Does delay count as a task in Zapier?

In this blog post, we'll dive deeper into the concept of tasks in Zapier, including how delays are considered tasks and how they impact your usage.

Understanding Tasks in Zapier

Tasks are the building blocks of Zaps, which are the automations created in Zapier. A task is essentially an action step that is executed when your Zap runs. Each time a Zapier action is performed, it is counted as one task. Tasks play a crucial role in determining your usage, as they are used to establish your subscription and billing level.

For instance, if you have a Zap that triggers when someone fills out a form and then sends an email to a recipient, each time the Zap runs, it counts as two tasks. One task is for the trigger step, and the other task is for the action step of sending the email.

How Delays Count as Tasks

A delay in Zapier is an action step that allows you to add some time between trigger and subsequent steps in your Zap. For example, imagine you want to send a follow-up email to a lead two days after they have submitted a form. To achieve this, you would add a delay step of two days between the trigger (form submission) and the action (sending the follow-up email).

As mentioned earlier, every action step in a Zap is considered a task. Since delays are action steps, they, too, are counted as tasks. In the example of adding a two-day delay between the trigger and action, your Zap would consume three tasks each time it runs. One for triggering on form submission, one for the delay, and one for sending the email.

Impact on Your Usage

Since delays count as tasks, using them in your Zaps can impact your available tasks based on your subscription. If you are on a free plan or have a limited number of tasks per month, you might want to carefully consider how many delays you include in your Zaps and analyze their significance in your workflows. Alternatively, upgrading your Zapier subscription plan to accommodate more tasks can make it more feasible to implement delay steps in your automations.

In conclusion, delays do count as tasks within Zapier, and it is essential to be mindful of your usage and subscription limits when utilizing delay steps in your Zaps. By understanding how tasks work, you can optimize your automations and make better use of your available resources.