Core Concepts
Zapify Triggers and Actions Explained
Every Zapify automation is built from two kinds of step: a trigger that says when this happens, and an action that says do this. The free build ships 23 triggers and 18 actions across eight integrations, all included at no cost. This page explains the difference between the two, how tokens carry data from a trigger into an action, and how to react to more than one event at once.
What are triggers and actions?
A trigger is the event Zapify watches for — a user registers, an order changes status, a form is submitted. An action is what Zapify does in response — send an email, create a post, add an order note. An automation runs its actions in order, top to bottom, each time a trigger matches. Both triggers and actions are free features; the count above is the free build, not a trial.
Free triggers and actions by integration
The free build covers eight integrations. Triggers and actions are split across them as follows:
| Integration | Free triggers | Free actions |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 12 | 12 |
| WooCommerce | 2 | 2 |
| Gravity Forms | 4 | 1 |
| Contact Form 7 | 1 | 0 |
| WPForms | 1 | 0 |
| Fluent Forms | 1 | 0 |
| Webhooks | 1 | 1 |
| Utilities | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 23 | 18 |
- WordPress — react to posts, comments, terms, users, roles, and logins; create or update posts and users, manage roles and meta, send email, or send a password reset.
- WooCommerce — react when an order changes status or a product is purchased; change an order's status or add an order note.
- Forms — Contact Form 7, WPForms, and Fluent Forms each provide a form is submitted trigger. Gravity Forms adds a field-value match, payment completed, and payment refunded, plus a create an entry action.
- Webhooks — receive an inbound webhook as a trigger, or send an outbound webhook as an action. See webhooks.
- Utilities — a custom hook fires trigger for anything Zapify does not cover natively; actions to write a note to the run log or set a variable for later actions to read.
For step-by-step examples, see recipe pages such as send a welcome email when a user registers, send an email when an order status changes, send an email when a Contact Form 7 form is submitted, and send an email when a webhook is received.
Premium triggers and actions
Zapify PRO adds triggers and actions for premium integrations — Slack, AI (OpenAI and Anthropic), Google Sheets, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, FluentCRM, ClickUp, and the LMS and e-commerce platforms (LearnDash, LifterLMS, Tutor LMS, Easy Digital Downloads, Ninja Forms, Formidable Forms). The Buttons trigger is also PRO.
PRO feature
Premium integrations and their triggers and actions require Zapify PRO. They appear in the builder greyed out so you can see what they offer before upgrading. See Zapify Free vs Pro.
Reacting to more than one event
You can add more than one trigger to a single automation and choose how they combine — this is free:
- All — every trigger must match before the actions run.
- Any — the actions run when any one of the triggers matches.
Use any to handle several entry points with one automation, and all to wait for a combination of events before acting.
Tokens
Any field that accepts a token shows a {} button. Tokens carry values from the trigger into the action, so an email can address the right person or a note can quote the order total. Each trigger exposes its own set of tokens, and the builder lists the ones available for the step you are editing.
| Token | What it resolves to |
|---|---|
{{trigger:23:USER_EMAIL}} |
A value from a specific trigger (here, trigger 23) |
{{user:email}} |
The user the run is about |
{{site:name}} |
The site |
{{date:Y-m-d}} |
The current date, in any PHP date format |
{{variable:my_thing}} |
A value a previous action stored |
You rarely type these. Pick them from the list and Zapify writes the reference for you.
Conclusion
Triggers and actions are the two halves of every automation, and the free build gives you 23 of one and 18 of the other, plus tokens to pass data between them. Next, narrow when an automation runs with filters and conditions, or browse templates to start from a working example.
FAQs
What is the difference between a trigger and an action in Zapify?
A trigger is the event Zapify watches for — the when this happens half of an automation, such as a user registering or an order changing status. An action is what Zapify does in response — the do this half, such as sending an email or creating a post. Every automation has at least one trigger and one action, and actions run in order.
How many triggers and actions are free in Zapify?
The free build of Zapify ships 23 triggers and 18 actions across eight integrations: WordPress, WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, Contact Form 7, WPForms, Fluent Forms, Webhooks, and Utilities. These are full features, not a trial. Premium integrations such as Slack and AI add more triggers and actions in Zapify PRO.
Can one automation respond to more than one trigger?
Yes, and it is free. Add several triggers to one automation and choose whether all of them must match or any of them will do. Use any to give one automation several entry points, and all to wait for a combination of events before the actions run.
What are tokens in Zapify?
Tokens are placeholders that carry values from a trigger into an action — an email address, an order total, a post title. They look like {{trigger:23:USER_EMAIL}} and appear wherever a field shows a {} button. Each trigger exposes its own tokens, and the builder lists the ones available for the step you are editing, so you pick them rather than type them.
Do premium integrations appear in the free build?
Yes. Premium integrations such as Slack, AI, Google Sheets, and the LMS platforms appear in the free builder greyed out and marked Pro, so you can see exactly what triggers and actions they offer before upgrading. They cannot run until you unlock them with Zapify PRO. See Zapify Free vs Pro.