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It’s no secret that I like the Power platform a lot, especially Power Automate. Over the years, Power Automate grew to become a must-have in everyone’s “tool belt,” but IFTTT was one of the original tools in automation and connecting services. I’m not going to compare both because it’s an unfair comparison since both serve different purposes, but I want to highlight IFTTT that saved me a lot of time over the years (and still does).
Idea
In case you don’t know, IFTTT stands for “If this then that” meaning that an “Applet” is triggered if something happens. It’s quite simple but mighty when it comes to having many services connected when you need something to happen automatically.
The App
The App is both on mobile and web, and that’s one of its strong suits. The mobile app enables you to have automation that interacts with your calendar, reminders, and more, enabling you to have automation “on device” that trigger actions on the could. There’s a lot to explore, so I recommend you creating an account and exploring.
As a disclaimer, I have to say that recently IFTTT went into a restructuring of its service and started charging for it. Don’t get me wrong; it was the right move. It was a surprise how they managed to keep the service running all those years for free and, up to a certain point, unlimited “Applets.”
The problem it solves
Power Automate has it’s rooted deep into Microsoft territory and other “professional” apps. Also, it allows complex Flows of data with conditions, parsing of data, etc. IFTTT is not like that, and that’s not a bad thing. IFTTT has a much more straightforward UI that connects all kinds of services. To me, this is one of its strengths. It connects to hundreds of services, some of them quite niche like government organizations (like the CDC or the Chicago Transit Authority), smart devices, businesses (like Domino’s), charities (RedCloud), and more. The list goes on and on, but it proves my point. Both are focused on different parts of the market, and that’s an amazing thing.
Why I use it?
I use IFTTT all the time to do things that I cannot do on Power Automate or would take some time, while in IFTTT, it’s a bunch of clicks, and it’s done. IFTTT and Power Automate complement each other, and using both; you’re sure that you’ll get 99.9% of your automation needs satisfied.
To overly simplify, here’s my rule. Power Automate is for stuff related to my business and job. IFTTT is for stuff related to my life. Again, oversimplification, but I was hoping you could get an idea of how both overlap.
Where can you find it?
Want more? Check my other tools suggestions.
Disclaimer
I have no affiliation with this brand or person (people), and the views here are my own. I didn’t have any bad experiences, but if you do, please know that this is a recommendation, and you’re always free to make decisions by yourself before buying something.
