Activepieces (23,599 Stars) 2026: The Open-Source Zapier Alternative with AI Built In

Activepieces (23,599 stars) is the open-source automation platform that replaces Zapier - with 200+ integrations, AI steps and self-hosting. Here is how to get started.

💡 What You Will Learn

Activepieces (23,599 stars) is the open-source automation platform that replaces Zapier - with 200+ integrations, AI steps and self-hosting. Here is how to get started.

📜 Table of Contents

• The short answer
• What it offers
• Quick start
• Using AI steps
• Practical tips
• FAQ

The short answer

activepieces/activepieces (23,599 stars, TypeScript) is an open-source automation platform - the self-hostable Zapier alternative. It connects 200+ apps (Slack, Notion, Gmail, CRMs), supports visual flow building, and includes native AI steps (LLM, embeddings, RAG) so you can add intelligence to automations.

What it offers

• Visual builder: drag-and-drop flows, no code required
• 200+ integrations: webhooks, triggers, and actions
• AI steps: text generation, classification, embeddings
• Self-hosted: run on your server, data stays yours
• Human-in-the-loop: approval steps in flows

Quick start

git clone https://github.com/activepieces/activepieces.git
cd activepieces
# edit .env then:
docker compose up
# Open http://localhost:8080

Create a flow: 1. Choose a trigger (e.g. New Typeform submission). 2. Add an action (e.g. Create Notion page). 3. Insert an AI step: "Summarize the submission into 3 bullet points". 4. Enable the flow - it runs on every new submission.

Using AI steps

Add a Text AI step and connect your OpenAI (or local) key. You can use it to classify leads, generate replies, or extract fields - all inside the visual flow.

Practical tips

• Start with templates in the dashboard - they cover common patterns.
• Use pieces versioning to pin integration versions for stability.
• Monitor runs in the runs page; retries and logs are built in.

FAQ

Is it free? The core is open source (MIT) and self-hostable; cloud hosting is paid.

Can it replace Zapier? For most workflows yes, especially if you want data ownership or per-execution cost control.

Does it support AI? Yes - native LLM, embeddings and RAG steps are included.

❓ FAQ

Is it free?

The core is open source (MIT) and self-hostable; cloud hosting is paid.

Can it replace Zapier?

For most workflows yes, especially if you want data ownership or per-execution cost control.

Does it support AI?

Yes - native LLM, embeddings and RAG steps are included.