Lindy vs Zapier: the open-source system you own

Lindy and Zapier both run in their own cloud and price the work in credits or tasks. This comparison sorts them by what a team ends up owning, next to Kortix, the open-source AI Operating System you can read, fork, and self-host.

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Lindy vs Zapier, by what you own

Kortix is the one you host; both rivals run in their own cloud, and every rival cell quotes the vendor's own pages.

Our pick — open sourceKortix

Open source: Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it.
Where it runs: Kortix Cloud, your VPC, or on-prem. Self-host is free.
What you own: Agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one git repo you own.
How you're billed: Self-host is free; cloud seats draw pooled credits.
Integrations: 3,000+ apps in a click, plus MCP and raw HTTP.
Approvals: Approval gates you set. Off until you set them.
Model choice: Any model provider with your own keys.

Hosted teammateLindy

Open source: No. A hosted service.
Where it runs: Lindy's cloud only.
What you own: A hosted workspace in Lindy's cloud.
How you're billed: Credits per active seat, refreshed monthly, no rollover.
Integrations: 1,000+ integrations and any MCP server.
Approvals: Anything with outside impact waits for approval.
Model choice: A model per task from those Lindy hosts.

Hosted automationZapier

Open source: No. A hosted automation platform.
Where it runs: Zapier's cloud only.
What you own: Zaps, Tables, and Forms in Zapier's cloud.
How you're billed: Tasks per plan, shared across the account.
Integrations: 9,000+ native integrations, plus MCP and SDK.
Approvals: Approval requests for teammate steps.
Model choice: Bring Your Own Model on Enterprise.

What actually decides a Lindy vs Zapier choice

The choice hides three different jobs. One reader wants a hosted AI teammate to swap for Lindy. One wants app-to-app automation that reaches 9,000+ tools. One wants a system the team owns: agents, skills, memory, and connectors in files it controls. Lindy and Zapier both keep the configuration and the runtime in their own cloud, so whichever you pick, the vendor holds the system. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System: your agents, their skills, your company memory, and every connector in one git repo you own, with the agents working on real cloud computers.

What Lindy is

Lindy describes itself as "your AI teammate that plugs into your tools, learns how you work, and takes real work off your plate." It is a hosted service you reach over the web, Slack, email, and SMS, with 1,000+ integrations and 40+ skills. It prices the work in credits (Lindy pricing, checked October 2026): credits refresh each month, do not roll over, and every active seat draws from one shared pool. The arithmetic behind that pool is on the Lindy priced out page.

What Zapier is

Zapier calls itself "an AI orchestration platform designed for securely building AI workflows and business systems across 9,000+ apps." You build Zaps, Tables, and Forms in a visual editor, and each successful action spends a task from a shared pool. Its own pricing lists a free tier, a Professional plan from $19.99 a month, and a Team plan (Zapier pricing, checked October 2026). Zapier connects more apps than either of the other two, and it governs credentials and guardrails in one place.

What you own after the subscription stops

This is the split neither rival takes. Zapier and Lindy keep the configuration and the memory on their side of the wall; stop paying and the Zaps and the workspace stay theirs. On Kortix the system is files. Each agent is agents/<name>.md plus an agents.<name> block in kortix.yaml, and company memory is plain files today in the same repo, so you can read it, fork it, and audit it.

yaml

kortix_version: 2default_agent: kortixagents:  kortix:    file: agents/kortix.md    connectors: all    secrets: all    kortix_permissions: all

That block governs what an agent may reach, and connectors, triggers, and secret names live in the same file. The reference is in the Kortix docs. For the head-to-head with the hosted teammate, see Kortix vs Lindy. If the other option on your desk is a self-hostable workflow tool, Lindy vs n8n covers that pair.

FAQ

Lindy vs Zapier, answered

Short answers about self-hosting, seats, and where the work lives.

Q01

Can I self-host Lindy or Zapier?

No. Neither Lindy's nor Zapier's own pages show a self-hosting option, so both run in their own cloud. Kortix is open source and runs on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on-prem, and self-host is free.

Q02

What do I stop owning if I rent instead?

In a hosted tool the configuration and the memory sit in the vendor's cloud. Kortix keeps them in one git repo you own, with agents, skills, memory, and connectors as files.

Q03

Do Lindy and Zapier bill per person?

Both bill by active seat or task tier. Lindy draws one shared credit pool across every active seat, and Zapier shares tasks across the account. Kortix pools cloud credits per seat and self-hosts for free.

Q04

How does Kortix compare with a self-hostable workflow tool?

If you are weighing n8n instead of Zapier, the Lindy vs n8n page sets out that pair, and the full head-to-head with Lindy is on Kortix vs Lindy.

Run your agents from one repo you own.

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Try Kortix Compare with Lindy

Open source · Any model, your keys · Self-host, VPC, or on-prem