ForwardThis vs Zapier
Zapier and ForwardThis solve different problems. Zapier runs workflows you build in advance, and the same flow fires the same way every time. ForwardThis has nothing to build: you forward an email, write what you need, and it happens. If your work repeats exactly, you probably want Zapier. If it arrives by email and looks a little different every day, you want ForwardThis.
ForwardThis and Zapier, side by side
How it works
Setup
Runs without you
Pricing unit
Free plan
Paid from
Apps
Undo
Zapier pricing and limits checked 1 September 2026.
Which one fits how you work?
Choose Zapier if
You want automation that runs without you: the same trigger, the same steps, at any hour of the day.
Your volume is high and identical. Hundreds of records a day through one flow is Zapier's home ground.
You need an app ForwardThis does not cover yet. Zapier connects to over 7,000.
Your workflows need branching, filters and formatting between steps.
Choose ForwardThis if
Your work starts as an email, and it looks slightly different every time.
You don't want to build or maintain anything. There is no editor, because there is nothing to edit.
You want to see what goes out before it goes, and undo it when it lands wrong.
You'd rather pay for jobs done than for steps executed. A five-step job is five Zapier tasks and one ForwardThis action.
What a single forwarded email does
The trigger is the email you forward. There is no editor and nothing to design in advance. This whole job is one email. In Zapier the same job would be a Zap you build first.
Calder Print
Invoice 4482 - September
invoice-4482.pdf
Your instructions
Put this in Xero as a bill due end of month, file the PDF under Suppliers/Calder Print, and remind me two days before it is due.
Xero
Draft the bill
Due 30 September
Google Drive
File invoice-4482.pdf
Suppliers / Calder Print
Google Calendar
Set the reminder
28 September
You receive a confirmation email once complete, with an undo button that works for 24 hours.
Setup in 30 seconds.
What is ForwardThis?
ForwardThis is an AI email assistant that turns email into action in 144+ of the apps you use every day.
Works with any email
Compatible with any personal or professional email provider. Gmail, Outlook and more.
144+ apps
Works across the apps you already use, with more added every month.
Setup in seconds
Nothing to install and no workflows to build. Sign up, forward an email, and it runs.
Secure & private
ForwardThis only acts on the emails you send it, and the email is deleted within 24 hours of the work being done.
Try it with a real email.
Forward any email to the address below to see what ForwardThis can do. No signup required.
Occasional product emails may follow.
FAQs
- Is ForwardThis a Zapier alternative?
- For the admin that arrives in your inbox, yes. The invoice above becomes a bill, a filed PDF and a reminder from one forwarded email, with nothing built first. For trigger-based automation that runs on its own, no. Zapier is built for that and ForwardThis deliberately is not.
- Can I use both?
- Yes, and plenty of teams should. Zapier for the flows that repeat exactly, ForwardThis for the emails that need a judgment call. They don't conflict, because they never touch the same job.
- Does ForwardThis have triggers?
- It has exactly one, and it is the email you forward. Nothing happens unless you send that email, which means nothing runs at 3am without you, nothing loops, and there is no automation to maintain or debug. The trade is deliberate: you stay in charge of every action, and you give up unattended automation.
- How does the pricing actually compare?
- The units differ more than the prices. A Zapier task is one step of one run, so a five-step Zap costs five tasks every time it fires. A ForwardThis action is one email from you, however many things it asks for and however long the back-and-forth gets. High identical volume favours Zapier's model; varied one-off jobs favour ForwardThis.
- Which one has more integrations?
- Zapier, by a distance: over 7,000 apps against 144+ for ForwardThis. ForwardThis covers the tools most businesses run on every day, and the list grows monthly. If a niche app matters to you, check both lists before deciding.
- Do I have to build anything to use ForwardThis?
- No. There is no editor, no canvas and no mapping screen. You forward an email with some simple instructions, and the work happens in the apps you already use, with a confirmation email when it is done.