Shopify Flow Automation vs External Automation in 2025 — Which Should You Use?
Automation is one of the most powerful levers in modern commerce. It frees teams from repetitive tasks, ensures consistency, and scales processes without adding headcount. In 2025, Shopify merchants have two primary paths: Shopify Flow (native automation) and external platforms like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or custom iPaaS solutions.
So which should you use? The answer depends on scope, complexity, and ecosystem alignment.
What is Shopify Flow?
Shopify Flow is Shopify’s native automation engine, available to merchants on Shopify, Advanced, and Plus plans. It enables “if this, then that” workflows triggered by store events.
- Triggers: Order created, product updated, customer tagged, subscription renewed.
- Conditions: Filter by order size, SKU, location, payment status.
- Actions: Send an email, add a tag, notify staff, adjust inventory, call an app.
In 2025, Flow has expanded:
- App Action Integration: Apps can expose their own actions directly into Flow.
- Cross-store Automations: Flow now supports multi-store orgs on Plus.
- Expanded Library: Dozens of prebuilt templates (fraud prevention, loyalty tagging, post-purchase surveys).
What Do External Automation Tools Offer?
Platforms like Zapier, Make, Workato, Tray.io give merchants a way to connect Shopify with thousands of third-party services, often beyond Shopify’s direct ecosystem.
- Breadth: Zapier alone supports 6,000+ apps.
- Complex Logic: Branching, multi-step workflows, error handling, loops.
- Cross-platform: Can bridge Shopify with CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce), project management tools (Asana, Monday), and marketing stacks (Klaviyo, Mailchimp).
- Customization: Developers can add webhooks and custom code steps.
When Shopify Flow Wins
- Deep Shopify Integration
- Flow speaks Shopify natively. Events fire in real-time, without API rate limits.
- It has privileged access to store data (inventory, orders, customer history).
- Simplicity
- Non-technical staff can create automations inside admin without leaving Shopify.
- App Ecosystem
- Many top apps (Recharge, Klaviyo, LoyaltyLion) integrate directly into Flow.
- Cost
- Flow is included with Advanced + Plus plans. No per-task pricing.
When External Automation Wins
- Multi-platform Processes
- Example: When a Shopify order comes in, create an invoice in QuickBooks, post a Slack alert, and update HubSpot. Flow alone can’t do all this.
- Complex Logic
- Branching based on multiple conditions, iterating through arrays, handling errors gracefully.
- Third-party Ecosystem Reach
- Need to connect to a niche SaaS tool or ERP? Zapier/Make have it covered.
- Flexibility for Developers
- External platforms allow custom code steps, Python/JS snippets, and advanced API chaining.
The Hybrid Approach (Best of Both Worlds)
Many enterprises use both:
- Flow handles Shopify-native logic (inventory rules, tagging, fraud alerts).
- Zapier/Make extend outward (CRM sync, accounting integration, marketing automation).
- The bridge is often a webhook: Flow triggers a webhook → external automation takes it from there.
Key Considerations in 2025
- Scalability: Flow is unlimited, Zapier/Make often price by task count.
- Latency: Flow runs nearly instantly; external tools may have slight delays.
- Security/Compliance: For sensitive data, Flow keeps everything inside Shopify. External platforms add another vendor risk.
- Maintenance: Flow automations evolve with Shopify’s ecosystem. Zapier/Make require monitoring for API changes and task failures.
Conclusion
Use Shopify Flow when your automation needs are Shopify-first: tagging, inventory, fraud, fulfillment, app actions.
Use Zapier/Make when you need to bridge Shopify with the outside world: CRMs, ERPs, custom SaaS stacks.
For most merchants, the winning strategy in 2025 is hybrid: let Flow handle the “inside Shopify” logic, and push external automation only when absolutely necessary.