Must-have triggers and actions
Whether you’re just starting to scope out a new Zapier integration build or have successfully launched your app in the Zapier App Directory, it’s helpful to know what features users find the most valuable and are the most widely used across Zapier’s various app categories. Ensuring your integration covers the foundational triggers, actions, and searches applicable to your app will provide more utility to your users.
Top Triggers, Actions, and Searches by App Category
The lists provided do not encompass every possible model or object specific to individual apps. Rather, they represent a more general overview of the most frequently observed ones in each category to serve as a guide to apply to your own app. Remember to maintain consistent terminology between your Zapier integration and app platform so users have a clear connection between the two.
Maybe your CRM platform, refers to new entries as Contacts. On another, they could be called Leads, Clients, Persons, or any term unique to the platform, such as Hoomans or Zaperonis. You may not find Zaperonis listed below, but if you see a similar concept like a New Contact trigger, you can apply the same logic with a New Zaperoni trigger for your integration.
If you don’t see a list for your specific category, there may not have sufficient integrations within it to surface best practices. Reach out to Partner support to request a category.
Accounting
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Payment | Create Customer/Contact/Client | Find Invoice | Find or Create Customer/Client/Contact |
| New Invoice/Bill | Create Invoice/Bill | Find Customer/Client/Contact | |
| New Expense | Send Invoice | ||
| New Customer/Contact/Client | Create Payment/Sale/Sales Receipt | ||
| New Quote/Estimate |
View example apps.
Ads & Conversions
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Lead/Subscriber/Visit | *Send Event/Conversion/Measurement | ||
| New Form Response/Entry | Add Contact/Email to List/Audience |
*Be sure your actions cover all types of events or conversions your app supports, such as ‘offline’, ‘lead’, ‘funnel’, etc.
View example apps.
AI Tools
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Chat) New Message | Send Prompt | ||
| New Transcription/Recording/Video/Image Ready | Request/Generate Image/Transcription/Video/etc. |
View example apps.
Bookmark Managers
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Item/Bookmark | Bookmark/Add Page/Item | ||
| New Favorited Item | |||
| New Tagged Item |
View example apps.
Calendar
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Event/Meeting | Create Event | Find Event | Find or Create Event |
| Event Started | Add Attendee to Event | ||
| Updated Event/Meeting |
View example apps.
Call Tracking
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call Completed | |||
| New Call/Call Started | |||
| Call Tagged |
View example apps.
Contact Management
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Contact/Lead/Person/Company | Create Contact/Lead/Person/Company | Find Contact/Lead/Person/Company | Find or Create Contact/Lead/Person/Company |
| New Form Submission/Entry | Add Contact to Group/Tag/List | ||
| Update Contact/Lead/Person/Company |
View example apps.
Customer Support
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tag Added to Customer/User/Lead | Create Ticket/Request/Conversation | Find Customer/User/Lead | Find or Create Customer/User/Lead |
| New Ticket/Request | Update Ticket/Request/Conversation | Find Ticket/Request/Conversation | |
| New Customer/User/Lead | Add/Remove Tag on User/Ticket/Lead | ||
| New Chat/Message/Conversation | Send Message | ||
| New Closed/Finished Conversation | Update Customer/User/Lead/Company | ||
| Add Comment/Note on Ticket/Request | |||
| Create Customer/User/Lead/Company |
View example apps.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| *New Record/Module Entry | *Create Record/Module Entry | *Find Record/Module Entry | *Find or Create Record/Module Entry |
| New Contact/Lead/Person/Company | *Update Record/Module Entry | Find Lead/Contact/Person/Company | Find or Create Lead/Contact/Person/Company |
| New Deal/Opportunity/Job/Inquiry | Create Contact/Lead/Person/Company | Find Deal/Opportunity | Find or Create Deal/Opportunity |
| Tag Added or Removed | Update Contact/Lead/Person/Company | ||
| **Updated Record/Module Entry | Create Deal/Opportunity | ||
| Updated Deal/Opportunity Status | Update Deal/Opportunity | ||
| Updated Lead Status | Create Note | ||
| Updated Project Status | Add Contact/Lead to Campaign/Group | ||
| Create Activity/Event | |||
| Add Tag to X (i.e. Contact, Record, Opportunity) |
*Cover the most popular models of your platform at a minimum. You can create individual triggers, actions, and searches for each model such as, “New Customer”, “New Deal”, “Create Customer”, and “Create Deal”. Or create a singular trigger, action, and search that each support multiple models by requiring users to select which model they’re taking action on via an input field, such as “New Record” and “Create Record”.
**Updated triggers for CRMs are often most useful when users are able to specify which field(s) to watch for updates on, instead of triggering on any and all updates.
View example apps.
Databases
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Record/Row | Create Record/Row | Find Record/Row | Find or Create Record/Row |
| Updated Record/Row | Update Record/Row |
*Zapier searches automatically return only the first result in the response. To return multiple results, return the set of results as an array of objects under a descriptive key.
View example apps.
Documents
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Document | Create Document (from template) | Find Document | Find or Create Document |
| Document Completed/Signed | Add to Document | ||
| Document Status Updated | |||
| Document Sent |
View example apps.
Drip Email
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Subscriber/Prospect | Add/Remove Tag from Subscriber/Lead/Prospect/Contact | Find Subscriber/Lead/Prospect/Contact | Find or Create Subscriber/Lead/Prospect/Contact |
| New Tagged Subscriber | Create Subscriber/Lead/Prospect/Contact | ||
| New Unsubscribe | Update Subscriber/Lead/Prospect/Contact | ||
| New Reply | Add Subscriber/Lead/Prospect/Contact to Sequence/Campaign/List/Audience |
View example apps.
eCommerce
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Order/Purchase/Sale | Create Order | Find Order | Find or Create Customer |
| New Paid Order/Payment Received | Create Customer | Find Customer | |
| Abandoned Cart | Create Product | Find Product | |
| New Customer |
View example apps.
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Email Matching Search | Send Email | Find Email | Find or Create Email |
| New Email | Create Draft Email | Find or Create Contact | |
| New Labeled/Tagged/Starred Email | Create Contact | ||
| New Attachment | |||
View example apps.
Email Newsletters
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Subscriber/Contact in List/Audience/Tag | Create Subscriber/Contact | Find Subscriber/Contact | Find or Create Subscriber/Contact |
| New Subscriber/Contact | Send Email/Campaign | ||
| Email Opened/Link Clicked | Add/Subscribe Contact to List/Audience/Tag | ||
| Update Subscriber/Contact |
View example apps.
Event Management
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Registrant/RSVP | Create Attendee/Add Registrant | |||
| New Order/Booking/Ticket | Create Event | |||
| New Event | Create Event | |||
| New Attendee/Contact/Lead |
View example apps.
File Management & Storage
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New File in Folder | Upload File | Find File | Find or Create Folder |
| New Folder | Create Folder | Find Folder | |
| New File | Create File | ||
| Updated File | Move File |
View example apps.
Forms & Surveys
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Entry/Form Response/Submission | Create Entry/Form Response/Submission | Find Entry/Form Response/Submission | |
| New Lead | Send Form |
View example apps.
Fundraising
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Donation/Transaction/Pledge | Create Member/Donor/Contact | Find Member/Donor/Contact | Find or Create Member/Donor/Contact |
| New Member/Donor/Contact | Create Donation/Transaction/Pledge |
View example apps.
Marketing Automation
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Contact/Lead/Subscriber | Create Contact/Lead/Subscriber | Find Contact/Lead/Subscriber | Find or Create Contact/Lead/Subscriber |
| New Contact in List/Audience/Segment | Create Opportunity/Deal/Order | Find Deal | |
| Tag Added/Removed from Contact/Lead/Subscriber | Update Opportunity/Deal | ||
| Updated Deal/Pipeline Stage | Update Contact/Lead/Subscriberv | ||
| New Order/Purchase/Sale | Add Contact/Lead/Subscriber to Campaign/List/Group | ||
| New Form Entry/Submission | Add/Remove Tag fro Contact/Lead/Subscriber | ||
| Updated Contact/Lead/Subscriber | |||
View example apps.
Notes
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Note | Create Note | ||
| New Note in Notebook/Section/Tag | Append to Note |
View example apps.
Notifications
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Notification/Message | Send Notification/Message |
View example apps.
Online Courses
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Order/Sale/Purchase/Subscription | Enroll User/Add User to Course | Find User/Student | Find or Create User/Student |
| New Enrollment | Create Credentials/Grant Access/Issue Credentials | ||
| Course/Lesson Completed | Subscribe User to List/Add User to Group | ||
| New User/Student | Unenroll User/Student |
View example apps.
Payment Processing
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Payment or Payment Paid | Create Customer | Find Invoice/Payment/Transaction | Find or Create Customer |
| New Subscription/Order/Sale/Transaction/Invoice | Create Payment Link (if applicable) | Find Customer | |
| New Customer | Update Customer | Find Subscription | |
| Canceled Subscription/Order/Sale | |||
| Failed Payment | |||
| New Refund |
View example apps.
Phone & SMS
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New SMS/Message Received | Send SMS/Message | Find Contact (by phone number) | Find or Create Contact |
| New Call | Create Contact | ||
| New Recording | Update Contact | ||
| Call Completed | Call Phone Number |
View example apps.
Product Management
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Feedback/Form Submitted/Request | Create Note/Feature/Task/Idea | ||
| New Note/Comment |
View example apps.
Project Management
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Task/Item/Issue | Create Task/Item/Issue | Find Task/Item/Issue | Find or Create Task/Item/Issue |
| Task/Item/Issue Status Changed | Update Task/Item/Issue | Find User | Find or Create Project/Board |
| New Label/Tag on Task/Item/Issue | Add Comment/Note to Task/Item/Issue | Find Project/Board | |
| Completed Task/Item/Issue | |||
| New Event/Activity | |||
| Updated Task/Item/Issue |
View example apps.
Proposal & Invoice Management
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal/Estimate/Quote Accepted | Create Client/Contact/Lead | Find Client/Contact/Lead | Find or Create Client/Contact/Lead |
| Proposal Signed | Create Proposal/Estimate/Quote | Find Proposal/Estimate/Quote | |
| Proposal Won | Create Invoice | ||
| Proposal Sent | Create Project | ||
| New Proposal/Estimate/Quote |
View example apps.
Scheduling & Booking
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Client/Customer | Create Client/Customer | Find Booking/Appointment | Find or Create Client |
| New Booking/Appointment | Create Booking/Appointment/Request/Job | ||
| New Cancellation | |||
| Rescheduled Booking/Appointment |
View example apps.
Server Monitoring
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New or Updated Ticket/Request/Incident | Create Alert | Find Ticket/Request/Incident | |
| New Alert | Create Ticket/Request |
View example apps.
Signatures
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document/Contract Sent | *Create Document/Contract | Find Document/Contract | |
| Document/Contract Completed | Send Signature Request | ||
| Document/Contract Signed |
*Create Document/Contract actions typically allow for users to select a template in the action’s setup.
View example apps.
Social Media Accounts
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Post/Message/Media (by me) | Create Post/Message/Media | ||
| New Post/Message/Media |
View example apps.
Spreadsheets
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Row | Create/Add Row | Find Row | Find or Create Row |
| Updated Row | Create Row(s) | Find Row(s) (with line-item support) | |
| Update Row |
View example apps.
Task Management
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Task | Create Task | Find Task | Find or Create Task |
| Update Task |
View example apps.
Team Chat
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Message in Channel | Send Channel Message | Find User (by email, name, username) | |
| New Reaction on Message | Send Direct/Private Message |
View example apps.
Time Tracking Software
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Time Entry | Start Time Entry | Find Client | Find or Create Client |
| New Time Entry/Timer Started | Create Time Entry | Find or Create Project | |
| Create Project | |||
| Create Client | |||
| Create Task |
View example apps.
Transactional Emails
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed Delivery | *Send Email | ||
| Bounced Email | |||
| Open/Clicked Event |
*Send Email actions often allowed users to select and use a template in the action’s setup.
View example apps.
Transcription
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Transcript | Create Transcription/Upload Audio or File |
View example apps.
Video & Audio
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Video (in Channel/Playlist) | Upload Video | Find Track | |
| New Track in Playlist/Saved Track | Add Listener/Subscriber | ||
| Add Track to Playlist |
View example apps.
Video Conferencing
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Recording | Create/Add Registrant | ||
| New Registrant | Create Meeting |
View example apps.
Webinars
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Registration/Registrant | Create Registration/Registrant | Find Registrant | |
| New Attendee or Webinar/Event Joined | Register to an Event | Find Session | |
| Attendee Stays Until/% of time |
View example apps.
Website Builders
| Triggers | Actions | Searches | Search or Creates |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Form Submission/Review/Message | Create Post/Content | ||
| New Member/User/Lead | Create/Invite User/Member | ||
| New Post/Content |
View example apps.