IFTTT

IFTTT is a lightweight automation service that links apps, web services and smart home devices together with simple “if this, then that” rules. Each rule is called an Applet: something happens in one service, and IFTTT makes something happen in another. It was one of the first consumer automation tools and it still leans that way, with a large catalogue of ready-made Applets you can turn on in a couple of taps. For a business, it is best understood as the simplest end of the automation market rather than a workflow platform.

What you can actually do with it

You either switch on an Applet someone else has published or build one yourself from a trigger and an action.

• Connect everyday apps. IFTTT supports hundreds of services covering social platforms, Google Workspace, note and task apps, storage, email and messaging.
• Automate small recurring chores. Log form entries to a spreadsheet, save attachments to cloud storage, post an update to several channels at once, or get a notification when something changes.
• Bring in smart devices. This is where IFTTT is genuinely distinctive: lights, thermostats, sensors, cameras and voice assistants are first-class citizens alongside software.
• Trigger things from your own systems. Webhooks let you fire an Applet from a script or receive a call from another app, which is the usual escape hatch for anything custom.
• Chain more than one action. Paid tiers allow multi-action Applets, plus filter code and queries for conditional behaviour and pulling extra data before acting.
• Run it from a phone. The mobile apps include location and device triggers, so an Applet can fire when you arrive somewhere or connect to a network.

Who it fits best

IFTTT suits sole traders, freelancers and very small teams who want a handful of nagging manual tasks to stop existing, without learning a workflow builder. It is also a sensible pick for anyone whose automation crosses into physical things: a shop owner tying opening hours to lighting, or a studio linking a sensor to a notification.

If your automations involve business records with many fields, approval steps, or error handling that matters, you will hit the ceiling quickly. IFTTT is designed for short, forgiving rules, not for processes where a silent failure costs you money.

Things worth knowing before you commit

• The free tier is deliberately small. It caps how many Applets you can run at once, so IFTTT stops being free as soon as it becomes genuinely useful.
• Capability is gated by tier. Multi-action Applets, filter code, queries, faster run speeds and connecting more than one account per service sit on paid plans. Check which tier includes the feature you actually need before signing up.
• Triggers are not instant. Many run on polling rather than real-time events, so there can be a delay between the trigger and the action, and faster checking is itself a paid feature.
• Services come and go. IFTTT depends on third-party APIs, and Applets can break or disappear when a provider changes or withdraws access. That has happened with major platforms before.
• Limited visibility when things fail. Logging and error handling are basic compared with business automation tools, so a quietly broken Applet can go unnoticed.

Alternatives to compare it against

Zapier is the obvious comparison for business use: more expensive, but with deeper app coverage, better multi-step logic and far more useful error reporting. Make is worth a look if you like building visually and want branching and loops without enterprise pricing. If your automations live inside one suite, the built-in options may be enough on their own, such as Power Automate for Microsoft 365 or Apps Script for Google Workspace. For smart home work specifically, Home Assistant is the stronger route if you are willing to self-host.

Plan tiers, Applet limits and which features sit behind them change over time. Check IFTTT’s own pricing page before you decide.

Further reading

• How to Make Your Business More Efficient with Automation — helps you pick which manual chores are worth turning into Applets first.
• Business Process Automation Platform Essentials — what to look for once simple if-this-then-that rules stop being enough.
• Startup and Small Business Technology Integration — written for the sole traders and small teams IFTTT is aimed at.

Have you used IFTTT?

One sentence is enough. Would you pick it again, and why or why not? We publish the critical reviews too — that is the point.