When OpenAI dropped AgentKit, it definitely made some waves. It felt like every tech circle was buzzing about a new challenger stepping into the ring with the established automation platforms. For what feels like forever, Zapier has been the go-to for connecting all our apps, and now there’s a new, AI-focused tool on the block.
This has left a lot of us wondering what the real difference is. Is AgentKit really here to take Zapier’s crown, or are we just talking about two different tools for two different jobs? Honestly, figuring out which platform is right for your automation and AI agent needs isn't as simple as it sounds.
So, let's cut through the noise. This guide is a straightforward, no-fluff comparison of AgentKit vs Zapier. We’ll get into how they’re built, what they can connect to, what they’re like to use, and of course, how much they cost, so you can decide which one actually makes sense for you.
What is OpenAI AgentKit?
AgentKit is a toolkit from OpenAI made specifically for building and launching AI agents. It’s less about just connecting apps and more like a workshop for creating smart, conversational helpers that you can put in front of your customers.
It’s made up of a few key pieces: the Agent Builder, which is a visual drag-and-drop canvas for mapping out what your agent will do; ChatKit, a library of ready-to-use bits and pieces to make your chat agent look good; and a set of Evaluation Tools to help you test and tweak its performance. The whole idea behind AgentKit is to build things that can handle a multi-step conversation, using OpenAI's models to power interactive, chat-based experiences.
A diagram showing the different components of AgentKit, including the Agent Builder, ChatKit, and Evaluation Tools.What is Zapier?
If you’ve been in the business world for more than a minute, you’ve probably heard of Zapier. It’s famous for its super simple "if this happens, then do that" logic. These little recipes, called "Zaps," let you link up thousands of different web apps without having to touch a single line of code.
Its biggest selling point is its absolutely massive library of integrations, connecting to over 8,000 apps. If a tool you use has a public API, odds are Zapier can talk to it. While Zapier has started adding AI agent features recently, they feel more like an add-on to its existing automation engine. It’s more about sprinkling some AI into the workflows you already have, not really about building complex AI agents from scratch.
A screenshot of the Zapier interface, illustrating its classic 'if this, then that' automation logic between different applications.A detailed look at AgentKit vs Zapier
Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty. Here’s how these two platforms stack up in three key areas.
| Feature | AgentKit | Zapier |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use Case | Building conversational AI agents | App-to-app workflow automation |
| Core Architecture | Visual, path-based conversation builder | Linear, trigger-action ("Zap") logic |
| Integrations | Limited, mainly OpenAI ecosystem | 8,000+ web applications |
| Knowledge Management | Manual file uploads | Connects to apps, but requires manual refresh |
| User Experience | Developer-focused, customizable chat UI | Non-technical friendly, simple prompts |
| Deployment | Web-embedded chat only | Mostly background tasks, no custom UI |
| Pricing Model | Pay-per-use (unpredictable) | Task-based subscription (can get expensive) |
AgentKit vs Zapier: Core architecture and orchestration
AgentKit is designed for conversations that follow a set path. Its visual builder is pretty handy for creating a chatbot that follows a script, step-by-step. But that’s also its biggest drawback. The moment your process isn't a straight line, things get messy. For every possible decision or branch in the conversation, you have to manually add an "if/else" block. Before you know it, you’ve got a bloated, tangled workflow that’s a total headache to update or manage.
Zapier, on the other hand, works more like a series of one-off commands. Its structure is all about automation first, not agents. It's fantastic at taking data from point A and sending it to point B, but it doesn't really understand how to manage a team of agents. You can't have different agents work together, pass tasks back and forth, or remember the context of a longer problem. It’s built for simple, linear jobs, not for coordinating a complex response.
This is where you start to feel the limitations, especially in a place like customer support. Neither platform gives you the fine-tuned control to, say, let an AI handle the easy Tier 1 tickets but immediately flag anything complex for a human. A purpose-built tool like eesel AI really shines here. Its customizable workflow engine lets you set very specific rules to selectively automate tickets. You can filter by the type of question, the customer who's asking, or even certain keywords. It allows you to start small, maybe by automating just one common request, see how it goes, and then grow from there. That’s a level of control you just don’t get from AgentKit's rigid paths or Zapier's simple triggers.
AgentKit vs Zapier: Integrations and knowledge management
When it comes to the sheer number of connections, Zapier is the clear winner. With a library of over 8,000 apps, it can plug into pretty much any tool your team uses, giving your automations access to a ton of real-time data. But there’s a big catch with its knowledge management. While it can connect to places like Google Drive or Notion, someone on your team has to remember to manually refresh the connection. If they forget, your agents are working with outdated information.
AgentKit, being an OpenAI product, plays nicely with its own family of tools. But beyond that, its list of native integrations is pretty short. Its approach to knowledge is also almost entirely manual, forcing you to upload files one by one into vector stores. That just doesn't work for any business whose information changes regularly. It's a recipe for a stale and unhelpful knowledge base.
An AI agent is only as good as the information it can access. Both AgentKit and Zapier create a real chore for your team just to keep their AI up-to-date. In contrast, eesel AI is built to unify all your knowledge instantly and automatically. It doesn't just connect to your apps; it actually trains on your past support tickets to learn your company’s tone and common answers right from the start. It also keeps itself in sync with your help centers, Confluence pages, and Google Docs, so your AI is always equipped with the latest info without any manual busywork.
AgentKit vs Zapier: User experience and deployment
AgentKit is pretty slick for developers who want to build a polished chat interface. Its ChatKit gives you interactive components that make it easy to create a professional-looking chat experience for your website. The experience isn’t perfect, though. You can only deploy it as a web-embedded chat, with no built-in options for platforms like Slack or Zendesk. The workflow for developers is also a bit clunky, with a one-way export from the UI to code that makes teamwork and version control a pain.
Zapier is incredibly easy for non-technical folks to pick up. Its interface is based on writing simple prompts, so almost anyone can chain together a basic automation. The flip side is that you can’t really customize the user experience. There’s no developer SDK and no way to build an interactive UI. You can't really "chat" with a Zapier agent or embed it in your app, which means it’s mostly stuck doing tasks in the background.
What’s really needed is a platform that’s both simple to get started with but powerful enough for the real world. eesel AI is designed to let you go live in minutes, not months. You can connect your help desk with just a click and get a working AI agent up and running without writing code. Even better, before you turn it on for your customers, you can use its powerful simulation mode to test the AI against thousands of your past tickets. This shows you exactly how it will perform and what your ROI will look like, so you can launch it feeling confident, which is something the other two don’t offer.
An honest look at AgentKit vs Zapier pricing
Let's talk about the cost, because the two platforms handle it very differently.
With AgentKit, there's no monthly fee. You just pay for what you use, based on the OpenAI models and tools your agent taps into. A simple chat might cost a tiny fraction of a cent (~$0.00026), but a more involved one could be around ~$0.0130. The problem is that these costs are really hard to predict. Your bill depends completely on how many people use your agent and how complex their questions are.
A screenshot of the AgentKit pricing page on the OpenAI website, detailing the pay-as-you-go costs.Zapier uses a pricing model based on "tasks." The free plan gives you 100 tasks a month, and paid plans kick in at $19.99/month for 750 tasks. This sounds simple, but costs can climb fast. Since every single step in one of your Zaps counts as a task, complex workflows can burn through your monthly allowance way faster than you’d think.
For any business, predictable costs are key. Unlike platforms that bill you per task or per conversation, eesel AI offers transparent and predictable pricing based on the features and overall volume you need. This means you won’t get a surprise bill at the end of a busy month, letting you scale your support automation without your budget spiraling out of control.
The final verdict: Which platform is right for you?
So, after all that, which one should you go with?
Choose AgentKit if: You're a developer already working within the OpenAI ecosystem and your main goal is to quickly build a nice-looking, custom chat UI for your website.
Choose Zapier if: Your main goal is to connect a bunch of different apps to handle simple, background tasks, and your team isn’t very technical.
The reality is that while AgentKit and Zapier are good at what they do, neither is really built for the messy, high-stakes world of customer or internal support. You're left choosing between a tool with a pretty chat interface but limited connections (AgentKit) and a tool with tons of connections but limited chat abilities (Zapier).
If you need a powerful AI support platform that's easy to use, highly customizable, and deeply integrated with the tools you already rely on like Zendesk or Slack, then a solution built for that specific purpose is going to serve you better.
Get started with eesel AI for free and see how you can get your frontline support automated in just a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Your choice hinges on your primary goal. If you need to build interactive, chat-based AI agents for customer-facing roles, AgentKit is geared towards that. If your focus is on connecting many different apps for background automation and data transfer, Zapier is the stronger option.
AgentKit is designed as an AI agent builder, focusing on creating conversational experiences. Zapier is primarily an integration and workflow automation tool, excelling at "if this, then that" logic across thousands of applications, with AI features being more of an add-on.
Zapier boasts over 8,000 app integrations but requires manual refreshing for knowledge bases. AgentKit has fewer native integrations and also relies on manual file uploads for knowledge, making both challenging for dynamic information.
AgentKit is purpose-built for AI agents, offering tools like Agent Builder and ChatKit for developing multi-step conversations. Zapier’s AI agent features are an addition to its existing automation engine, more suited for sprinkling AI into predefined workflows rather than complex agent orchestration.
AgentKit has no monthly fee, charging based on OpenAI model usage, which can be hard to predict. Zapier charges based on "tasks," where every step in a workflow counts, potentially leading to fast-climbing costs. Neither offers truly predictable costs for scaling.
Zapier is generally easier for non-technical users, with its intuitive "if this, then that" interface for chaining automations. AgentKit's visual builder is more geared towards developing chat interfaces, which can still require some understanding of conversation flows.
AgentKit struggles with non-linear conversations, becoming tangled with many if/else blocks. Zapier is limited in coordinating multiple agents or retaining context over complex problems, being better suited for simple, linear background tasks.
