The 9 best AI automation tools for Australian businesses

An AI automation tool is software that connects a business's apps and runs multi-step work on its own, rather than a chat assistant that only answers questions. On a 70-point test of real work, connections, data control, price, human review and Australian availability, Microsoft Power Automate and UiPath score highest, level on 67, ahead of Relevance AI on 60.

The best AI automation tools for Australian businesses, ranked

How each one scores

Points by test, scored 1 October 2026

Points for 9 products on 6 tests, with the total out of 70.

Microsoft Power Automate	UiPath	Relevance AI	Zapier	Lindy	Workato	Make	n8n	Gumloop
Real work20 points
20 of 20	20 of 20	16 of 20	16 of 20	20 of 20	16 of 20	16 of 20	16 of 20	16 of 20
Connects to your tools10 points
10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10
Data control10 points
10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	7 of 10	7 of 10	6 of 10	6 of 10	6 of 10	10 of 10
Price for a small team10 points
7 of 10	10 of 10	7 of 10	10 of 10	7 of 10	4 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	4 of 10
Human review10 points
10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10	10 of 10
Australia10 points
10 of 10	7 of 10	7 of 10	3 of 10	0 of 10	7 of 10	0 of 10	0 of 10	0 of 10
Total scoreout of 70
67 of 701st	67 of 702nd	60 of 703rd	56 of 704th	54 of 705th	53 of 706th	52 of 707th	52 of 708th	50 of 709th

1. Microsoft Power Automate

Rank 1

Microsoft Power Automate

Microsoft

Best for

Businesses already on Microsoft 365 that want flows across Outlook, Teams and SharePoint, plus automation of older desktop systems

Real work20/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control10/10

Price for a small team7/10

Human review10/10

Australia10/10

Total score67/70

Power Automate cloud flows start when a new email arrives in Outlook and then run actions in connected apps. Its desktop flows automate websites and desktop applications, including data entry into an ERP system. Copilot builds a flow from a plain-language description. Its connectors include Gmail and Salesforce, and Xero connects through a Xero Accounting connector from Magnetism. Microsoft says customer data is not used to train Copilot or its AI features unless an admin consents.

Australia is a Power Platform region, mapped to Australia East, Southeast and Central. Microsoft publishes prices in Australian dollars, with Power Automate Premium at AU$22.40 a user a month, paid yearly, before GST. Unattended desktop automation needs the Process plan, at AU$224.50 a bot a month. Microsoft also lists an Australia Regional Office, and it names CoreLogic saving 50,000 hours a year with Power Automate.

• Strongest on: the Australian test, 10/10. No other product on this list scores above 7 on it.
• Loses on: price, 7. There is no free plan, only a 30-day trial.

2. UiPath

Rank 2

UiPath

UiPath, Inc., with offices in Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne

Best for

Businesses that need robots and AI agents working across older desktop and web systems as well as modern apps

Real work20/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control10/10

Price for a small team10/10

Human review10/10

Australia7/10

Total score67/70

UiPath automates business processes with agents, robots and API workflows. When a system has no API, its robots do the manual task through the system's user interface. Integration Service connectors such as HubSpot CRM send events that start an automation, and there are connectors for Gmail, Outlook 365 and Xero. Action Center suspends a workflow until a person provides input, then resumes it. UiPath states that with UiPath-managed models, customer data is not used to train models.

The Community plan is free and includes Agent Builder and a monthly credits pool that covers agent development and conversational agents. Paid plans start with Basic at US$25 a month. Australia is one of UiPath's cloud regions, chosen from the Standard plan up, which is priced through sales. UiPath names NHS SBS cutting manual reconciliation and invoice effort by 95%.

• Strongest on: price, 10/10, level with Zapier, Make and n8n. It also takes full marks on real work, connections, data control and human review.
• Loses on: the Australian test, 7. UiPath publishes prices in US dollars only.

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3. Relevance AI

Rank 3

Relevance AI

OnSearch Pty Ltd, Sydney

Best for

Businesses that want teams of sales or operations agents with their data hosted in Australia

Real work16/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control10/10

Price for a small team7/10

Human review10/10

Australia7/10

Total score60/70

Relevance AI is the trading name of OnSearch Pty Ltd, and its team is based in Sydney, San Francisco and Barcelona. Its agents send emails, update a CRM and call APIs, and can start from events in more than 1,000 integrations, including 35 pre-built Xero tool steps. Customers choose where their data is stored, in Australia, the US or the EU and UK, when they sign up, and Relevance AI states customer data is not used to train models. Workforces can be set to seek approval before agents take actions. Relevance AI names Zembl driving 30% more customer conversions.

• Strongest on: connections, data control and human review, full marks each. Like Microsoft Power Automate, it offers Australian hosting on a plan you can buy without a sales call.
• Loses on: real work, 16 of 20. Browser automation runs through Airtop tool steps that need an Airtop account, a separate service, so Relevance AI does not score for operating a browser itself.

Its free plan is retired for new and existing accounts, and Pro costs US$19 a month billed annually.

4. Zapier

Rank 4

Zapier

Zapier, Inc.

Best for

Teams that want the widest app library and plain-English building, starting free

Real work16/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control7/10

Price for a small team10/10

Human review10/10

Australia3/10

Total score56/70

Zapier connects more than 9,000 apps, and its agents can take actions in any app in that library. Agents start on a schedule or an app event, such as a new email, and an agent can be told to wait for confirmation before continuing. Its app directory lists HubSpot and Xero. The pricing page shows a free plan with 100 tasks a month, Agents Free with 400 activities a month, and Professional from US$19.99 a month. It can show prices in Australian dollars. Zapier names Mercari handling first replies for 97% of support tickets.

• Strongest on: price, 10/10, level with UiPath, Make and n8n.
• Loses on: the Australian test, 3. No Australian hosting or office appears on the pages read.

Zapier hosts customer data in the United States, and only Enterprise customers are opted out of model training automatically. The agent's built-in browsing tool cannot log in to websites. Zapier is moving Agents into AI by Zapier, a step inside the Zap editor.

5. Lindy

Rank 5

Lindy

Crivello Corp, Oregon

Best for

Teams that work in Slack and want one shared assistant for email, calendar and CRM work

Real work20/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control7/10

Price for a small team7/10

Human review10/10

Australia0/10

Total score54/70

Lindy works as a teammate inside Slack. Routines run on a schedule or on an event such as an email received or a meeting ending, and a routine can be described in a plain-English sentence. Lindy can drive a browser like a person on Pro and up when no integration exists. Its integrations page lists HubSpot, Salesforce, Xero and QuickBooks, and it states customer data is never used to train models. Plus costs US$29.99 a user a month. Rhumbix documented US$25,000 a month in savings.

• Strongest on: real work, 20/20, level with Microsoft Power Automate and UiPath.
• Loses on: the Australian test, 0. No Australian hosting, pricing or office appears on the pages read.

Lindy's approval rules apply only in shared Slack threads, not in web chat or direct messages.

6. Workato

Rank 6

Workato

Workato, Inc., with a Sydney office

Best for

Larger organisations that want governed integration across many systems, with data hosted in Australia

Real work16/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control6/10

Price for a small team4/10

Human review10/10

Australia7/10

Total score53/70

Every Workato recipe starts from a trigger event, and its Genies are AI agents that take actions and run workflows through approved skills. Workflow apps add request and approval steps that people act on, and job histories are kept 30 days without an Enterprise workspace. Workato runs an AU data centre for customers who need their data in Australia. It also opened a Sydney AI and Automation Office in 2025, and its September 2025 press release says the local team grew from 22 to 36 people. It names Bread Financial cutting customer onboarding by 84%.

• Strongest on: connections and human review, full marks each. Its 7 on the Australian test, from Australian hosting and a Sydney office, is level with UiPath and Relevance AI.
• Loses on: price, 4. There is no recurring free plan, only a one-time grant of 50,000 credits, and Workato Pro starts at US$75 a month.

7. Make

Rank 7

Make

part of Celonis

Best for

Teams that want visual, branching scenarios with AI agents on every plan, including the free one

Real work16/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control6/10

Price for a small team10/10

Human review10/10

Australia0/10

Total score52/70

Make builds scenarios in a visual drag-and-drop editor, and a scenario starts when it receives data from an app. Make AI Agents take action inside those workflows and come with every plan. A builder can add manual approvals or stop the agent at set points. It has a Xero integration with 94 modules and a HubSpot CRM integration. The Free plan has no time limit and 1,000 credits a month, and Core is listed at US$12 a month for 10,000 credits. Make names Fonds Finanz saving 10,000 hours a year.

• Strongest on: price, 10/10, level with UiPath, Zapier and n8n.
• Loses on: the Australian test, 0. Make offers a US or EU data centre, with no AUD prices or Australian office on the pages read.

Make's written promise not to train on customer data covers Maia, its builder assistant, not data sent to AI steps or agents.

8. n8n

Rank 8

n8n

n8n GmbH, Berlin

Best for

Technical teams that want to self-host agents and workflows and control where the data lives

Real work16/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control6/10

Price for a small team10/10

Human review10/10

Australia0/10

Total score52/70

n8n builds agents by connecting nodes in a visual builder, and it runs self-hosted or in n8n's cloud. Workflows start from webhooks, queues or a schedule, and a workflow pauses until a person approves an agent's tool call. It integrates with Gmail, Outlook, HubSpot and Xero. The self-hosted Community edition is free indefinitely, and Starter in n8n's cloud costs €20 a month, billed annually, for 2,500 executions. n8n names Delivery Hero saving 200 hours a month with one IT operations workflow.

• Strongest on: price, 10/10, level with UiPath, Zapier and Make.
• Loses on: the Australian test, 0. n8n Cloud is hosted in the European Union, and no n8n page read names Australian hosting, AUD prices or an Australian office.

n8n's no-training statement covers its own assistant features, not the models a workflow calls.

9. Gumloop

Rank 9

Gumloop

AgentHub Inc.

Best for

Teams that want agents with approval rules set per tool across many connectors

Real work16/20

Connects to your tools10/10

Data control10/10

Price for a small team4/10

Human review10/10

Australia0/10

Total score50/70

Gumloop agents run on schedules, app events or webhooks, and triggered runs appear in each agent's run history. Its connectors include HubSpot, Salesforce, Outlook and QuickBooks Online. A gated tool call never runs without approval, and requests arrive in the app, by Slack message or in the chat thread. Enterprise customers can deploy Gumloop inside their own cloud, and Gumloop states that it never uses customer data to train AI models. Samsara says Gumloop saved it thousands of hours of manual work.

• Strongest on: connections, data control and human review, full marks each.
• Loses on: price, 4. There is no free plan, and Pro starts at US$37 a month after a 14-day trial that needs a card.

On its standard service, Gumloop transfers personal data to the United States and processes it there.

How they compare

The grid answers six questions a business asks before it hands a workflow to an automation tool. Every answer comes from the vendor's own pages. The cost table shows what each one charges. All nine run on their own, connect to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and keep a run log below their Enterprise plan. Four have a recurring free plan that includes AI steps or agents: UiPath, Zapier, Make and n8n.

9 products, side by side

Checked 1 October 2026

QuestionMicrosoft Power AutomateUiPathRelevance AIZapierLindyWorkatoMaken8nGumloop

Runs on its own?Starts on a schedule or an event with no person presentMicrosoft Power Automate: Yes.UiPath: Yes.Relevance AI: Yes.Zapier: Yes.Lindy: Yes.Workato: Yes.Make: Yes.n8n: Yes.Gumloop: Yes.

Runs on its own? Each product's answer, from its own pages.

Product	Answer
Microsoft Power Automate	Yes. An automated cloud flow starts on an app event, such as a new Outlook email.
UiPath	Yes. Connector events, such as HubSpot CRM changes, start automations.
Relevance AI	Yes. Scheduled triggers, and events in more than 1,000 integrations.
Zapier	Yes. Zaps run on app events and webhooks. Agents run on a schedule or a new email.
Lindy	Yes. Routines run on a schedule or on an email, Slack message or meeting ending.
Workato	Yes. Every recipe starts from a trigger event or a schedule.
Make	Yes. A scenario starts when an app sends it data, or on a schedule down to the minute.
n8n	Yes. Workflows start from webhooks, queues or a schedule.
Gumloop	Yes. Agents run without a person, for example when a new email arrives.

Connects to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?A named Gmail, Google Drive, Outlook, Teams or SharePoint connectorMicrosoft Power Automate: Yes.UiPath: Yes.Relevance AI: Yes.Zapier: Yes.Lindy: Yes.Workato: Yes.Make: Yes.n8n: Yes.Gumloop: Yes.

Connects to Google Workspace or Microsoft 365? Each product's answer, from its own pages.

Product	Answer
Microsoft Power Automate	Yes. Native Outlook triggers, and a Gmail connector.
UiPath	Yes. Gmail and Microsoft Outlook 365 connectors.
Relevance AI	Yes. Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft Teams integrations.
Zapier	Yes. Gmail and Microsoft Outlook integrations.
Lindy	Yes. Gmail, Google Drive, Outlook, Teams and SharePoint integrations.
Workato	Yes. Gmail and Outlook integrations.
Make	Yes. Gmail and Microsoft 365 Email (Outlook) integrations.
n8n	Yes. Gmail and Microsoft Outlook integrations.
Gumloop	Yes. Gmail, Google Drive, Outlook and Teams.

Keeps your data out of model training?Says in writing, by default, on at least one paid planMicrosoft Power Automate: Yes.UiPath: Yes.Relevance AI: Yes.Zapier: Not stated.Lindy: Yes.Workato: Not stated.Make: Not stated.n8n: Not stated.Gumloop: Yes.

Keeps your data out of model training? Each product's answer, from its own pages.

Product	Answer
Microsoft Power Automate	Yes. Customer data is not used to train Copilot or its AI features without consent.
UiPath	Yes. Customer data is not used to train models when UiPath manages the model.
Relevance AI	Yes. Customer data is not used to train models on any plan without a separate agreement.
Zapier	Not stated. Enterprise is opted out automatically. Every other plan has to opt out.
Lindy	Yes. Customer data is never used to train models.
Workato	Not stated. Not stated on the pages read.
Make	Not stated. Only Maia, the builder assistant, is covered. Nothing found for AI steps or agents.
n8n	Not stated. Only n8n's own assistant features are covered. You choose the model for AI steps.
Gumloop	Yes. Gumloop says it never uses customer data to train AI models.

Keeps an audit or run log?A log of what the automation did, on a plan below EnterpriseMicrosoft Power Automate: Yes.UiPath: Yes.Relevance AI: Yes.Zapier: Yes.Lindy: Yes.Workato: Yes.Make: Yes.n8n: Yes.Gumloop: Yes.

Keeps an audit or run log? Each product's answer, from its own pages.

Product	Answer
Microsoft Power Automate	Yes. Every flow run shows in a run history, kept for 30 days.
UiPath	Yes. Audit log data is kept 6 months on Basic and 2 years on Standard.
Relevance AI	Yes. 90 days of task history on every paid plan. Audit logs are Enterprise.
Zapier	Yes. Zap history logs every run, and agents have an activity page. Audit logs are Enterprise.
Lindy	Yes. Every action is logged. Formal audit logs are Enterprise.
Workato	Yes. Job histories are kept 30 days without an Enterprise workspace and 90 days with one.
Make	Yes. Execution logs on every plan, 7 days on Free and 30 on paid. User audit logs are Enterprise.
n8n	Yes. Execution logs kept 7 days on Starter and 30 on Pro.
Gumloop	Yes. Triggered runs appear in each agent's run history. Audit logging is Enterprise.

Has a free plan?A recurring free plan that includes AI steps or agents, not only a trialMicrosoft Power Automate: No.UiPath: Yes.Relevance AI: No.Zapier: Yes.Lindy: No.Workato: No.Make: Yes.n8n: Yes.Gumloop: No.

Has a free plan? Each product's answer, from its own pages.

Product	Answer
Microsoft Power Automate	No. A 30-day trial, no free plan.
UiPath	Yes. The free Community plan includes agent building and a monthly credits pool for agents.
Relevance AI	No. The free plan is retired for new and existing accounts.
Zapier	Yes. Free plan with 100 tasks a month, and Agents Free with 400 activities.
Lindy	No. US$50 of free credits to start, then a paid seat.
Workato	No. A one-time grant of 50,000 credits, not a recurring free plan.
Make	Yes. Free plan with 1,000 credits a month, AI agents included.
n8n	Yes. The self-hosted Community edition, which builds AI agents and workflows, is free indefinitely.
Gumloop	No. A 14-day trial that needs a card.

Offers an API or MCP?A public API to run an automation, or MCP supportMicrosoft Power Automate: Yes.UiPath: Yes.Relevance AI: Yes.Zapier: Yes.Lindy: Yes.Workato: Yes.Make: Yes.n8n: Yes.Gumloop: Yes.

Offers an API or MCP? Each product's answer, from its own pages.

Product	Answer
Microsoft Power Automate	Yes. Flows can start from an HTTP request trigger.
UiPath	Yes. Workflows and other systems call the Orchestrator API.
Relevance AI	Yes. An API trigger, an MCP server and an MCP client.
Zapier	Yes. Zapier MCP, and a Workflow API for products and agents.
Lindy	Yes. Connects to hosted MCP servers. No public API found.
Workato	Yes. A Developer API and Enterprise MCP servers.
Make	Yes. The Make API on paid plans, and a Make MCP server.
n8n	Yes. An API, plus MCP server and client nodes on every plan.
Gumloop	Yes. The Gumloop API and an MCP server.

Yes answersOut of 6 questions5 yes for Microsoft Power Automate6 yes for UiPath5 yes for Relevance AI5 yes for Zapier5 yes for Lindy4 yes for Workato5 yes for Make5 yes for n8n5 yes for Gumloop

What an AI automation tool costs

List prices, USD unless marked AU$

What an AI automation tool costs, by product: Free plan, Cheapest paid plan, Next plan up.

Product	Free plan	Cheapest paid plan	Next plan up
Microsoft Power Automate	Trial only30 days	AU$22.40 a user a monthPremium, paid yearly, excluding GST	AU$224.50 a bot a monthProcess, for unattended automation, paid yearly
UiPath	FreeCommunity plan, with agent building and monthly credits	US$25 a monthBasic, starting price	Not publishedStandard, contact sales
Relevance AI	NoneThe free plan is retired	US$19 a monthPro, billed annually, or US$29 monthly, per organisation	US$234 a monthTeam, billed annually, or US$349 monthly
Zapier	Free100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps	US$19.99 a monthProfessional, starting price	US$69 a monthTeam, starting price, 25 users
Lindy	US$50 of creditsA starting credit, no card needed	US$29.99 a user a monthPlus, 3,000 credits a user	US$99.99 a user a monthPro, 15,000 credits a user
Workato	NoneA one-time 50,000-credit grant	US$75 a monthWorkato Pro, 2,500 credits, billed monthly	US$100 a monthWorkato Pro, 3,500 credits
Make	Free1,000 credits a month	US$12 a monthCore, 10,000 credits	US$21 a monthPro, 10,000 credits
n8n	FreeSelf-hosted Community edition	€20 a monthStarter, billed annually, 2,500 executions	€50 a monthPro, billed annually, 10,000 executions
Gumloop	NoneA 14-day trial with a card	US$37 a monthPro, starting price	Not publishedEnterprise, custom pricing

When another tool is the better pick

• Pick a developer platform if you are building connectors into your own product. Pipedream sells connectors to developers adding them to their own agents and apps. It was not scored here because this list is for business teams automating their own work.
• Pick an AI automation agency if you want the workflow built and run for you rather than buying a tool and running it yourself.
• Pick an AI consultant if you want advice on which of these tools fits before you buy one.
• Pick the ranked list for AI automation in manufacturing if that is your industry. Its tests are built around the paperwork and admin a manufacturer runs, not the general business tools scored here.

Where an off-the-shelf automation tool stops

Try a tool before you build anything custom. Nobody needs to be an expert first: AI is so new that anyone willing to put in the effort can become one. The test is whether a tool does the jobs your team repeats every week about 80% as well as the way you do them now, and saves you time. If it does, keep it. Plenty of single workflows will pass that test on one of these nine.

In the audits an Hourglass AI co-founder runs, about 60% of automation opportunities can be solved with existing tools. The other 40% need something custom.

The model isn't where these tools run out. What's left is everything around the model: getting it your context, wiring it into your tools, and putting it in a form people actually use. A tool knows what's in the apps you connect. It doesn't know how your team quotes a job or which customers come first, and each new workflow has to be told again. That's why Hourglass' AI brain is now the core of what it sells. It is a knowledge layer that knows a business and keeps evolving, so every workflow built on top of it starts with that context.

Someone also has to keep the workflows running. A run log tells you something failed. It doesn't fix it. By July 2026 Hourglass had just about finished a dashboard that watches its whole suite of agents and live projects for issues, and repairs the ones that break.

A custom build should not lock you in. Hourglass' goal is not to make a client depend on it for every AI setup, but to let the client's own team make AI tools themselves.

Start with an off-the-shelf tool. When your workflows need to share what your business knows, that's the part Hourglass builds.

What to check before you buy one

An Australian operations team checks four things before it buys. The tool has to connect to the systems already in use and run multi-step work rather than chat. It has to save measurable time, and its cost and risk have to be predictable.

One step belongs in front of all four: write down the job first. Wanting to use AI isn't a problem to solve. Most AI projects fail before a line of code is written, in the planning, not the build.

Integration with existing systems: none of the nine lists a MYOB connector

Integration decides whether a tool is usable at all, because a workflow that cannot read the accounting or job system leaves the manual step in place. All nine ranked tools list a CRM connector and a Xero or QuickBooks connector on their own pages. No MYOB, simPRO or AroFlo connector appears on any of the nine vendors' pages read. Zapier's MYOB page says MYOB has not yet built an integration on Zapier. All nine offer an API or MCP, which is how a team reaches a system that has no ready-made connector.

The general tools are not going anywhere. Businesses will keep using Salesforce, Outlook and Excel. What gets replaced is the niche software built for your industry, because a workflow built for you beats a tool built for people like you. So if none of these tools works with your job system, that isn't a reason to give up on automating it. That gap is where a workflow built around your own system makes sense.

Actionable workflow automation: it starts without a prompt

Workflow automation differs from a chat assistant in one respect: the tool starts on an event and acts in other apps without a person typing a prompt. All nine start on an event such as a new email or a webhook. Microsoft Power Automate, UiPath and Lindy also operate a browser or desktop application themselves, which matters when a system has no API or connector.

The shift to look for is from one-off requests to targets. Instead of asking AI to do something once, give it a target and let it keep going until it hits it, and make it check its own work against your bar. A tool that waits for someone to type each time is still a chat assistant. One that starts on the event and keeps going until it clears your bar is doing the job.

Measurable time and cost savings: the figures are the vendors' own

Each time-saved figure here is the vendor's own customer story, not an independent measure. Microsoft names CoreLogic saving 50,000 hours a year, and Make names Fonds Finanz saving 10,000 hours a year. n8n names Delivery Hero saving 200 hours a month on one workflow. For finance admin, UiPath names NHS SBS cutting manual reconciliation and invoice effort by 95%.

Results from a custom build are reported the same way, by the builder. One Hourglass client sorted 600 emails a day by hand and now runs an AI email tool around the clock. For another, a LinkedIn messaging agent saved more than 20 hours a week.

Most of these tools meter usage in tasks, credits, executions or actions, so the monthly cost of a workflow rises with how often it runs. Today's prices are not fixed either. AI keeps getting cheaper, and the current subscription era looks temporary. The intelligence you pay for today may be free in a year. When Hourglass builds, the client owns the Claude or OpenAI account, and Hourglass' fees never include the AI usage itself.

Clear ROI and risk control: price first, then three checks

Predictable pricing starts with a published price, and all nine publish one. Relevance AI and Workato publish their self-serve prices only in their documentation.

Security is usually the first question a buyer asks. It came up in 19 separate Hourglass sales calls in August 2026, and without a clear answer on where the data stays, the deal stalls. Risk control comes down to three checks: an approval step before an action runs, a written statement on model training, and where the data is stored.

All nine offer an approval step. That matters because the Australian Cyber Security Centre says an agent's access should be scoped to least privilege, since that access sets the risk it can introduce. Five say in writing that customer data is not used to train models by default: Microsoft Power Automate, UiPath, Relevance AI, Lindy and Gumloop. Zapier makes that promise for Enterprise customers only. Australian data hosting is available from Microsoft Power Automate, UiPath, Relevance AI and Workato.

AI made doing the work cheap, so checking the work is now the whole game. That's why Hourglass is building a checking layer across everything it makes. Every piece of work has to pass its checks, and when it fails, it goes straight back for another go until it passes.

How this list is ranked

The buyer is an Australian business automating operational work. Two tests did not separate the field: all nine score full marks on connections and on human review, so the order is set by real work, data control, price and the Australian test. Google's AI Overview for this search in Australia calls Zapier the best overall no-code tool. Here Zapier is fourth. It shares the top price score, and it loses points because its agent browsing cannot log in, it offers no choice of data region, and it has no Australian hosting or office.

Some tools were left out on purpose. Pipedream sells connectors to developers, and HubSpot's AI features run inside a CRM. Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini are assistants, ranked separately with AI agents. ChatGPT, Claude, Notion, Asana and monday.com appear often in lists of AI automation tools, but they are assistants or work apps rather than automation platforms.

Without the Australian test, UiPath would be first on 60, ahead of Microsoft Power Automate on 57 and Lindy on 54. With real work counted once, Microsoft Power Automate and UiPath would stay level on 57, ahead of Relevance AI on 52. Without the price test, Microsoft Power Automate would be first on 60, ahead of UiPath on 57.

Related reading

• Where AI automation pays back for an Australian business
• Careful adoption of agentic AI services, Australian Cyber Security Centre
• OAIC guidance on privacy and commercially available AI products
• Guidance for AI adoption, National AI Centre

References

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15. Integration Service - About the Xero connector (cited for UiPath)
16. Action Center - Introduction - Action Center (cited for UiPath)
17. Autopilot - Frequently asked questions (cited for UiPath)
18. Automation Cloud - Community plan (cited for UiPath)
19. Automation Cloud - Global cloud regions (cited for UiPath)
20. Business Orchestration & Automation Case Studies | UiPath (cited for UiPath)
21. Specialist AI Agents for Every Task | Relevance AI (cited for Relevance AI)
22. Careers | Relevance AI (cited for Relevance AI)
23. Introduction - Relevance AI Documentation (cited for Relevance AI)
24. Integration Triggers - Relevance AI Documentation (cited for Relevance AI)
25. Xero integration for AI agents | Relevance AI (cited for Relevance AI)
26. Security overview - Relevance AI Documentation (cited for Relevance AI)
27. Approvals and Escalations - Relevance AI Documentation (cited for Relevance AI)
28. Airtop - Page Interaction - Relevance AI Documentation (cited for Relevance AI)
29. Pricing - Relevance AI Documentation (cited for Relevance AI)
30. Use actions on Zapier Agents - Zapier (cited for Zapier)
31. Set up your agent's trigger - Zapier (cited for Zapier)
32. Add approval steps to your agent's instructions - Zapier (cited for Zapier)
33. HubSpot Integrations | Connect Your Apps with Zapier (cited for Zapier)
34. Xero Integrations | Connect Your Apps with Zapier (cited for Zapier)
35. Plans & Pricing | Zapier (cited for Zapier)
36. Customer Stories | Zapier (cited for Zapier)
37. Data Privacy Overview | Zapier (cited for Zapier)
38. Zapier | Secure and Compliant AI Orchestration at Scale (cited for Zapier)
39. Use the agent's default tools - Zapier (cited for Zapier)
40. Migrating from Agents to AI by Zapier - Zapier (cited for Zapier)
41. Routines - Lindy Documentation (cited for Lindy)
42. Lindy - The AI Teammate That Lets You Do More (cited for Lindy)
43. Explore All Integrations - Lindy (cited for Lindy)
44. Security - Lindy Documentation (cited for Lindy)
45. Pricing - Lindy (cited for Lindy)
46. Case Studies - Lindy (cited for Lindy)
47. Integrations - Lindy Documentation (cited for Lindy)
48. Concepts | Workato docs (cited for Workato)
49. Workato Agentic Orchestration | AI Agents that Get Results | Workato (cited for Workato)
50. Workflow apps - overview | Workato docs (cited for Workato)
51. Data retention policies | Workato docs (cited for Workato)
52. Data center overview | Workato docs (cited for Workato)
53. Workato Australia & New Zealand: Making Waves - Workato (cited for Workato)
54. Demand For Advanced Automation, Integration and AI Drives Workato's Growth Down Under (cited for Workato)
55. Customer Stories and Testimonials | Workato (cited for Workato)
56. Self-service (Workato Free and Workato Pro) billing | Workato docs (cited for Workato)
57. Pricing & Subscription Packages | Make (cited for Make)
58. Make AI Agents | Build transparent AI agents across 3000+ apps (cited for Make)
59. Xero Integration | Workflow Automation | Make (cited for Make)
60. HubSpot CRM Integration | Workflow Automation | Make (cited for Make)
61. Success Stories | Make (cited for Make)
62. Organizations - Help Center (cited for Make)
63. Introduction to Maia by Make - Help Center (cited for Make)
64. Build Custom AI Agents With Logic & Control | n8n Automation Platform (cited for n8n)
65. n8n Plans and Pricing - n8n.io (cited for n8n)
66. Human-in-the-loop for tools | Build | n8n Docs (cited for n8n)
67. Gmail integrations | Workflow automation with n8n (cited for n8n)
68. Microsoft Outlook integrations | Workflow automation with n8n (cited for n8n)
69. HubSpot integrations | Workflow automation with n8n (cited for n8n)
70. Xero integrations | Workflow automation with n8n (cited for n8n)
71. Compare editions | Deploy | n8n Docs (cited for n8n)
72. n8n case studies (cited for n8n)
73. Security - n8n.io (cited for n8n)
74. Privacy | Privacy and security | n8n Docs (cited for n8n)
75. Agent Triggers - Gumloop (cited for Gumloop)
76. MCP servers for your AI agents | Gumloop (cited for Gumloop)
77. Human in the Loop - Gumloop (cited for Gumloop)
78. Gumloop | Enterprise (cited for Gumloop)
79. UTM builder agent | Gumloop (cited for Gumloop)
80. Gumloop: Build AI agents for work (cited for Gumloop)
81. Pricing | Gumloop (cited for Gumloop)
82. Privacy policy | Gumloop (cited for Gumloop)
83. Former Startmate boss Michael Batko is back in founder mode building with Hourglass AI - Startup Daily
84. Staying on Top of AI in 2026 - Finlay Ekins on Medium
85. How to Run an AI Audit for Your Business - Step by Step - Michael Batko
86. The AI Casino - Finlay Ekins
87. Looping a Looping Loop - Finlay Ekins
88. The Tesla That Might Actually Fly
89. Why Most AI Projects Fail Before They Start - Finlay Ekins on Medium
90. MYOB Integrations | Connect Your Apps with Zapier
91. A Ferrari with No Fuel - Finlay Ekins
92. Hourglass Digital AI Newsletter - Transform your Business
93. The Great AI Gap - Finlay Ekins
94. Monthly Update - August 2026
95. Careful adoption of agentic AI services | Cyber.gov.au
96. Guidance on privacy and the use of commercially available AI products | OAIC
97. Guidance for AI adoption: implementation guidance | National AI Centre