AI Tool Comparison
Relay.app vs Workato
A side-by-side breakdown to help you pick the right tool for your workflow.
Relay.app
Turn plain-language descriptions into working automations across hundreds of apps, with human-in-the-loop approval steps built in.
Workato
Connect apps, orchestrate workflows, and now run AI agents to handle complex, cross-department processes at enterprise scale. Workato One adds agentic orchestration on top of core integration.
Bottom Line
Last reviewed: August 2026
Relay.app and Workato both compete in Automation, overlapping most directly on automation. Relay.app runs on a freemium model while Workato runs on a paid-only plan, which alone may settle it if budget or a free tier is a hard requirement. Workato carries the higher rating (4.6 vs 4.5), but a gap that size rarely overrides a real workflow fit on its own.
Choose Relay.app if…
Best for teams whose workflows genuinely need a human approval or review step, not full automated end-to-end flows, and its edge is builds structured human decision points directly into the automation instead of treating every step as fire-and-forget. The right tool when human judgment matters mid-workflow, it's a newer, smaller product than Make for complex flows.
Choose Workato if…
Best for large organizations that need automation with the security and governance consumer tools don't provide, and its edge is enterprise-grade reliability and compliance controls built for complex, large-organization IT environments. The right tier once Zapier or Make can't meet your compliance requirements, the price reflects that enterprise scope.
| Attribute | Relay.app | Workato |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation | Automation |
| Pricing | freemium | paid |
| Pricing Detail | Free (500 credits) / $19/mo Professional / $59/mo Team | Custom quote-based: typical SMB ~$110K/yr, Enterprise ~$197K/yr |
| Rating |
Key Features
Relay.app
- Human approval steps
- AI actions
- Shared workflow visibility
- Template library
- Collaboration tools
Workato
- 1,200+ app connectors
- recipe suggestions
- On-prem agent
- Enterprise security and compliance
- Embedded integration platform
Pros
Relay.app
- •Best for workflows requiring human review
- •Transparent and auditable
- •Good team features
- •Clean interface
Workato
- •Enterprise-grade reliability and compliance
- •Best in class for complex enterprise workflows
- •Strong security controls
- •Excellent support
Cons
Relay.app
- Less powerful than Make for complex flows
- Small app library
- Newer product
Workato
- Expensive, not for SMBs
- Requires dedicated admin
- Overkill for simple automations