Activepieces for Nonprofits
Break free from per-task pricing and vendor lock-in with the only automation platform offering unlimited tasks at $25/month. Open-source, AI-first, and beginner-friendly—Activepieces combines Zapier-like simplicity with developer flexibility, self-hosting options, and SOC 2 security. Stop worrying about task limits and start automating everything.
What It Does
Tired of rationing automation because every task costs money? Activepieces solves the automation budget problem that plagues nonprofits: you want to automate donor thank-you emails, volunteer scheduling, event registrations, and data syncs—but traditional platforms charge per task, forcing you to choose which workflows are "worth" automating.
Activepieces offers truly unlimited task executions on its Plus plan ($25/month)—the only major automation platform to do so. No more calculating if syncing 500 new contacts will blow your monthly budget. No more choosing between automating donor receipts or volunteer confirmations. Automate everything without watching a task counter.
Built as an open-source Zapier alternative by Y Combinator-backed founders, Activepieces combines beginner-friendly visual workflows with AI agents, developer-friendly code capabilities, and SOC 2 compliance. Whether you're a 2-person team or a 50-person organization, you get Zapier-like simplicity with the flexibility and cost predictability that nonprofits desperately need.
Best For
Organization Size
Small to mid-sized nonprofits (2-50 staff) needing extensive automation without per-task fees. Ideal for budget-conscious organizations with high automation volume.
Best Use Cases
- High-volume donor data syncs across CRM, email, and databases
- Automated thank-you emails and donation receipts
- Event registration and volunteer scheduling workflows
- Multi-channel social media posting automation
- Grant application tracking and report generation
Ideal For
- Operations Directors automating repetitive processes
- Development teams needing donor workflow automation
- IT coordinators wanting self-hosted data control
- Volunteer coordinators managing high-volume registrations
Key Features for Nonprofits
Unlimited Tasks (Plus Plan)
The only automation platform offering truly unlimited task executions at $25/month. Sync 10,000 donors or 100,000—same price. No more rationing automation or worrying about unexpected bills. Competitors charge $60+ for just 1,500 tasks.
AI Agents & Copilot
AI agents that can write, analyze data, or make decisions with access to 300+ tools. AI Copilot guides you through building workflows, suggesting next steps and automations. Plus plan includes AI agents and credits—no extra charges.
Self-Hosting Option (Free)
Community Edition is completely free to self-host using Docker. Unlimited tasks at zero cost if you have IT capacity. Full data control, no vendor lock-in, and complete transparency. Perfect for tech-savvy nonprofits or those with developer volunteers.
No-Code & Pro-Code Flexibility
Visual drag-and-drop builder for non-technical users (rated 9.1/10 for ease of use) plus JavaScript/TypeScript code steps for developers. Custom npm packages supported. Build simple workflows visually or complex integrations with code—your choice.
SOC 2 Compliant & Open-Source
SOC 2 Type II compliance ensures enterprise-grade security for donor data. MIT license means you can view, audit, and customize the code. Export all workflows and data anytime. No vendor lock-in, full transparency, and community-driven development.
330+ Integrations + Universal Connector
Pre-built "pieces" for Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce, Airtable, Mailchimp, Stripe, Notion, Asana, and 320+ more. Universal Connector lets you integrate with any RESTful API. HTTP requests, conditional logic, loops, error handling, and auto-retries built-in.
How This Tool Uses AI
What's Actually AI-Powered
🤖 AI Agents with 300+ Tools
Type of AI:
Large language model-powered agents that can execute multi-step tasks autonomously using connected tools and integrations.
What it does:
AI agents can write content (emails, social posts, grant summaries), analyze data (donor patterns, engagement trends), make decisions (route workflows based on content), and execute actions across 300+ integrated tools. You describe what you want in natural language, and the agent figures out how to do it.
Practical impact:
Instead of manually building a workflow to analyze donor emails and route them to the right team member, you tell an AI agent "Read incoming emails, categorize by urgency and topic, draft responses for non-urgent inquiries, and notify the right staff member for urgent requests." The agent builds and executes the workflow autonomously.
🤖 AI Copilot (Workflow Assistant)
Type of AI:
Context-aware assistant using natural language processing to understand your automation goals and suggest implementation steps.
What it does:
As you build workflows in the visual editor, AI Copilot suggests next steps, recommends relevant integrations, identifies potential errors, and offers optimization tips. It learns from millions of workflows to provide context-specific guidance.
Practical impact:
When you add a "New donation received" trigger from your CRM, Copilot automatically suggests: "Send thank-you email," "Add donor to email list," "Create task for follow-up call (donations over $500)," and "Log to Google Sheet." It accelerates workflow building from hours to minutes by suggesting proven patterns.
🤖 MCP Integration (280+ Model Context Protocol Connectors)
Type of AI:
MCP (Model Context Protocol) enables LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude to directly interact with Activepieces integrations, giving AI models access to real-world tools and data.
What it does:
Activepieces provides 280+ MCP-enabled pieces that LLMs can use autonomously. This means you can ask ChatGPT to "Check my CRM for donors who gave last year but not this year, send them personalized re-engagement emails, and add them to a follow-up campaign"—and ChatGPT can actually execute these actions through Activepieces connectors.
Practical impact:
Combine Activepieces' open-source MCP toolkit with AI assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, custom agents) to create conversational automation—describe complex tasks in plain English and let AI translate them into working automations using your connected tools.
What's NOT AI (But Still Useful)
- Visual Workflow Builder: Drag-and-drop interface is human-designed, not AI-generated
- Pre-Built Integrations: 330+ "pieces" are standard API connectors, manually built by developers
- Rule-Based Automation: "If donation > $500, then send to major gifts team" is conditional logic, not AI decision-making
- Error Handling: Auto-retries and error logs are standard programming features
- Data Tables: Internal databases for storing workflow data are traditional databases, not AI-powered
AI Transparency & Limitations
Data Requirements
• AI agents work best when integrated with tools that have existing data (CRM contacts, email history, donation records)
• With minimal data, AI agents default to generic actions rather than personalized, context-aware decisions
• AI Copilot suggestions improve over time as you build more workflows and provide feedback
Human Oversight Still Required
• AI-generated emails, social posts, and content should be reviewed before sending—AI doesn't understand your organization's tone, values, or current campaigns
• AI agents can make mistakes in multi-step workflows; test thoroughly before deploying to production
• Complex donor decisions (major gift strategies, sensitive communications) should involve human judgment, not AI alone
Known Limitations
• AI agents consume AI credits (200 on free tier, more on paid plans)—heavy AI usage may require Business plan ($150/month) for 1,000 AI credits
• AI-generated content quality depends on input quality—vague prompts produce vague results
• MCP integrations are still emerging technology; some LLMs support MCP better than others
• AI Copilot suggestions are based on common patterns—may not know niche nonprofit-specific workflows
Data Privacy
• Your donor data is NOT used to train AI models for other organizations—privacy-focused design
• All AI processing happens on secure servers with SOC 2 Type II compliance; data encrypted in transit and at rest
• Self-hosting option gives you complete control—AI runs on your infrastructure, your data never leaves your servers
• Open-source code means you can audit exactly how AI handles your data—full transparency
• Export all workflows and data anytime; full data portability and no vendor lock-in
When AI Adds Real Value vs. When It's Just Marketing
✅ Genuinely Useful AI
• AI agents for multi-step tasks: Analyzing hundreds of donor emails and routing them intelligently would take hours manually; AI does it in seconds
• AI Copilot workflow suggestions: Saves 50-70% of workflow building time by recommending proven automation patterns
• MCP-enabled LLM integrations: Lets you describe complex automations in plain English and have AI build them—dramatically lowers the barrier to automation
⚠️ AI That's Nice But Not Essential
• AI-suggested workflow templates: Pre-built templates from other users work just as well
• AI content generation for simple tasks: Writing a basic thank-you email template manually takes 5 minutes; AI might save 2 minutes
❌ AI You Don't Need
• If you have under 100 contacts and simple workflows, standard automation without AI works fine—AI agents are overkill
• If you're only automating 2-3 basic workflows, AI Copilot won't save significant time—the visual builder is already simple
Bottom Line:
Activepieces uses AI where it genuinely transforms automation—AI agents that execute complex multi-step tasks autonomously, AI Copilot that accelerates workflow building, and MCP integrations that let you describe automations in plain English. Unlike many "AI-powered" tools that slap an AI label on standard features, Activepieces is actually AI-first: the platform was designed around AI agents from the ground up. The AI capabilities are real, well-implemented, and add substantial value for nonprofits automating complex processes at scale.
Real-World Nonprofit Use Case
Scenario: A youth mentorship nonprofit with 1,200 active mentors, 1,500 mentees, and a 3-person staff was drowning in manual data entry. When a new family registered online (via Typeform), staff manually copied data to their Airtable CRM, created a Google Doc mentor matching profile, sent confirmation emails via Gmail, added the family to a Mailchimp welcome sequence, created a Slack notification for the matching coordinator, and logged everything in a tracking spreadsheet.
This process took 15-20 minutes per registration. With 30-40 new registrations per month, staff spent 8-10 hours just on data entry—time they desperately needed for relationship building and program delivery. They tried Zapier but hit task limits after automating just a few workflows (each registration consumed 6-8 tasks across their automations).
After Implementing Activepieces (Plus Plan - $25/month):
- Automated registration workflow: Typeform submission triggers Activepieces to: (1) create Airtable record, (2) generate Google Doc profile from template, (3) send personalized confirmation email, (4) add to Mailchimp sequence, (5) post to Slack, (6) log to tracking sheet
- AI agent for mentor matching: Each week, an AI agent analyzes mentee profiles, reviews available mentors in Airtable (by location, interests, availability), scores potential matches, and suggests top 3 matches with reasoning—cutting matching time from 2 hours to 15 minutes per week
- Unlimited tasks removed budget anxiety: With Zapier, each registration consumed 6 tasks (30 registrations × 6 = 180 tasks). Plus 4 weekly AI matching runs (16 tasks/month), donor receipts, volunteer confirmations, and reporting workflows—they were burning through 500+ tasks monthly. Activepieces' unlimited tasks meant they automated everything without watching a task counter
Results after 6 months:
- Saved 10 hours per month on data entry (120 hours/year = $3,600 in staff time at $30/hour)
- Reduced mentor matching time by 85% (from 2 hours to 15 minutes weekly)
- Increased registration response time from "next business day" to "instant"—improving family satisfaction scores
- Total automation cost: $25/month vs $60-100/month they would've paid Zapier for equivalent task volume
The 3-person team now spends their time mentoring relationships and program quality—not copying data between spreadsheets. One staff member told us: "Activepieces gave us our nights back. We're not staying late to finish data entry anymore—the automation handles it instantly, and we can actually focus on why we became social workers in the first place."
Pricing
Free (Community Edition)
$0/month
- Self-hosted: Unlimited tasks (limited only by your server capacity)
- Cloud: 1,000 tasks/month, 2 active flows, 200 AI credits
- Docker Compose installation
- Full control over your data
- No vendor lock-in, open-source MIT license
Best for: Tech-savvy nonprofits with IT staff or developer volunteers who want maximum cost savings and data control.
Plus (Most Popular)
$25/month
- UNLIMITED TASKS (no task limits, no overage fees)
- 10+ active flows
- AI agents included
- Email support
- Unlimited internal data tables
- AI Copilot for workflow building
Best for: Small to mid-sized nonprofits needing extensive automation without per-task fees. Best value in automation platforms.
Business
$150/month
- Everything in Plus, plus:
- 50 active flows
- API access for custom integrations
- 1,000 AI credits (for heavy AI agent usage)
- 5 user seats
Best for: Growing nonprofits with larger teams, extensive AI agent usage, or custom integration needs.
Enterprise
Custom Pricing
- Everything in Business, plus:
- Dedicated support
- Custom integrations and features
- SLA guarantees
- Priority feature requests
Best for: Large nonprofits needing enterprise-grade support, SLAs, and custom development.
Pricing Comparison: Activepieces vs Competitors
| Platform | Tasks/Month | Monthly Cost | Cost for 10,000 Tasks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activepieces Plus | Unlimited | $25 | $25 |
| Zapier Professional | 2,000 | ~$60 | ~$300+ (requires higher tier) |
| Make | 10,000 operations | ~$29 | ~$29 |
| n8n Cloud | ~3,000 executions | €50 (~$54) | €120+ (~$130) |
Bottom line: For high-volume automation, Activepieces Plus at $25/month is unbeatable. Only Make comes close in pricing, but Activepieces offers simpler interface and better AI capabilities.
Nonprofit Discount / Special Offers
No formal nonprofit discount program. However, the Plus plan at $25/month with unlimited tasks is already the most affordable automation platform on the market—cheaper than competitors even with their nonprofit discounts.
For maximum savings: Tech-savvy nonprofits can self-host the free Community Edition using Docker. This provides unlimited tasks at zero cost if you have IT capacity or developer volunteers. Self-hosting also gives you complete data control and no vendor lock-in.
Comparison to nonprofit discounts elsewhere: Zapier offers 50% nonprofit discount (bringing 1,500 tasks from $30 to $15/month)—but you're still limited to 1,500 tasks. Activepieces Plus at $25/month gives you unlimited tasks, making it better value even without a discount.
Learning Curve
Beginner-Friendly
Easy to Start
Activepieces scores 9.1/10 for ease of setup—higher than Zapier (8.6/10). The visual drag-and-drop builder is intuitive, and AI Copilot guides you through building workflows with suggestions and next-step recommendations.
Non-technical users can create their first automation in 15-30 minutes. Pre-built templates and AI Copilot accelerate learning.
Time to Value
First automation: 15-30 minutes
- Day 1: Create simple 2-3 step workflows (e.g., "new form submission → send email")
- Week 1: Build multi-step workflows with conditional logic
- Month 1: Deploy AI agents for complex tasks, use custom code for advanced needs
Learning Resources
- Comprehensive documentation
- Video tutorials and guides
- Active community forum
- Email support (Plus plan and above)
- GitHub issues for open-source troubleshooting
Integration & Compatibility
Supported Integrations (330+ Pieces)
Nonprofit-Essential Tools
- CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Airtable, Pipedrive
- Email: Mailchimp, Gmail, Outlook, MailerLite, ConvertKit
- Forms: Google Forms, Typeform, Jotform, Tally
- Payments: Stripe, PayPal, Donorbox
- Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Discord
Productivity & Data
- Google Workspace: Sheets, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Gmail
- Microsoft 365: Excel, Outlook, OneDrive, Teams
- Project Management: Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Notion, Monday.com
- Social Media: Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
- Developer Tools: GitHub, GitLab, Webhooks, HTTP requests
Universal Connector: For tools not in the 330+ pre-built list, use the Universal Connector to integrate with any RESTful API. Developers can also build custom pieces using the TypeScript SDK.
Platform Compatibility
Deployment Options
- Cloud (SaaS): Hosted by Activepieces, zero infrastructure management
- Self-hosted (Docker): Deploy on your own servers for full control
- Platform support: Linux, macOS, Windows (via Docker)
- Browser access: Web-based interface works on all modern browsers
Data Portability
- Export workflows: Download all automation flows as JSON files
- Export data: Full data export from internal tables
- No vendor lock-in: Open-source means you can always self-host
- API access: Business plan includes API for programmatic access
Security & Compliance
- SOC 2 Type II Compliant: Enterprise-grade security audited by independent third parties
- Data encryption: In-transit (TLS/SSL) and at-rest encryption for all donor data
- Open-source transparency: MIT license allows you to audit the code for security vulnerabilities
- Self-hosting option: Keep sensitive donor data on your own infrastructure for maximum security and compliance control
- GDPR-ready: Data export, deletion, and privacy controls built-in
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unbeatable pricing: Unlimited tasks at $25/month—no other platform offers this value
- Free self-hosting: Zero cost option for tech-savvy nonprofits with IT capacity
- AI-first platform: AI agents, Copilot, and MCP integrations included—not add-ons
- Beginner-friendly: 9.1/10 ease of setup rating beats Zapier; visual builder is intuitive
- Open-source transparency: MIT license, no vendor lock-in, audit the code, export everything
- SOC 2 compliant: Enterprise security for donor data without enterprise pricing
- Developer-friendly: Pro-code capabilities (JavaScript, TypeScript, custom npm packages) for complex needs
- Quality support: 9.2/10 support rating; responsive email support and active community
Cons
- Fewer integrations than Zapier: 330+ pieces vs Zapier's 8,000+—may lack niche tools
- Younger platform: Founded 2022 (vs Zapier 2011)—smaller user community and fewer tutorials
- Self-hosting requires technical skills: Free tier is great if you have IT staff, but non-technical orgs must use paid cloud version
- Limited free tier (cloud): 1,000 tasks/month, 2 active flows is very restrictive—most nonprofits need Plus plan
- AI credits can run out: Heavy AI agent usage may require Business plan ($150/month) for 1,000 AI credits
- No formal nonprofit discount: $25/month is already cheap, but some orgs expect dedicated nonprofit pricing
Alternatives to Consider
Zapier
The automation market leader with 8,000+ integrations
Best for: Nonprofits needing niche integrations not available in Activepieces, or those with 50% nonprofit discount access.
Pricing: Free tier (100 tasks), $19.99-119.99/month depending on task volume. 50% nonprofit discount available.
Vs Activepieces: Zapier has 8,000+ integrations (vs 330+) but charges per task. With 50% nonprofit discount, 1,500 tasks costs $15/month—but Activepieces gives unlimited tasks at $25/month. Choose Zapier if you need specific rare integrations; choose Activepieces for high-volume automation.
Make (formerly Integromat)
Visual automation platform with complex workflow capabilities
Best for: Users who need complex branching workflows and don't mind a steeper learning curve.
Pricing: Free tier (1,000 operations), $9-29+/month for more operations. Comparable pricing to Activepieces.
Vs Activepieces: Make supports more complex workflow visualization and branching but has a harder learning curve. Activepieces is simpler and more beginner-friendly (9.1/10 ease of setup). Both offer similar pricing. Choose Make if you need advanced workflow visualization; choose Activepieces for AI capabilities and easier onboarding.
n8n
Open-source automation with self-hosting option
Best for: Technical users wanting advanced customization and open-source transparency.
Pricing: Free self-hosted (unlimited), Cloud from €20/month (~$22). Similar to Activepieces Community Edition.
Vs Activepieces: Both are open-source with self-hosting options. n8n has more technical features and a steeper learning curve. Activepieces is more beginner-friendly (9.1/10 vs n8n's ~7.5/10 ease of use) and has better AI integration (agents, Copilot). Choose n8n if you're a developer wanting maximum customization; choose Activepieces if you want open-source with better UX and AI.
Getting Started
Step 1: Choose Your Deployment
Cloud (Recommended for most): Sign up at activepieces.com for instant access. Start with free tier (1,000 tasks/month, 2 flows, 200 AI credits) to test. Upgrade to Plus ($25/month) when you're ready for unlimited tasks.
Self-hosted (For tech-savvy orgs): Follow Docker Compose installation guide in Activepieces documentation. Requires IT staff or developer volunteers. Provides unlimited tasks at zero cost.
Step 2: Connect Your First App
Click "Create Flow" → Choose a trigger (e.g., "New submission in Google Forms", "New donation in Stripe", "New row in Airtable"). Authenticate your account by clicking "Connect" and following OAuth flow.
Pro tip: Start with tools you already use (Google Sheets, Gmail, Slack) to minimize setup friction.
Step 3: Build Your First Workflow
Use the visual builder to add actions: click "+" → select an app (e.g., "Gmail") → choose action (e.g., "Send Email"). AI Copilot will suggest next steps based on your trigger.
Example first workflow: "When new row is added to Google Sheet 'Donor Registrations', send thank-you email via Gmail and add contact to Mailchimp list."
Test before deploying: Use the "Test" button to run your workflow with sample data and verify it works correctly.
Step 4: Scale & Optimize
Once your first workflow is running smoothly, expand to more complex automations. Explore AI agents for tasks like "analyze donor emails and categorize by urgency" or "draft personalized thank-you messages based on donation amount."
Monitor usage: Free tier shows task consumption. Upgrade to Plus ($25/month) when you hit 1,000 tasks/month or need more than 2 active flows.
Get help: Join Activepieces community forum, check documentation, or contact support (Plus plan and above includes email support).
Need Help with Implementation?
Setting up automation workflows requires understanding your nonprofit's unique processes and data flows. We help nonprofits design, implement, and optimize Activepieces workflows that save time and reduce manual work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Activepieces really unlimited tasks for $25/month?
Yes. Activepieces Plus plan ($25/month) offers truly unlimited task executions—the only major automation platform to do so. Competitors like Zapier charge per task (1,500 tasks costs ~$60/month). This makes Activepieces the most cost-effective option for nonprofits with extensive automation needs. The self-hosted Community Edition is also completely free with unlimited tasks.
What does "open-source" mean for nonprofits?
Activepieces is open-source under the MIT license, meaning you can view the code, customize it, self-host it for free, and avoid vendor lock-in. You can export all your workflows and data at any time. This provides transparency, security (you can audit the code), and cost control (free self-hosting option). It's ideal for tech-savvy nonprofits or those with developer volunteers.
How does Activepieces compare to Zapier?
Activepieces offers unlimited tasks at $25/month vs Zapier's per-task pricing ($60+ for 1,500 tasks). Zapier has 8,000+ integrations vs Activepieces' 330+, but Activepieces covers most common tools. Activepieces is open-source, offers self-hosting, has better AI integration (agents, Copilot), and is simpler for complex workflows. Users rate Activepieces 9.1/10 for ease of setup vs Zapier's 8.6/10.
What AI features does Activepieces offer?
Activepieces is AI-first with: (1) AI Agents that can write, analyze, or make decisions with access to 300+ tools, (2) AI Copilot that guides you through building workflows, (3) 280+ MCP (Model Context Protocol) integrations for connecting with LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude, and (4) AI credits included in all plans (200 on free tier, more on paid plans).
Can I self-host Activepieces for free?
Yes. The Community Edition is completely free to self-host using Docker Compose. This removes task limits entirely (unlimited as long as your server can handle the load) and gives you full control over your data. Self-hosting requires some technical expertise but is ideal for nonprofits with IT staff or developer volunteers who want maximum cost savings.
What integrations does Activepieces support?
Activepieces has 330+ built-in "pieces" (integrations) including Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, Airtable, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Stripe, Asana, Trello, Microsoft 365, and more. It also includes a Universal Connector for any RESTful API, so you can connect to virtually any tool. While fewer than Zapier's 8,000+, it covers the most commonly used business and nonprofit tools.
Is Activepieces suitable for non-technical users?
Yes. Activepieces features an intuitive visual workflow builder (no-code) that non-technical users can learn quickly. It scores 9.1/10 for ease of setup (higher than Zapier). The AI Copilot guides you through building flows. However, it also offers pro-code features (JavaScript, TypeScript) for developers, making it a "friendly middle ground" that works for both non-technical staff and technical users.
Does Activepieces offer a nonprofit discount?
Activepieces does not have a formal nonprofit discount program. However, the Plus plan at $25/month with unlimited tasks is already extremely affordable—significantly cheaper than competitors even with nonprofit discounts. For maximum savings, tech-savvy nonprofits can self-host the free Community Edition for unlimited tasks at zero cost.