Last updated: July 21, 2026 · Reading time: ~15 minutes
Quick verdict: Do not start new work on Relay.app — it is shutting down (free accounts deleted after August 15, 2026; paid after September 14, 2026). Export now and rebuild elsewhere. Between the living options: Lindy wins as a personal ops assistant (inbox, meetings, calendar) from $49.99/mo. Zapier Agents wins when your stack already lives in Zapier’s 7,000+ apps — free tier with 400 activities/mo, Pro ~$33/mo annual for 1,500. For Relay refugees who need reliable multi-step automation (not chatty agents), migrate to Make or classic Zapier Zaps first, then layer Agents where judgment is required.
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Lindy vs Relay vs Zapier Agents 2026 at a Glance
| Critical update (July 2026) | Relay.app is shutting down — export workflows ASAP |
| Best personal ops assistant | Lindy — inbox, calendar, meetings from $49.99/mo |
| Best if you already use Zapier | Zapier Agents — 400 free activities/mo · Pro ~$33/mo annual |
| Best Relay migration path | Make (visual scenarios) or Zapier Zaps + optional Agents |
| Best deterministic automation | Make / Zapier Zaps — not agent chat for fixed pipelines |
| Pricing snapshot (July 2026) | Lindy $50–200/mo · Zapier Agents $0–$33 · Relay: wind-down only |
For broader agent picks, see Best AI Agents for Solopreneurs. For classic automation (non-agent), see Zapier vs Make and Make AI vs Zapier AI vs n8n AI.
Urgent: Relay.app Shutdown Timeline
Per Relay.app’s July 2026 announcement:
- New signups / upgrades: disabled (as of July 16, 2026)
- Free accounts: data deleted after Sat Aug 15, 2026 23:59 PT
- Paying customers: subscriptions cancelled; free access through Mon Sep 14, 2026 23:59 PT, then deletion; prorated annual refunds initiated
- Export now: workflows/sequences/MCP as JSON + prompts; run history; tables as CSV
Solopreneur action: Do not evaluate Relay as a long-term buy. If you used it, export this week and rebuild on Make or Zapier before the deadline. This comparison keeps Relay in the tables for searchers mid-migration — not as a recommendation.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Lindy | Relay.app | Zapier Agents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status (July 2026) | Active | Shutting down | Active |
| Primary job | Personal AI work assistant | AI-native workflow builder | AI teammates on Zapier apps |
| Best metaphor | Executive assistant | Make/Zapier with AI steps | Goal-driven agent + app actions |
| Entry price | 7-day trial → Plus $49.99/mo | N/A (no new signups) | Free — 400 activities/mo |
| Paid sweet spot | Plus/Pro $50–100/mo | Was ~$19+/mo Professional | Agents Pro ~$33.33/mo annual (1,500 activities) |
| Meter | Usage (opaque multipliers) + inboxes | Steps + AI credits (legacy) | Agent activities (separate from Zap tasks) |
| Inbox / meetings | Core product | Via workflow steps | Via connected apps |
| App ecosystem | Hundreds of integrations | Growing (ending) | 7,000+ via Zapier |
| Deterministic Zaps | Secondary | Workflow canvas | Use Zapier Zaps alongside Agents |
| Computer use | Pro+ (browse/use apps) | N/A long-term | Browsing + app actions in agent runs |
What Is Lindy?
Lindy is an AI work assistant aimed at professionals who want to delegate inbox triage, scheduling, meeting notes, follow-ups, and recurring admin — closer to “hire a virtual EA” than “draw a flowchart.” In 2026 it priced as a consumer/pro assistant (Plus / Pro / Max) rather than a pure agent-builder free tier.
Pricing (July 2026): 7-day free trial · Plus $49.99/mo (standard usage, up to 2 inboxes) · Pro $99.99/mo (3× usage, up to 3 inboxes, computer use, model selection, onboarding) · Max $199.99/mo (7× usage, up to 5 inboxes) · Enterprise custom (SSO, SCIM, HIPAA/BAA). No permanent free plan. Usage quotas are described relatively (3× / 7×) rather than as public credit tables — plan for pauses when you hit limits unless you enable overages. Source: lindy.ai/pricing.
Lindy wins when your bottleneck is human ops time (email and calendar), not building multi-app pipelines.
What Was Relay.app?
Relay.app was an AI-native automation builder: visual workflows, human-in-the-loop approvals, built-in AI credits, mini agents inside steps, tables, and MCP-oriented tooling. It competed with Zapier/Make for solos who wanted AI judgment inside automations without wiring separate LLM APIs.
Pre-shutdown pricing was commonly cited around Free (steps + AI credits) and Professional ~$19/mo annual for higher step/credit caps, with Team tiers for collaboration. Those prices no longer matter for new buyers — only for understanding what you’re migrating away from.
If you loved Relay: rebuild predictable pipelines in Make or Zapier Zaps; add Zapier Agents or Lindy only where open-ended goals beat fixed triggers. See our Make Review 2026.
What Are Zapier Agents?
Zapier Agents (evolved from Zapier Central) are AI “teammates” that pursue goals across your connected Zapier apps — research a lead, draft a reply, update CRM fields, browse for context — measured in activities, not classic Zap tasks.
Pricing (July 2026, per Zapier pricing page):
- Agents Free: $0 — 400 activities/month, live data sources, web browsing, Chrome extension
- Agents Pro: $400/year (~$33.33/mo) — 1,500 activities/month
- Agents Enterprise: custom activities + org sharing/audit controls
Important: Agents pricing is separate from Zapier task plans. Heavy Zap users still pay for Professional/Team tasks; Agents sit on top. Source: zapier.com/pricing.
Zapier Agents win when app coverage is the moat — if your CRM, email, and Notion already connect through Zapier, Agents are the lowest-friction agent layer.
Pricing Compared
As of July 2026. Lindy usage multipliers and Zapier activity definitions change — verify live pages.
Plan snapshot for solopreneurs
| Need | Lindy | Zapier Agents | Relay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Try free | 7-day trial | 400 activities/mo forever | Wind-down only |
| Light solo use | Plus $49.99 | Free or Pro ~$33 | Migrate out |
| Heavy daily ops | Pro/Max $100–200 | Pro + Zapier task plan | Migrate out |
| Fixed automations | Overkill | Use Zaps, not Agents | Was strong → Make |
Real-world cost example: solo consultant
Scenario: Inbox triage + meeting notes daily; 2–3 lead-research agent runs/week; a few CRM updates.
| Stack | Est. /mo | Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Lindy Plus alone | ~$50 | Best if email/calendar is 80% of pain |
| Zapier Agents Free + Make Core | ~$9–12 + $0 Agents | Best hybrid if automations > assistant chat |
| Zapier Pro tasks + Agents Pro | ~$20–50 tasks + ~$33 Agents | All-in Zapier shop |
| Lindy Pro + Zapier Agents | ~$130+ | Usually redundant — pick one primary agent |
| Staying on Relay | $0 until deadline | Temporary only — export and leave |
Rule: One agent platform + one automation platform beats stacking Lindy + Zapier Agents + Make Agents unless each has a non-overlapping job.
Feature by Feature
Ease of use
Lindy feels like chatting with an EA. Zapier Agents feels like configuring a teammate that already knows your Zapier apps. Relay felt like building automations with AI helpers — excellent UX that is ending.
Reliability vs autonomy
Agents invent paths; Zaps/Make scenarios follow graphs. For invoices, onboarding emails, and “when form submitted → add row,” prefer deterministic automation. Use Lindy/Zapier Agents for ambiguous work: prioritize inbox, research accounts, draft nuanced replies.
Integrations
Zapier Agents win on raw app count. Lindy covers common work apps well for assistants. Relay’s graph dies with the product — export connection lists and rebuild.
Privacy & access
All three need deep mailbox/calendar/CRM permissions to be useful. Start with a secondary inbox if possible. Review each vendor’s data policy. Enterprise SSO/HIPAA lives on Lindy Enterprise and Zapier Enterprise — not solo Plus tiers.
When NOT to use each
- Skip Lindy if you mainly need ETL between apps — Make/Zapier is cheaper and clearer.
- Skip Zapier Agents if you’re not in the Zapier ecosystem — paying for tasks + activities without using Zaps is odd.
- Skip Relay for any new project — shutdown is confirmed.
Real-World Scenarios for Solopreneurs
Scenario 1: You live in Gmail + Calendar and hate triage
Winner: Lindy Plus/Pro. Zapier Agents only if your CRM actions already run through Zapier.
Scenario 2: Lead form → enrich → Slack → HubSpot already on Zapier
Winner: Zapier Agents for enrichment/judgment steps; keep Zaps for the fixed path.
Scenario 3: You’re on Relay with 20 workflows
Winner: Export this week → rebuild critical paths in Make (visual parity) or Zapier. Reintroduce agents after pipes are stable. Try Make free →
Scenario 4: Budget under $20/mo total automation
Winner: Zapier Agents Free (400 activities) + Make free/Core or Zapier free tasks. Lindy’s $50 floor is steep for light use.
Scenario 5: Need computer-use style browsing for research
Winner: Lindy Pro (computer use) or Zapier Agents with browsing — test both on one recurring research task before paying Max.
Scenario 6: EU solopreneur, GDPR-sensitive client email
Winner: Minimize mailbox agents. Prefer Make with narrow scopes; if using Lindy/Zapier, enable retention controls and avoid pasting secrets into prompts.
Pros and Cons
Lindy
Pros:
- Best “assistant” UX for email/calendar/meetings
- Clear Plus → Pro → Max ladder
- Computer use on Pro+
- Strong fit for consultants and founders drowning in admin
- Trial to evaluate before $50/mo
Cons:
- $49.99 entry is high vs Zapier Agents free tier
- Usage quotas are less transparent than published credits
- Can pause when limits hit
- Weaker than Zapier on obscure app coverage
- Easy to overbuy Max
- Not a full replacement for Make/Zapier pipelines
Relay.app
Pros (historical):
- AI-native workflow builder with solid UX
- Human-in-the-loop patterns
- Attractive for Make-like builders who wanted AI steps
Cons (now):
- Shutting down — do not adopt
- Migration cost for every user
- No long-term roadmap
- Data deletion deadlines are hard
Zapier Agents
Pros:
- Meaningful free tier (400 activities)
- Unmatched app ecosystem
- Natural add-on if you already pay for Zapier
- Pro ~$33/mo annual is cheaper than Lindy Plus
- Chrome extension for in-browser agent use
Cons:
- Activities + Zap tasks = two meters to watch
- Zapier task pricing gets expensive at volume
- Less “EA for my whole work life” than Lindy
- Agent quality varies by prompt/goal design
- Not ideal as your only automation if you hate Zapier’s task math — consider Make
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Lindy if:
- Inbox, calendar, and meetings are your primary bottleneck
- You’ll use an assistant daily enough to justify ~$50/mo
- You want computer use / deeper delegation (Pro)
Choose Zapier Agents if:
- Your apps already connect through Zapier
- You want a free/cheap agent layer (400–1,500 activities)
- Goals span many SaaS tools
Choose Make (instead of Relay) if:
- You need durable multi-step automations after Relay
- You prefer visual scenarios and credit-based runs
- You’ll add agents later, not first
Choose none of the agent products if: fixed if-this-then-that covers 90% of work — buy Make/Zapier Zaps only.
FAQ
Is Relay.app still worth signing up for?
No. New signups are disabled and the product is shutting down in August/September 2026. Export if you have an account; otherwise start on Make, Zapier, or Lindy.
Lindy vs Zapier Agents — which is better for solopreneurs?
Lindy for personal ops assistant work; Zapier Agents for multi-app goal execution inside Zapier’s ecosystem. Many solos need one, not both.
Do Zapier Agents replace Zaps?
No. Keep Zaps for reliable triggers and paths. Use Agents when the path needs judgment or research.
Is Lindy cheaper than a VA?
Often yes for shallow triage and notes — not for relationship-heavy client work. Treat it as leverage, not a full hire replacement.
Where should Relay users migrate?
Make for visual AI-friendly scenarios; Zapier for app breadth; Lindy if your Relay use was mostly “assistant-like” email/calendar flows. Export JSON/prompts first.
How do I connect agents to the rest of my stack?
Prefer native integrations, then Make/Zapier webhooks for edge cases. Start with Make Review 2026 — Try Make free →.
Final Verdict
Rating: Lindy 4.5/5 (ops assistant) · Zapier Agents 4.4/5 (ecosystem agents) · Relay.app 1.0/5 (shutdown — migrate only)
2026’s honest comparison isn’t “which agent is coolest” — it’s “which platform will still exist and match your job.” Skip Relay. Pick Lindy for EA-style work or Zapier Agents for Zapier-native goals. Rebuild Relay pipelines on Make.
Our pick: Personal ops → Lindy. Zapier shop → Zapier Agents. Relay migration → Make.
Next on FlowVerdict: Solopreneur AI Stack Under $100/Month 2026
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