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FME vs Zapier comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

FME
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Data Integration (26th)
Zapier
Average Rating
8.6
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Data Integration (9th)
 

Featured Reviews

Alan Bloor - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 8, 2023
Great for handling large volumes of data, but it is priced a bit high
When I do coding, I think about every single function. Some of these functions can be very elementary, like doing a substring or some capitalization. But FME removes all that coding because it's a transformer, so the time to develop an application to get to a point where you're producing results is decreased massively. It used to take weeks and months to develop software, and now I can use something like FME, and within one day, we get results. We can look at and validate data. We make minor subtle changes to the workbenches to improve it. We can share the workbenches. We don't have to use GitHub or anything else.
Dimitris Goudis - PeerSpot reviewer
May 16, 2023
A tool for automation purposes requiring an easy initial setup while offering a very helpful technical support team
Zapier is not able to set up different modules. When automation doesn't work, it's not that easy to find why it didn't work. So, it's not about the automation process but the triggers that trigger an automation to start running. Sometimes if you set up an automation trigger on a specific application, we wouldn't know if Zapier received data to start running. So we cannot understand whether the problem is in Zapier or the steps before. Branching scenarios is something I want to add to the solution to make my life easier. We want to apply a logical workflow with a yes or no condition. On Zapier, you can have a condition, but you can build the actions after one value on this condition. So, the question can be responded to with a yes-no option or not answered. In your scenario, you have only the actions after yes get chosen. A second scenario is needed for the answer, no, and a third one for not answered. While in Make, we create a diagram, according to which if the response is yes, then do follow this path, and if it's no, then follow another path.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It has standard plug-ins available for different data sources."
"The most valuable feature of FME is the graphical user interface. There is nothing better. It is very easy to debug because you can see all steps where there are failures. Overall the software is easy to optimize a process."
"All spatial features are unrivaled, and the possibility to execute them based on a scheduled trigger, manual, e-mail, Websocket, tweet, file/directory change or virtually any trigger is most valuable."
"It has a very friendly user interface. You don't need to use a lot of code. For us that's the most important aspect about it. Also, it has a lot of connectors and few forms. It has a strong facial aspect. It can do a lot of facial analysis."
"We make minor subtle changes to the workbenches to improve it. We can share the workbenches. We don't have to use GitHub or anything else."
"Zapier luckily has a wide range of integrations, I would say."
"The product's initial setup phase was very easy."
"We can connect Zapier with Zoho CRM for lead generation. I like the tool's drag and drop feature."
"We find it effortless to set up. We really don't have to do anything other than finding the application in the Zapier catalog. And as long as the application has been re-integrated into Zapier, they're able to then just provide the connection details and hook it up."
"What's most valuable in Zapier is its simplicity, seamlessness, and smooth plug-in, so you won't need to build code for every action. I'm not a developer, but I can use Zapier."
"The solution is a SaaS and does not require a complex setup."
"Zapier is a really good tool for connecting multiple different platforms and data sources. For example, with Quickbase, I can easily integrate data from other sources like AWS or task-tracking platforms such as ClickUp or Asana."
"The ability to connect web applications to trigger actions in another app after having enriched, formatted, delayed, grouped, and filtered is really valuable for many businesses."
 

Cons

"Improvements could be made to mapping presentations."
"To get a higher rating, it would have to improve the price and the associated scalability. These are the main issues."
"FME's price needs improvement for the African market."
"The one thing that always appears in the community is the ability to make really easy loops to loop through data efficiently. That needs to be added at some point."
"FME can improve the geographical transformation. I've had some problems with the geographical transformations, but it's probably mostly because I'm not the most skilled geographer in-house. The solution requires some in-depth knowledge to perform some functions."
"Some apps are not available yet. For instance, a connection with Joomla! would be great. In general, all the most-used apps are available, but I bumped into Joomla! with a client."
"Some recent changes to the solution have made it bulky and not as intuitive to use as it previously was."
"My biggest concern with Zapier would be their pricing strategy."
"Zapier needs more YouTube or video tutorials or more training for people. That would help a lot. In particular, Zapier should have documentation for every connector. Its documentation needs to be more detailed and visual."
"It is not worth the money if you have a little bit of a technical mind...Zapier is not able to set up different modules. When automation doesn't work, it's not that easy to find why it didn't work."
"The pricing could be a little cheaper."
"It could support various languages along with Python."
"I would like to see them improve the Quickbase integration. Currently, it only allows triggering actions when records are added, but it would be more useful if we could also trigger actions when records are modified or deleted."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product's price is reasonable."
"FME Server used to cost £10,000; now it can cost over £100,000."
"We used the standard licensing for our use of FME. The cost was approximately €15,000 annually. We always welcome less expensive solutions, if the solution could be less expensive it would be helpful."
"It's very straightforward licensing. There's only one cost you have to pay, and if you want a relevant pricing plan, I think you have two or three different models or packages which include the number of notifications or Zaps, as they call it, that you can program."
"There is a free plan that is, of course, limited. However, it allows you to understand and check true scenarios for a while."
"The least expensive plan is $24 a month, and you can go all the way to $800 a month if you're a huge company using many tasks."
"It's very affordable."
"The price of Zapier is approximately $75 monthly."
"Think your Zaps through to make sure you don't use more Zaps than you need."
"Zapier's price is good."
"Zapier is a paid service. Its license renews monthly, and Zapier will downgrade your subscription to the free version when your credit card doesn't have funds. That significantly impacts your service because everything halts completely. Zapier doesn't have any hidden costs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
30%
Energy/Utilities Company
12%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Computer Software Company
22%
University
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about FME?
We make minor subtle changes to the workbenches to improve it. We can share the workbenches. We don't have to use GitHub or anything else.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FME?
The pricing is really bad. Last year, they rebranded the whole pricing structure. It used to be moderately priced at about £400 per user per year. Now they've changed the whole thing, and it's expe...
What needs improvement with FME?
The one thing that always appears in the community is the ability to make really easy loops to loop through data efficiently. That needs to be added at some point. There must be a technical or comm...
What do you like most about Zapier?
The product's most valuable feature is automation.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zapier?
The pricing is suitable. It's not cheap, but not expensive.
What needs improvement with Zapier?
The pricing could be a little cheaper.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Shell, US Department of Commerce, PG&E, BC Hydro, City of Vancouver, Enel, Iowa DoT, San Antonio Water System
BuzzFeed, Groupon, Spotify, Columbia University, FOX
Find out what your peers are saying about FME vs. Zapier and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.