Apart from Automations and Integrations, there are two builders that will help you simplify your day to day: the custom automation builder and the workflow builder.
This article will take you through the key differences between all of these features that help you decide which tool or combination of tools is right for your team.
Automations
What are Automations?
Automations allow you to build flows to automate your work processes within monday.com. They can be entirely custom or built from a pre-made template. Automations are a great option to eliminate manual and repetitive work on a single board or across a pair of boards.
Where do you set up an automation?
Automations are set up on a single board. It can function across boards, but it lives on your board after it's created.
Integrations
What are Integrations?
Integrations allow you to connect monday.com to external platforms by choosing a predefined Integration template to connect the two platforms.
You can send information from one platform to the other. You can also create a two-way sync to automatically update fields in either direction.
Where do you set up an integration?
Integrations are set up on a single board. It can function across boards, but it lives on your board after it's created.
What is the custom automations builder?
The custom automations builder is used to build custom automations tailored to your team's needs. You can also use our most popular integrations with the custom builder.
When to use the custom automations builder
It's best to use the custom automations builder over the workflow builder if:
- you are looking to build an automation with one or more steps on one board
- you have simple automations with a few simple steps
What is the workflow builder?
The workflow builder is the tool for you if you want to automate complex, multi-step processes. It takes automation a step further as an all-encompassing total workflow automation builder.
It incorporates automations, integrations, and gives you flexibility to set conditions and add pauses in between steps. Best of all, it gives you a visual representation of the entire workflow.
When to use the workflow builder
It's best to use the workflow builder over custom automations if:
- you have robust automations with multiple steps. After 6-7 steps it can become challenging to understand what an automation is doing, especially if you're using an automation built by a teammate
- you are looking to manage multiple automations across your account and need visibility into those multiple automations simultaneously
- you have a complex workflow with multiple conditions, and you need your automations to perform different functions based on different scenarios
Where can the workflow be found?
Within a workspace. When you create a workflow, it lives in your workspace as a separate entity, listed alongside your boards.
Comparison between the two builders
For a quick comparison between these two tools, take a look at this chart:
So what do all of these features and differences mean? Let's take a closer look 🔎
Available in both builders
Cross-board actions
You can work across boards in both the automation custom builder and also workflows.
In the custom automation builder, you can only do this when it comes to a single automation.
For example, you can use the Create item in another board and connect action in the automation custom builder. Here's an example of a custom automation that connects boards:
Alternatively, the workflow builder gives you the power to create robust use cases that work across boards and will allow you to create more than one automation at a time.
Available in the workflow builder
If/Else condition
The workflow builder allows you to set multiple conditions. For example, you can set different multi-branching automated steps according to different users being assigned to an item:
Dynamic values from any previous block
If you choose the Get item data action block, it will automatically fill in the information from a previous step. You can also add this data to an item on a completely different board.
Localization
Localization is supported by the workflow builder. This means that if you change your monday account language, this change will be reflected all over your account, including in the workflow builder.
Delay Block
If you want to add a pause in between steps of your workflow for a set amount of time, you can use the delay block. Check out the article about the delay block to learn more.
Unarchive/delete option
If you delete an automation, it cannot be recovered. However, if you archive or delete a workflow, you have the ability to unarchive and also retrieve it from the trash.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our team right here. We’re available 24/7 and happy to help.