Zapier is a no-code automation platform that lets people connect the web apps they already use and move information between them automatically. A user picks a trigger in one app, such as a new form submission or a new email, and Zapier carries out one or more actions in other apps, such as adding a row to a spreadsheet or sending a message. The company says its platform connects more than 6,000 applications, which makes it one of the most widely used tools for linking software that was never designed to work together.
The company was founded in 2011 in Columbia, Missouri by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop, and it went through the Y Combinator accelerator in 2012. Zapier is known for two things beyond its product: it grew to a multibillion-dollar valuation while raising very little venture capital, and it has operated as a fully remote company since its early days, with no central office and a workforce spread across many countries.
What Zapier does
Zapier automates repetitive work by connecting separate applications through a system of triggers and actions. Each automated workflow is called a Zap. A Zap starts when something happens in one app, and Zapier then runs the steps the user has set up in other apps. A small business might use a Zap to copy new sales leads from a web form into a customer database and then notify the team in a chat tool, all without anyone touching the data by hand.
The platform is built for people who are not developers. Workflows are assembled in a visual editor, so users connect apps and map fields through menus rather than code. Because Zapier supports thousands of applications, including popular tools for email, spreadsheets, project management, customer support, and marketing, it often serves as the connective layer that ties a company's everyday software into a single automated process.
Founding, Y Combinator, and remote-first
Zapier began in 2011 as a side project in Columbia, Missouri, where co-founders Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop set out to solve a common frustration: getting different web apps to share data with each other. The three built an early version, applied to the Y Combinator accelerator, and joined its 2012 batch, after which the company relocated and continued to grow its catalog of supported applications.
From early in its history the company embraced remote work, eventually closing its physical office and operating as a fully distributed organization. That decision shaped how Zapier hires and communicates, and it later made the company a frequently cited example when other employers moved to remote work. Zapier also took an unusual financial path, raising only a small amount of outside funding and reaching profitability rather than depending on repeated venture rounds. In a 2021 secondary share sale, the company was valued at about 5 billion dollars. You can read more about the company's leader in our profile of Wade Foster.
Product and AI features
Zapier's core product remains its automation engine, but the platform has expanded well beyond simple two-step Zaps. It now offers tools for building multi-step workflows, adding logic and filters, transforming data between steps, and storing information, along with interfaces and tables that let users build lightweight apps around their automations. These additions let teams handle more of their operations inside Zapier rather than stitching together several separate tools.
More recently the company has added artificial intelligence features that let users describe what they want in plain language and build automations with the help of AI, as well as connect to popular AI models inside their workflows. For readers comparing automation and AI options, Zapier appears alongside other platforms in our guide to the best AI tools for business.
Who it is for and why it matters
Zapier is aimed at small and midsize businesses, individual professionals, and teams inside larger organizations who want to automate routine tasks without hiring developers. Marketers, sales teams, operations staff, and founders use it to remove manual data entry, keep tools in sync, and trigger follow-up actions automatically. Because it works across so many applications, it is often adopted by people who are not technical but who manage a stack of everyday software.
The company matters as one of the clearest examples of the no-code movement, which aims to put software automation in the hands of non-engineers. Its history is also studied by founders for two reasons: it built a large, profitable business on very little outside funding, and it proved that a fully remote company could scale to thousands of employees and millions of users. For people building or running a business, Zapier is both a practical tool and a case study in capital-efficient, distributed company building.
Frequently asked questions
When was Zapier founded and where?
Zapier was founded in 2011 in Columbia, Missouri, and went through the Y Combinator accelerator in 2012.
Who founded Zapier?
Zapier was founded by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop. Wade Foster serves as chief executive.
What does Zapier do?
Zapier is a no-code automation platform that connects more than 6,000 web apps. Users build workflows, called Zaps, in which a trigger in one app automatically runs actions in others.
Is Zapier a remote company?
Yes. Zapier has operated as a fully remote, distributed company for most of its history, with no central headquarters and employees spread across many countries.
How much is Zapier worth?
In a 2021 secondary share sale, Zapier was valued at about 5 billion dollars. The company is notable for reaching that scale while raising relatively little venture capital and running profitably.