Moving data between tools is a key part of many workflows. Teams use a variety of software, including different iPaaS solutions, to manage their business, and handling the relationships between them is critical.
There have never been more options to help you. With modern software, you can automate data transfer and apply advanced filtering and customization. That way, the software does the hard work, reducing your costs and leaving you free to focus on other things.
IPaaS solutions are evolving rapidly, making it almost impossible to keep up with what’s available. If you haven’t investigated what’s out there, there’s a strong chance you can find a tool that makes a real contribution to your team’s IT infrastructure.
In this article, you’ll learn about some of the best options, helping you make an informed choice.
What is IPaaS?
IPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) solutions are an emerging category of cloud-based software that helps you stitch the other elements of your technical infrastructure together.
They join the dots, moving data and letting your tools integrate seamlessly.
Why Use an iPaaS Solution?
iPaas solutions let you use multiple other tools and platforms together. That means you can share data, collaborate with other teams, and take advantage of the unique features of different pieces of software. It helps you stay flexible and adapt without being tied to a single platform or vendor.
Factors to Consider
Picking the right integration tool is obviously essential. There are several factors to think about when making a choice, and the solution should first fit your specific use case. So the feature set is a clear differentiator, defining exactly what capabilities you are getting.
Reliability and flexibility are crucial features. You want to create integrations that work for you in the background without causing problems or requiring manual intervention to operate. You should be able to customize the sync if necessary. And that’s especially important when the integration is between different companies with different requirements.
The range of other tools you can connect to will also matter, particularly if you have an established setup and specific platforms you want to integrate.
Choosing between a centraziled or decentralize integration is yet another important factor. For cross-company integration scenarios, a decentralized intgeration would be the smarter choice as you have full independent control over what data you want to share with the other side(s) and, more importantly, what should not be shared.
Price is also important but should be weighed against the benefits and savings IPaaS tools can provide. You will also have to invest time in any major change, so a quality tool that appears to cost more can save money if it does the job quickly and well.
Top 13 iPaaS Solutions
Let’s have a quick look at the best iPaas solutions in this section:
Zapier
Zapier allows you to share data between multiple platforms. It claims to connect more web apps than anyone and works with over 3000 tools.
Based on triggers and actions, it can automate many everyday tasks.
Its more advanced features include filters, formatters, and webhook connections, and it has a range of plans ranging from free to $700 per month with annual billing.
If you want to have the biggest range of options available to you, then it’s a great choice.
Workato
Workato promises speed. It achieves that with thousands of pre-built connectors and by sharing setups among its members, enabling you to quickly deal with common business problems.
It aims for a no-code approach, with an emphasis on ease of use. It’s a good choice if you want to get up and running quickly, though its pre-built solutions may not offer you the fine control you need.
Pricing is quote-based, and there’s no free trial.
Exalate
Exalate lets you create reliable integrations with a few clicks. It combines a no-code interface with an optional scripting system. That means you can get started easily, but can also apply advanced programming logic to your integrations if you need to.
It supports decentralized integration. That means your teams can make changes independently, retaining their autonomy. They can control what data is shared, as well as deciding how incoming data is mapped to their systems.
As it’s decentralized, it can handle outages and restore connections if there are outages on either side. Its flexibility, reliability, and decentralized integration (autonomy) make it specifically ideal for cross-company scenarios.
Note: You can check out their security whitepaper here.
Exalate has a free plan that allows you to sync up to 1000 new issues per month for free. It also offers a 30-day trial after which the pricing starts at $10 per month, depending on the tracker.
Automate.io
Automate.io is another low-code platform pitched at non-technical users. It aims to let you integrate apps within minutes using a code free, drag-and-drop interface. It also has templates, to help you quickly perform common tasks.
It’s fast and easy to use and connects to over 200 apps, which is quite respectable, if not the best in this list.
There’s a free tier, and its top plan costs $159 per month for 10 users.
Mulesoft
Mulesoft offers a range of products that promise to increase productivity while reducing your costs and time to market.
It’s an integration and API platform that includes Anypoint and low code development system Composer.
Mulesoft has a free trial, with prices available on request.
Unito
Unito is an integration platform that syncs entire work items (tasks, tickets, spreadsheet cells, etc.) between the most popular project management apps available, including Asana, Jira, GitHub, Google Sheets, and others. All of Unito’s integrations support two-way syncing with real-time updates. Plus, as a no-code solution, it doesn’t require technical expertise to set up.
Another nice feature is the 14-day free trial with paid plans based on usage, rather than seats. Prices range from $10 per month for 100 items in sync to $769 per month for 10,000 items in sync.
Jitterbit
Jitterbit offers a selection of tools both simple and complex to help you combine and integrate data from multiple sources.
Its IPaaS tools are complemented by the ability to create APIs based on your needs. A neat feature if you’re trying to connect to an app that isn’t supported elsewhere, or perhaps work with your own custom system.
Pricing is given on request.
Martini
Martini is a low code API management platform. As well as allowing you to integrate platforms it can help you create and publish your own APIs. As well as running on the cloud it is also available in desktop or on-premise form.
Its machine-generated integration services let you quickly connect platforms and you can tune workflows and manipulate data sources with visual tools.
Martini costs from $500 to $5000 per month, depending on your plan.
SAP Integration Suite
SAP Integration Suite has over 2000 integrations to manage data flow between your apps. Its open connectors let you use JSON, APIs, and common resource definitions to access over 170 third-party applications. It also features an AI-assisted web interface and SAP Process integration for on-premise integration.
Its Event Mesh can help manage asynchronous communications. Its Integration Advisor gives you advice on what to do next, and its suggestions can make a big difference to your workflows.
Pricing is quote-based.
TIBCO Cloud Integration
TIBCO Cloud Integration offers API-led, event-driven integration. It offers high flexibility in preference to pre-built solutions. That makes it a good choice for developers, though may be off-putting for others.
There are some concerns about its scalability, with users reporting slowdown as data volumes increase.
It has a 30-day free trial, then prices start at $400 per month and upwards, with custom pricing for its hybrid plans.
Boomi
Boomi claims to be the only platform for intelligent connectivity and automation, something readers of this list might dispute.
Its projected 410% return on a three-year investment is a more credible claim. It achieves this by offering various ways to connect your data. With templates and custom scripting, you can develop reusable business logic and improve workflows throughout your organization.
With a three month free trial and baseline pricing of $50 per month, Boomi is a strong choice for the price conscious.
Oracle Integration
Oracle integration is part of Oracle’s Cloud suite of tools. It offers you a variety of features to help automate your business processes and analyze your business practices.
It comes with many pre-built adapters that integrate with cloud services, databases and applications. It also includes file management and exchange.
Its trial includes thousands of hours of compute time, after which pricing is usage-based.
Tray.io
Tray.io claims to be the leader in low-code automation and should help problem solvers that want to automate their workflows. You can use visual tools to connect apps, and create scheduled triggers to share information.
It includes instant connection to over 600 apps, elastic scaling, full logging and its own SDK. Its higher tier plans include SAML and HIPAA BAA for privacy and security.
Pricing ranges from $695 – $2450 per year, with custom pricing for Enterprise users.
Celigo.com
Pitched at both IT and business teams, Celigo offers to manage your connectivity needs in one place. With pre-built connectors for speed and an SDK for flexibility, its marketplace includes various templates and business process automations.
It has end-to-end encryption, SSO and HIPAA for security, and features logging with access control to let you see who’s doing what. It also promises infinite scalability, allowing your product to grow.
It has a 30-day free trial. You’ll need to contact its sales team for pricing.
Conclusion
An iPaaS solution can have a transformative effect on your business. Moving data between tools automatically saves you time and helps you build networks of information that flow readily throughout your organization.
Teams looking to integrate their work across platforms have a huge range of products fighting for their attention. You’ve read about some of the best here. If you see one that looks like a good match, give it a try, and reap the benefits of IPaaS integration tools!
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