Zapier vs Bardeen: Features, Pricing and Verdict

Zapier vs Bardeen compared on features, pricing and billing: Zapier charges per task for app workflows, Bardeen charges per row for browser automation.

By Galactic News Editorial · Published 2026-11-09T22:29:14+00:00 · Updated 2026-11-09T22:29:14+00:00

Zapier vs Bardeen: Features, Pricing and Verdict

Zapier and Bardeen solve different automation problems. Zapier connects cloud apps into multi-step workflows called Zaps. Bardeen is a browser extension that automates work on web pages, such as scraping lists and enriching contacts. If your work lives in SaaS apps, Zapier is the natural pick. If it lives in the browser, Bardeen is. This comparison covers features, pricing, and the trade-offs that decide the choice.

Zapier vs Bardeen at a glance

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page. Check the live pages before buying, because plans change.

How Zapier works

A Zap starts with a trigger. A trigger is an event in one app, such as a new form submission. The Zap then runs one or more actions in other apps. Each successful action counts as one task. Triggers do not count as tasks. Built-in tools such as Filter, Formatter, Paths, and Delay do not count either. The free plan includes 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only. Professional starts from $19.99 a month and adds multi-step Zaps, premium apps, webhooks, and AI steps. Team starts from $69 a month and adds 25 users, shared Zaps, shared connections, and SAML single sign-on. Enterprise is custom priced. Zapier also includes Tables for data storage and Forms for data capture. A 14-day trial of Professional starts automatically with a new account. No card is needed for the trial.

How Bardeen works

Bardeen runs inside the browser as an extension. You describe the task in plain language or pick a ready-made playbook. Bardeen then acts on the page: it scrapes lists, opens profiles, extracts contact details, and writes results to a sheet or CRM. Its strength is work that starts on a website. Examples include building a lead list from search results, copying data between web tools, and enriching contacts. Bardeen charges in credits. Each row an action creates costs one credit. Enrichment rows cost three credits. Web search rows and AI tool rows cost one credit each. Importing data and using utilities are free. Results can be downloaded as a CSV at no cost. Every account gets 100 credits free each month, and unused credits expire at the end of each billing period. Basic costs $10 a month and adds 100 more credits plus custom scrapers. A Premium tier adds a larger monthly credit allowance, and Enterprise is custom priced with scrapers built and maintained by Bardeen.

Pricing: tasks vs credits

The two tools count usage in different ways. Zapier counts each successful action step. A five-step Zap that runs 100 times uses 500 tasks. Bardeen counts each output row. Scraping 100 profiles uses at least 100 credits before enrichment. Enrichment triples the cost per row. That makes Bardeen cheap for small lists and pricey for large ones. Zapier's free plan gives 100 tasks a month. Bardeen's free allowance gives 100 credits a month. Both are enough to test real work. For steady volume, compare the monthly bill for the same job, not the headline price. Run one real workflow for a week on each free plan and read the usage report. The numbers will show which meter fits your work.

Worked examples make the difference concrete. A five-step Zap that runs 200 times in a month uses 1,000 tasks, because each action step counts once per run. Bardeen's own pricing page works a small example: scraping 10 profile links, extracting contact details, verifying emails, and adding four qualified leads to a sheet uses 64 credits. The lesson is the same on both sides. Price the job you actually run, not the plan name.

Features compared

Zapier's edge is breadth. It connects more than 9,000 apps. It runs in the cloud, so workflows keep working when your computer is off. It supports branching logic, filters, formatting, and webhooks on paid plans. Its AI steps and agent features draw from the same task pool. Bardeen's edge is depth on the web. It can read and act on pages that have no API. Its playbooks combine scraping, search, and AI in one flow. Its weakness is dependence on the browser. A workflow stops when the browser closes or the page layout changes. Zapier's weakness is cost per step. Long workflows burn tasks fast. Bardeen's weakness is scale. Credit costs grow with every row you touch.

Setup time also differs. Zapier's guided editor walks a new user through trigger, action, and test in minutes. Most Zaps work on the first try. Bardeen needs a little more care. Scrapers depend on page layout, so a playbook that works today can break when a site changes its design. Expect to re-check Bardeen playbooks after site redesigns. Zapier workflows are more stable because they use official APIs instead of page structure.

Which one fits your work

Choose Zapier when your tools already have APIs and you want reliable, scheduled workflows. It fits marketing, support, and operations teams that move data between apps. Choose Bardeen when your work starts with research on websites. It fits sales prospecting, recruiting, and market research. Some teams use both. Bardeen builds the list. Zapier moves the list into the CRM and triggers follow-up. That combination plays to each tool's strength. If you must pick one, ask where the work begins. In an app, pick Zapier. On a web page, pick Bardeen.

Bottom line

Zapier is the broader platform. It covers more apps, runs in the cloud, and suits teams that automate app-to-app work. Bardeen is the sharper tool. It wins for browser scraping, research, and lead enrichment, and it starts cheaper at $10 a month. For most buyers, Zapier is the default. For lead and research work done in the browser, Bardeen is the better buy.