The two pieces every Zap needs
Trigger: the event that starts the Zap. "A new row is added to this spreadsheet." "A new email arrives with this subject line." "A form is submitted." Every Zap has exactly one trigger.
Action: what happens in response. "Send a Slack message." "Create a task in a project tool." "Add a row to a different spreadsheet." A Zap can have one action or a chain of several, each running in order after the trigger fires.
A concrete example
Trigger: a new response comes in on a contact form. Action 1: create a new contact record in a CRM. Action 2: send a Slack message to the sales channel with the lead's details. Action 3: add the lead's email to a mailing list. One trigger, three actions, three tasks consumed each time the Zap runs, as covered in the pricing guide.
How the trigger actually gets checked
Two mechanisms. Instant triggers use webhooks: the source app itself notifies Zapier the moment the event happens, so there's effectively no delay. Polling triggers have Zapier check the source app on a schedule, commonly every one to fifteen minutes depending on plan tier, since not every app supports webhooks. This is why some Zaps feel instant and others have a noticeable lag between the real-world event and the automation firing.
Filters and paths, the two common additions
- Filter: a condition that stops the Zap unless it's met. "Only continue if the form's 'company size' field is over 50," so the Zap doesn't run for every single submission.
- Paths: branching logic, sending the Zap down one of several possible action chains depending on the data. "If the deal size is over $10,000, notify the enterprise team; otherwise, notify the standard sales queue."
Neither is required. A large share of useful Zaps are just trigger plus one or two plain actions, no filters or branches at all.
Frequently asked
Can a Zap have more than one action?
Yes. A single trigger can fire a chain of multiple actions in sequence, each one a separate task for billing purposes. Multi-step Zaps require a paid plan; Zapier's free tier only allows one trigger and one action.
How does Zapier know when to check for a trigger?
Two ways: instant triggers use webhooks, the source app notifies Zapier the moment something happens, with no delay. Polling triggers have Zapier check the source app on a schedule, typically every one to fifteen minutes depending on your plan.
What's the difference between a Zap and a workflow?
None, functionally. "Zap" is Zapier's specific brand name for what other platforms call a workflow, scenario, or flow. The underlying concept, trigger plus actions, is the same across tools.