: each module action consumes credits, and scenarios stop when credits run out. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #3 | CrewAI | Basic: Free 50 executions/month | Not yet verified | Basic: free, 50 workflow executions/month | Developers building multi-agent workflows | Paid self-serve tier not shown; Enterprise is custom | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #4 | LlamaIndex | Free: $0/month | $50/month (Starter) | Free: $0/month | Document parsing and retrieval for LLM apps | Cloud credits limit parsing volume | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #5 | Mastra | Starter: $0/month 100K observability events | $250/month (Teams) | Starter: free for everyone; self-hosted open-source framework | TypeScript developers building agents | Cloud Teams plan starts high | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #6 | Dify | Sandbox: Free 200 message credits | $590/workspace/year (Professional) | Sandbox: free, 200 message credits; open-source Community edition free to self-host | Teams building LLM apps with a visual builder | Cloud plans are billed per workspace per year | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #7 | Flowise | Free: $0/month 2 flows & assistants | $35/month (Starter) | Free: $0/month, 2 flows and assistants | Visual LLM flow building | Free cloud plan is limited to 2 flows | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #8 | Langflow | Free and open source, plus a free cloud account | Not yet verified | Free and open source, plus a free cloud account | Building and deploying agents and MCP servers visually | Cloud limits are not published on the homepage | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #9 | Lindy | Free: $0 $50 of credits, lasts 7 days | $29.99/month (3,000 credits) | $50 in free credits for 7 days, no card | AI assistants that handle email, meetings and admin | Free credits expire after 7 days | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #10 | Botpress | Free: $0 100 conversations/month | $150/month (Plus, billed annually) | Free: 100 conversations/month | Customer-facing chatbots | Paid plans start high for small projects | 16 Oct 2026 |
Prices as listed by each vendor on the last-checked date, USD, before tax. Plans and limits change, so follow the sources below.
Who should pick which
Pick Zapier for non-technical teams automating across many SaaS apps (Free: $0); think twice if you run very high volumes and want self-hosting. Pick Make for ops teams who want visual, branching automations (free plan: 1,000 credits/month, 1 MB data storage, 1 data store); think twice if you want flat unlimited runs. Pick CrewAI for developers building multi-agent workflows (Basic: Free). Watch out: paid self-serve tier not shown; Enterprise is custom. Pick LlamaIndex for document parsing and retrieval for LLM apps (Free: $0/month). Watch out: cloud credits limit parsing volume. Pick Mastra for TypeScript developers building agents (Starter: $0/month). Watch out: cloud Teams plan starts high. Pick Dify for teams building LLM apps with a visual builder (Sandbox: Free). Watch out: cloud plans are billed per workspace per year. Pick Flowise for visual LLM flow building (Free: $0/month). Watch out: free cloud plan is limited to 2 flows.
FAQ
Which of these is cheapest?
Zapier Professional (from $19.99/month) is the lowest paid price we verified on this list (https://zapier.com/pricing, checked 16 Oct 2026). Check the vendor page for tax, billing period and usage limits.
Which of these have a free plan?
Zapier: 100 tasks/month; Zaps, Tables and Forms included; Make: 1,000 credits/month, 1 MB data storage, 1 data store; CrewAI: Basic: free, 50 workflow executions/month; LlamaIndex: Free: $0/month; Mastra: Starter: free for everyone; self-hosted open-source framework; Dify: Sandbox: free, 200 message credits; open-source Community edition free to self-host; Flowise: Free: $0/month, 2 flows and assistants; Langflow: Free and open source, plus a free cloud account; Lindy: $50 in free credits for 7 days, no card; Botpress: Free: 100 conversations/month.
How were these tools chosen?
They are the tools in ToolRank's rankings with a free plan or free use (not just a trial), confirmed on the vendor's own website on 16 Oct 2026. Tools we could not verify are left out rather than guessed, and anything unconfirmed is marked Not yet verified.
Sources
- Zapier: Zapier pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Zapier: Zapier Agents checked 16 Oct 2026
- Make: Make pricing and FAQ checked 16 Oct 2026
- CrewAI: CrewAI pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- LlamaIndex: LlamaIndex pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Mastra: Mastra pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Dify: Dify pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Flowise: Flowise pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Langflow: Langflow pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Lindy: Lindy pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Botpress: Botpress pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
Related comparisons
Profiles: Zapier · Make · CrewAI · LlamaIndex · Mastra · Dify · Flowise · Langflow · Lindy · Botpress
More best-of lists
- Best no-code AI agent builders
- Best open-source AI agent and workflow platforms
- Best AI agent frameworks for developers
- Best AI automation tools for $50 a month or less
- Cheapest AI automation tools: lowest verified paid plans
- Best paid AI automation tools (no free plan)
- Best AI automation tools with an API
- Best AI automation tools for teams (per-seat plans)
- Best self-hosted and open-source AI automation tools
- Best AI tools with MCP support (all categories)
- Full Automation & Agents ranking →
Some links may be affiliate links. They never affect rank.
Get the weekly ToolRank brief
New AI tools, verified price changes and fresh comparisons. One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime.