OpenAssistant vs Zapier Agents: assistant or automation builder?
If you want a ready-made assistant that you give work to by email, text, phone call or Slack, OpenAssistant is the better Zapier Agents alternative. If you want to build repeatable multi-step automations across thousands of apps, Zapier is the stronger fit. One more fact matters before you compare: Zapier’s help center says it is migrating Agents into “AI by Zapier”, so what you would be buying from Zapier is changing.
Options at a glance
We weigh each product against the site rubric: whether the documented capabilities cover the job, the vendor-published evidence and its limitations, price for what you get, where it works, and privacy, security and admin controls. The job here is “hand work to an AI agent”, so the answer depends on whether you want an assistant or a builder.
- Capabilities: OpenAssistant lists email, text, phone calls and Slack, with its own identity and per-action approvals. Zapier lists far more app connections and a build-it-yourself model.
- Backing: both state a SOC 2 Type II audit. No vendor result numbers are used.
- Price: the units differ (credits per user against tasks or activities), so we show both and do not call a winner.
- Where it works: OpenAssistant is stronger on messaging and voice channels. Zapier’s pages stress apps, the Chrome extension and Slack or email approvals.
- Security: both state SOC 2 Type II. OpenAssistant states it never trains on your data. Zapier’s statement depends on your plan.
| Your need | Our recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A ready-made assistant you message, email or call | OpenAssistant | You describe the work; it acts through email, text, calls and Slack with its own identity |
| Many app integrations and repeatable multi-step automations you design | Zapier | 9,000+ apps stated, and migrated agents become Zaps with triggers |
| A free way to start | Either | OpenAssistant Starter gives 1,000 credits at signup; Zapier Free gives 100 tasks a month |
What to compare today: the Zapier Agents migration
Zapier’s own help page says: “Zapier is migrating Agents (agents.zapier.com) to AI by Zapier” (Zapier migration page). The same page says Zapier has not set a date to turn Agents off, and that users will be emailed first. A migrated agent becomes a Zap with a native trigger and one AI by Zapier step that holds the agent’s prompt. Billing moves to the task model, with no separate Agents subscription.
Zapier’s pricing page still shows both models side by side. It lists the standalone Agents plans (Free with 400 activities a month, Pro with 1,500, and an Enterprise card tagged “Coming Soon”) and also a notice that AI steps now follow task-based pricing (Zapier pricing). This article follows the help page for where Zapier is heading and the pricing page for what it still lists today.
So compare in two ways:
- AI by Zapier inside Zaps, billed in tasks. This is the direction Zapier states.
- Standalone Zapier Agents, billed in activities, for as long as Zapier keeps selling them.
Head-to-head table
Every cell comes from the linked vendor page.
| OpenAssistant | Zapier Agents / AI by Zapier | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI assistant that acts for you; each assistant has its own computer, email address and phone number (OpenAssistant home) | Agents are “AI-powered assistants that do work on your behalf” (Zapier help); being migrated to AI by Zapier |
| Who builds the work | You describe it. Plain-English requests, and routines described once that run on demand, on a schedule or on a trigger (OpenAssistant) | You build it. Create an agent from a prompt or template, set triggers, actions and knowledge sources, then publish (Zapier help); after migration, a Zap |
| Integrations as stated | A named list of connections (Google, Microsoft, Slack, Zoom, Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana and more) plus MCP; some are Beta (OpenAssistant help) | “9,000+ apps” (Zapier Agents) |
| Channels | Email, text (iMessage, SMS, WhatsApp), phone calls, Slack, web app (OpenAssistant) | Chrome extension and web browsing listed; Slack and email appear in templates and approvals (Zapier Agents). Phone and text: not stated |
| Own identity | Own name, email address, phone number and calendar (OpenAssistant) | Not stated. Agents are personal and cannot be embedded on a website (Zapier help) |
| Approvals | Per action type: Manual, Confirmation Window or Autonomous; (OpenAssistant help); an admin can lock settings (OpenAssistant) | Agents: add a confirmation instruction, or a Human in the Loop step with email or Slack approval (Zapier help, Human in the Loop). AI by Zapier: per-tool approval (Zapier migration page). Pricing page tags Approval requests as Beta |
| Price and pricing unit | Credits, per user per month. Pro $72 monthly or $60 annual; Team $120 or $100 annual, at the 5,000-credit tier (OpenAssistant pricing; per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen) | Agents: activities. Pro $400 billed annually ($33.33 a month), 1,500 activities. AI by Zapier: tasks, 1, 3 or 5 per step by model tier (Zapier pricing, rates) |
| Free plan | Starter: 1,000 credits at signup, then 100 bonus credits a day once used up, up to 1,000 a month (OpenAssistant pricing) | Agents Free: 400 activities a month. Zapier Free: 100 tasks a month (Zapier pricing) |
| Security statements | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, TLS 1.2+ and AES-256; states it never trains on your data (OpenAssistant trust page) | SOC 2 Type II, TLS 1.2+ and AES-256; Enterprise opted out of training by default, other customers may opt out (Zapier legal page) |
| Limits | Not in group texts or group WhatsApp chats; not in Slack Connect channels with outside companies (OpenAssistant help); not every country supported for texting (phone setup); plan credits do not roll over | Per-run activity cap (Free 10, Pro 40); Agents cannot be embedded or customer-facing; no Agents shutdown date set (Zapier usage page) |
OpenAssistant
OpenAssistant is an AI assistant that works through email, text, phone calls and Slack. The vendor says “Each assistant has their own computer, email address, and phone number” (OpenAssistant home). It also browses sites for you when there is no integration, and a web app and dashboard track the work (OpenAssistant).
Autonomy is set globally or per action type: Manual, Confirmation Window or Autonomous. The help center says a Confirmation Window is not the same as Manual approval, because the assistant proceeds if you do nothing (OpenAssistant help). The trust page states SOC 2 Type II and that it never trains on your data (OpenAssistant trust page).
Price. Starter is free. Pro is $72 per user per month billed monthly or $60 annual. Team is $120 monthly or $100 annual. Both paid plans show a 5,000-credit tier, and higher credit tiers cost more (OpenAssistant pricing; per-user pricing confirmed by 3Gen). At $60 a month, annual Pro comes to $720 a year per user. Simple tasks use about 10 to 50 credits, and deep research or multi-person coordination uses hundreds (OpenAssistant pricing details).
Watch out for. Plan credits do not roll over. It does not join group texts or group WhatsApp chats, and not every country is supported for texting (OpenAssistant help). In Slack it works only when invoked and not in Slack Connect channels with outside companies (OpenAssistant Slack help). It is a general work assistant, not an automation platform: its named integration list is far shorter than Zapier’s 9,000+ apps.
Zapier Agents and AI by Zapier
Zapier describes Agents as a way to “Create your own superhuman teammates in minutes” (Zapier Agents). You build an agent at agents.zapier.com, connect triggers, actions and knowledge sources, and publish it. Its stated 9,000+ apps are where its reach beats any assistant with a shorter integration list.
Price. Standalone Agents: Free is 400 activities a month. Pro is $400 billed annually (shown as $33.33 a month) for 1,500 activities (Zapier pricing). An activity is any billable action the agent takes, such as a web search or a trigger (Zapier usage page). Platform plans use tasks: Free is $0 for 100 tasks a month, Professional starts from $19.99 a month and Team from $69 a month for 25 users, both as shown with yearly billing selected. Monthly-billing figures for Professional, Team and Agents Pro are not stated here.
For AI by Zapier, a step costs 1 task on the Standard tier, 3 on Advanced and 5 on Premium, and each tool call is billed separately (Zapier rates). New steps on paid plans default to Premium (Zapier model tier page). The Standard tier does not support tool calls.
Watch out for. The product is in transition, so check which model your plan uses. Agents are personal, not customer-facing, and cannot be embedded; Zapier points to its Chatbots product for that. Approval requests are tagged Beta on the pricing page, and Zapier states that Enterprise Agents do not currently honour app and action restrictions (Zapier pricing).
What to ask each vendor
- How do I stop a prompt injection, where a hostile email or web page tells the agent to do something I did not ask for? Which actions always wait for my approval?
- Which plan and billing model do I land on today, and what happens to my work if the product changes?
- What does a typical job cost in credits, tasks or activities, and what happens when I run out?
- Which channels and countries are supported, and which are not (group chats, external channels)?
- Is my data used to train models on my plan, and who are the sub-processors?
What to keep for humans
Keep these with a person: sending email or messages as you, spending money, deleting data, anything legal or regulated, and any outside contact where a mistake is costly. Set approvals to require your go-ahead for those actions, whichever product you pick.
Related reading
- Best AI agent builders and platforms in 2026: no-code to code: Ten agent builders, including n8n, Copilot Studio, Make, Zapier and CrewAI, with credits, tasks and executions explained.
- OpenAssistant vs ChatGPT: which AI agent should you use for work?: ChatGPT agent is no longer available; OpenAssistant and ChatGPT Work compared on identity, channels, approvals, security and price.
- OpenAssistant vs Lindy: pricing, phone, approvals and where each wins: Price per seat, phone calls, approvals, admin, free plans and security, plus where Lindy wins.
- OpenAssistant vs Manus: two ways to hand work to an AI agent: Channels, approvals, prices, free plans, security statements and limits for OpenAssistant and Manus.
- AI agent pricing in 2026: credits, seats and per-resolution fees explained: Credit plans, tasks, per-resolution fees, subscriptions and enterprise fees, with published prices and a worked example.
Frequently asked questions
Is Zapier Agents being shut down?
Zapier says it is migrating Agents to AI by Zapier, and that it “has not set a date to turn off Agents yet” (Zapier migration page). Users will be emailed first. Check the page again before you commit.
What is the best Zapier Agents alternative for an assistant that works by email, text and calls?
On public information, OpenAssistant. It lists email, text, phone calls and Slack, its own identity, and per-action approvals. Zapier wins where you need many app integrations and automations you design step by step.
Will AI by Zapier cost more than Zapier Agents?
Zapier does not state a like-for-like comparison. Agents bill in activities; AI by Zapier bills in tasks, at 1, 3 or 5 tasks per step by model tier, with tool calls billed separately (Zapier rates). Your cost depends on the steps and tools in your workflow.
Can I use OpenAssistant and Zapier together?
OpenAssistant’s help center lists Zapier among its available integrations (OpenAssistant help). The pages read do not say what that integration covers, so confirm it before you rely on it.
Which has the better free plan?
They measure different things. OpenAssistant Starter gives 1,000 credits at signup plus 100 bonus credits a day once used up, up to 1,000 a month. Zapier Agents Free gives 400 activities a month, and Zapier Free gives 100 tasks a month.
Try OpenAssistant
If you would rather hand work to an assistant than build automations, start with the free Starter plan at OpenAssistant. Set approvals to Manual for anything that sends mail or messages as you, then loosen them as you gain trust. You can also review OpenAssistant pricing.