What is IFTTT?

What Is IFTTT?

IFTTT, which stands for "If This Then That," is a web-based automation platform that connects apps, devices, and services through simple conditional statements. Founded in 2010 by Linden Tibbets and Jesse Tane in San Francisco, the platform has grown to over 25 million users as of April 2026. IFTTT originally focused on consumer use cases (smart home, social media) and has since expanded into enterprise connectivity.

How IFTTT Works

IFTTT uses a simple model:

• Applets: Pre-built or user-created automations following trigger-action logic
• Triggers: Events that start an Applet (e.g., "New email from a specific sender")
• Actions: Tasks performed when triggered (e.g., "Save attachment to Google Drive")
• Queries: Additional data lookups that enrich Applets with context
• Filter code: JavaScript-based conditions for advanced logic within Applets

Key Features

• 800+ services: Smart home (Philips Hue, Ring, Nest), social media (Twitter, Instagram), productivity (Google, Microsoft), and IoT devices
• Pre-built Applets: Thousands of community-created Applets ready to activate
• Multi-action Applets: Pro plans allow multiple actions per trigger
• IFTTT Connect: Enterprise platform allowing companies to embed IFTTT connectivity into their own products

Pricing (April 2026)

• Free: 2 Applets, single-action only
• Pro: $3.49/month — 20 Applets, multi-action, filter code, faster polling
• Pro+: $14.99/month — unlimited Applets, AI features, faster execution

Comparison with Other Automation Tools

IFTTT occupies the consumer-friendly end of the automation spectrum. It is simpler than Zapier (which offers multi-step workflows and 7,000+ apps) or Make (which supports complex branching logic). IFTTT excels at smart home automation and IoT device connectivity, where its device support is broader than most competitors.

Limitations

IFTTT's simplicity is also its constraint. It does not support multi-step workflows (beyond multi-action on Pro), error handling, data transformation, or conditional branching comparable to Zapier, Make, or n8n. The free tier's 2-Applet limit is restrictive for most users.