The facts, with their sources

What it does

Done-for-you service: NoZapier sells self-serve software you run yourself; plans are purchased online, with Sales involved only for custom Enterprise contracts, not delivery teams.How to purchase: directly online, no sales contact required. Supports self-service signup, upgrade, and downgrade.zapier.com/pricing

How much it does unattended

Runs autonomously: YesZaps run on triggers without a person present, and Zapier Agents are marketed as taking action unattended around the clock across business tools.AI that scores leads, processes documents, routes tickets, and handles requests — autonomously, 24/7, across your business tools.zapier.com
Agent permissions: YesBuyers choose which apps and actions an AI may touch, with read-only or write scopes and a history log, and Enterprise adds endpoint-level action restrictions.You choose exactly which apps and actions your AI can access: read only, send messages, update records. Every action shows up in your History log.zapier.com/mcp

Which models it runs on

Claude: YesClaude is named as a supported MCP client that can call Zapier actions; this is Claude as the calling assistant, not a model you select inside Zapier steps.Zapier MCP lets your AI tools — Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and others — take actions in the apps you use every day.zapier.com/mcp
GPT: YesChatGPT is a named MCP client, and the Tables AI field is described as OpenAI powered, so GPT models sit behind at least one built-in AI feature.Generate personalized responses with our OpenAI powered AI field.zapier.com/pricing
Model choice: PartlyZapier picks the models behind its AI tiers, but Enterprise buyers can route supported AI processing through their own Amazon Bedrock account under Bring Your Own Model.Route supported AI processing through your AWS Bedrock account, using your keys, contracts, and compliance controls.zapier.com/pricing

Where you use it

In your editor: PartlyThere is no Zapier IDE extension; the IDE reach comes from Cursor and similar coding tools calling Zapier actions over MCP or the TypeScript SDK.Connect Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and other AI tools to Gmail, Slack, Salesforce, and 9,000+ apps.zapier.com/mcp
On the command line: PartlyTerminal use exists for developers only: a Platform CLI for building integrations and an SDK CLI for exploring and running actions; the automation product itself is browser-based.Platform CLI: Build an integration locally with TypeScript/Node.js, version control, automated tests, and custom code.docs.zapier.com/integrations
In a browser: YesThe whole platform is a hosted web application used after login, with a drag-and-drop visual editor for building Zaps in the browser.Intuitive visual drag-and-drop editor to build automated workflows.zapier.com/pricing

Whose machine it runs on

Self-hosted: NoZapier is described in its own legal terms as a cloud-based platform used after login; only AI inference can be pushed to a customer's Bedrock account on Enterprise.“Services” means Zapier’s cloud-based automation platform available at zapier.com after log-in, Zapier’s developer platform, Zapier APIszapier.com/privacy

What it costs to run

How it meters: YesBilling is a monthly plan plus a task allowance: each successful step or programmatic call consumes tasks from one shared account pool, with add-ons metered separately in activities.Usage — each successful step in a Zap workflow and each programmatic call (e.g. Zapier MCP) consumes tasks from that allowance.zapier.com/pricing
Free tier: YesA standing Free plan gives 100 tasks a month with unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms, and a 14-day Professional trial needs no credit card.Free trial: new accounts get a 14-day free trial of Professional (no credit card required).zapier.com/pricing
API access: YesA TypeScript SDK in open beta calls Zapier actions and raw app APIs from code, and paid plans add webhooks; direct .fetch() calls fall outside org governance today.The SDK gives coding agents and builders programmatic access to Zapier's full app ecosystem. Any API call, on behalf of a user, with no OAuth setup…docs.zapier.com/sdk
MCP server: YesZapier MCP is a real public MCP server on every plan, exposing tens of thousands of app actions to external assistants, with each tool call charged two tasks.MCP is available on all Zapier plans. Each MCP tool call uses two tasks from your plan's quota — the same task bucket your Zaps use.zapier.com/mcp
Bring your own key: PartlyBring Your Own Model routes supported AI processing through the buyer's own AWS Bedrock account, but the pricing table gates it to Enterprise only.BYOM (Bring Your Own Model) — Run AI through your own infrastructure, including Amazon Bedrock, so you can adopt AI automation while keeping your…zapier.com

Buying it for a team

A company can buy it: YesTeam is bought online for up to 25 users, and Enterprise is a custom contract arranged with Sales for unlimited users and org-wide governance.Team collaboration — shared Zap workflows, shared connections, SAML SSO, up to 25 userszapier.com/pricing
Seat model: PartlySeats are bundled by plan rather than priced per seat: Free and Professional allow one user, Team includes 25 and Enterprise is unlimited, with price driven by task volume.Seats | Team members who can create and manage automations. | 1 | 1 | 25 | Unlimitedzapier.com/pricing
Pooled budget: YesTasks are one account-level allowance shared by Zaps, AI steps, Code steps and MCP calls, with no per-user or per-product sub-budgets.Tasks are a single allowance shared across your whole account... all draw from the same task pool — there are no separate per-product budgets.zapier.com/pricing
Admin controls: PartlyGranular constraint on what automations may do exists, but app access controls, action restrictions, managed connections and workspaces are all Enterprise-only rows.Action restrictions | Granular controls that allow you to control what actions an app can perform. | — | — | — | ✓zapier.com/pricing
Audit log: PartlyAn audit log of team automation activity starts on Team with six months of history and extends to one year on Enterprise; Free and Professional have none.Audit log | Monitor all your team's automation activity. Team: 6 months, Enterprise: 1 year. | — | — | ✓ | ✓zapier.com/pricing
Single sign-on: PartlySAML 2.0 single sign-on is included from the Team plan upward, with SCIM provisioning and domain capture reserved for Enterprise; no SSO on Free or Professional.SAML single sign-on (SSO) | Ensure secure access for your team using SAML 2.0 identity and access management (IAM) providers. | — | — | ✓ | ✓zapier.com/pricing

What happens to your code

Data residency: PartlyThe privacy statement commits site data to US processing with SCCs or adequacy for EEA, UK and Swiss transfers, but points to a separate supplemental notice for Services data, and no in-region hosting option is offered.Information that we collect from the Sites will be transferred to, and processed in, the United States and in any other country where Zapier or its…zapier.com/privacy
Getting out: PartlyUnused tasks do not roll over — the allowance resets every month even on an annual subscription — and no bulk workflow export is described on the pages read.Self-serve (Free, Pro, Team): task allowance resets monthly, even on an annual subscription.zapier.com/pricing
Certifications: YesThe homepage security section claims SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, GDPR and CCPA, and the privacy statement adds EU-U.S., UK and Swiss Data Privacy Framework certification.Maintain SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. Every execution logged, every connection tracked.zapier.com

Plans and pricing

Price and terms

Free plan: YesYes
The terms in full
Free plan: 100 tasks/month, unlimited Zaps, Tables and Forms, two-step Zaps only, 15-minute polling, 1 seat, basic access to Agents, Chatbots and MCP. Separately, a 14-day Professional trial requires no credit card.