Hola friend 👋,
I’m Josep. Each week, I hunt down practical tools and digital hacks to help creators like you do more with less effort.
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This week: automation tools for digital jugglers (like me).
The older I get, the more I value time over everything, especially when so much of the work is just… repeat and click.
Managing a few online projects has me handling plenty of repetitive tasks that don’t take much thinking: uploading YouTube clips, tweaking SEO, posting to socials, or replying to unwanted emails 🚫🧠.
This week, I’m sharing the tools I’m using (or considered using) to cut down the workload and win back some time for the things that matter.
Plus: one unexpected gem to boost your website, socials, or even presentation visuals. A smart, AI-powered hack to level up your automations. And a quick reality check.
Zapier
Zapier is like the trusty assistant I didn’t know I needed; it connects over 7,000 apps and handles tasks behind the scenes so you don’t have to. The generous free plan lets you create unlimited two-step Zaps with up to 100 tasks a month. Just pick a trigger (e.g. "New Trello card") and an action (e.g. "Create Google Drive folder"), and Zapier runs the workflow without code.
I find it especially handy for bridging tools that don’t integrate natively; like sending quiz leads from TryInteract into our email marketing platform Brevo 🔌.
That said, since platforms like Zapier get access to tons of your data (e.g. emails, CRM, computer files, etc), you really need to trust the platform and its security team. I trust Zapier, but that's a personal choice.
Oh, and Zapier (and the tools below) now support AI agents that connect to OpenAI or Anthropic to help you build smarter, AI-powered automations. More on that below.
🔁 Alternative to: Microsoft Power Automate, custom API integrations and Make.com
Visit 👉 zapier.com
💰 From $19.99 a month | Free plan available
Make.com
Make works in a very similar way to Zapier: you pick a trigger, define the steps, and it runs the workflow for you. I’ve tested it a couple of times, and for more complex setups, it feels more solid. The visual editor is excellent; in fact, I like it more than Zapier’s.
That said, it doesn’t connect to as many tools (around 2,000 apps) compared to Zapier’s 7,000+. And while it starts cheaper, the free plan is more limited: just 2 active "scenarios" and 30 "operations" a month.
Make feels like a great fit for technical users and dev teams who want flexibility. It’s especially well suited for medium to large businesses with someone in charge of automation. But it still handles basic workflows just fine, so if you’re up for exploring, it might surprise you 👨💻.
🔁 Alternative to: Microsoft Power Automate, custom API integrations and Zapier
Visit 👉 make.com
💰 From $9 | Free plan available
N8N
n8n is the tool I’m currently geeking out on. It’s open source, which means you can host it yourself and have full control over your automations: no vendor limits, no monthly fees (unless you go for their cloud version). It has a giant community and 1,000+ integrations to build on.
I’m planning to use it to auto-publish YouTube videos with AI help, and maybe even have it reply to blog comments via Slack. We’ll see if I can pull it off!
It’s more technical than Zapier or Make, but also way more flexible. You can add custom code, call APIs, and build pretty much any logic you want. The interface is visual and slick, but there’s a bit of a learning curve.
🔁 Alternative to: Zapier, Pipedream, custom API integrations and Make.com
Visit 👉 n8n.io
💰 From $20 a month | Self-hosted is free