Imagine a company that works slowly, manually checks documents, spends hours processing data, and makes dozens of the same automatic actions every day. Now imagine another one, where reports are generated automatically, chatbots support customers 24/7, and routine tasks are finished before lunch.
The difference is that the second company has already implemented AI for business automation.
Artificial intelligence is not the reason why businesses began to change their approach to work. The competition is. Companies can no longer afford to waste hours on manual tasks. Plus, AI-based test automation tools have become much more accessible, both technically and financially. What yesterday required a team of developers, today can be done in a few clicks, without any technical background.
In this article by DATAFOREST, we have collected tools that are changing the approach to work not just in theory, but in real cases–in task management, query processing, content creation, and process automation. The most interesting thing is that most of these tools do not require programming skills, only an understanding of what exactly you are looking to automate.
It’s a practical guide to what is already working. We’ll review the main features, pros, cons, pricing, and client ratings of the top AI automation tools for business. If you’re considering developing a custom AI automation platform, DATAFOREST can be your tech vendor to guide you through the whole process. Schedule a call today for a Gen AI consultation with our specialist.
Why AI tools have become the key to effective automation?
According to the McKinsey Global Institute, 50% of work in 2025 is automatable.
It doesn’t mean that AI will replace people. It is about automating time-consuming processes in order to allow employees to focus on what is important and requires human judgment.
Until recently, automation was considered a large-scale implementation: ERP systems, custom development, and dozens of hours of integrations. Now everything is easier: AI-powered tools have learned to listen, read, analyze, and even make decisions within understandable scenarios. You no longer need to write instructions, it’s enough to just show an example.
One of their strengths is adaptability. Traditional automation works according to a template: enter data–receive a result. AI is flexible. It learns from your actions, analyzes patterns, suggests optimal solutions, and is constantly improving.
Another advantage is fast AI integration and launch. Most modern digital tools can be integrated in a matter of minutes without involving a technical team. And if a few years ago automation was only affordable for large companies, today there are options available at just $10 per month.
Most importantly, AI tools help streamline workflows. Instead of routine tasks, managers can focus on strategic tasks, creativity, and product development– exactly what they were hired for.
AI does not take away your job–it takes away what you do not like to do. This is why it is becoming the main tool for effective automation.
Benefits of AI solutions for automation
Automation software means less manual work, process automation, data-driven decision-making, and fewer errors.
Time savings
Hundreds of companies have already confirmed that tasks that used to take an hour can now be completed in minutes. For example, time spent on a simple report preparation or query sorting can now be reduced by several times. If you do these tasks on a weekly or monthly basis, you spend dozens of hours that can be spent on strategic initiatives.
Scalability
One person cannot simultaneously process 200 queries, but AI can. It doesn’t need to rest, and it can work at night or on weekends. This means that businesses can scale without significantly increasing their headcount.
High-quality work
Since AI tools can analyze, compare, and suggest, they drive better results. For example, they can detect patterns in customer behavior or automatically suggest the best time to send an email when the probability of a response is the highest.
Team alignment
AI tools have dashboards that allow each team member to see what is happening and automatically receive notifications and status updates in real time without the need for endless calls and clarifications about who is doing what. This is especially helpful for remote work.
Versatility
AI technologies are not tied to one industry. Marketing, HR, e-commerce, finance, analytics, customer service–automation drives results everywhere. This is an example of when technology adapts to your business, and not vice versa.
Businesses that have already integrated AI into their operations said that they saw significant improvements during the first week.
Leading tools for business automation
Make (ex. Integromat)
Make, formerly known as Integromat, is an intuitive no-code development platform. It allows users to create complex workflows without coding. With a visual drag-and-drop interface, users can easily connect different applications and services, automating repetitive tasks, and streamlining business processes.
Pros:
- supports over 2,000 applications, including popular services such as Google Workspace, Slack, Shopify, and more.
- can be used by IT, operations, marketing, sales, finance, customer experience, and people teams;
- real-time data synchronization and updates between applications;
- advanced big data processing;
- enterprise-grade security;
- no credit card required and no time limit on the free plan.
Cons:
- basic tech skills required.
Pricing: free plan available; Core plan at $10.59/month.
Client Ratings: 4.8/5 on Software Advice.
GPT Excel
GPT Excel is an AI tool that automates, simplifies, and enhances work in spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Airtable. It lets users quickly generate formulas, SQL queries, and VBA scripts. As a result, it simplifies complex tasks, boosting productivity, automating repetitive processes, and providing deeper data insights.
Pros:
- formula generation for Excel, Google Sheets, and Airtable;
- AI chat and data insights;
- table template generation;
- SQL query generation.
Cons:
- adds-on don’t always work;
- some users experienced billing issues.
Pricing: free plan available; Pro plan at $6.99/month.
Client Ratings: 4.6/5 on G2 reviews.
Harpa
Harpa is an AI agent for web browsing. It offers features to summarize YouTube videos, blogs, and PDFs in seconds, answer emails, proofread and generate articles, extract data, and automate users’ work. It is a Google Chrome extension that allows users to access OpenAI GPT-4o, Claude 3.7, DeepSeek, Gemini 2.0, Llama, and Perplexity on any web page.
Pros:
- one platform for the most popular AI chatbots;
- users can chat with websites, PDFs, and videos;
- a wide range of applications, from writing emails, SEO articles, and tweets to tracking web page updates.
Cons:
- only Google Chrome extension available;
Pricing: free plan available; S1 plan at $14/month.
Client Ratings: 4.6/5 on Product Hunt.
Liner
Liner is a free tool for training ML models without machine learning or coding experience. It takes users’ training data and provides them with an easy-to-integrate ML model. All it takes is 3 easy steps: import data, start training, and deploy the model. Users can export models to different platforms and easily integrate them with their applications.
Pros:
- ready-to-use machine learning types: image, text, audio, and video classification, object detection, image segmentation, pose classification;
- available for both Windows and Mac;
- users can import their own data or use their library of datasets.
- completely free.
Cons:
- some users reported bugs.
Pricing: free platform.
Client Ratings: 4.3/5 on G2 reviews.
Flowise AI
Flowise AI is an open-source low-code tool for developers to build customized LLM orchestration flow and AI agents. Their low code approach enables quick iterations, helping developers go from testing to production. It allows users to connect LLMs with memory, data loaders, cache, moderation, and many more. Also, with Flowise AI, users are able to create autonomous agents that can use tools to execute different tasks.
Pros:
- various use cases in one platform;
- use cases include product catalog, product description, query SQL database, customer support, structured data, and others;
- 100+ integrations;
Cons:
- some users reported bugs;
- limited flexibility.
Pricing: free 14-day trial, no credit card required; Starter plan for individuals and small teams at $35/month.
Client Ratings: 4.8/5 on G2 reviews.
Relevance AI
Relevance AI is an all-in-one low-code multi-agent platform built for any use case across any industry and delivers human-quality work. It allows users to build and manage an entire AI workforce without any technical background. Users can build from scratch or recruit specialized AI agents and customize them using natural language processing and easy settings.
Pros:
- 100+ templates that can be customized;
- a single platform to build, scale, and manage the entire AI workforce;
- fast deployment.
Cons:
- not suitable for complex AI implementations.
Pricing: free plan with limited credits per day; Pro plan for one user at $19/month.
Client Ratings: 4.5/5 on G2 reviews.
Zapier
Zapier is a business automation platform that connects apps and services, enabling users to automate workflows without coding. It provides a suite of automation tools to streamline workflows. It’s ideal for businesses, marketers, and teams looking to streamline repetitive tasks and integrate tools seamlessly. New users can start by connecting two apps–a trigger and an action. It offers a library of templates for perfect workflow optimization in minutes.
Pros:
- workflow automation;
- connects thousands of apps to automate tasks, for example, sending Slack messages when a form is submitted;
- integrates with over 7,000 different apps;
- library of templates to start automation in minutes.
Cons:
- no mobile app for app integrations.
Pricing: free plan available; Professional plan at $25/month.
Client Ratings: 4.7/5 on Software Advice.
Butler by Trello
Butler by Trello is a tool for no-code automation that is built into every Trello board. It’s designed to automate users' workflow and help users focus on strategic tasks. Users can create rules, buttons, and commands to automate almost any action in Trello. It can be integrated with Slack, Jira, and email to post messages to Slack channels, create new Jira tickets, post comments to existing tickets, or send automated emails.
Pros:
- custom card and board buttons;
- integrations with apps such as Jira and Slack;
- intelligent automation tips;
- recognizes repetitive actions and suggests automation based on those actions that can be enabled in a single click.
Cons:
- some users claim that it lacks advanced functionality.
Pricing: free plan available; Premium plan at $10 per user per month.
Client Ratings: 4.4/5 on G2 reviews.
AI tools comparison table
Final Thoughts: Automation with AI is your competitive advantage
To sum up, AI automation is not about replacing people. It’s about being able to work smarter, and faster while focusing on what really matters: product development, strategy, and creative solutions.
The key advantage of modern AI solutions is their accessibility. They don’t require complex integration, deep technical knowledge, or large budgets. They can be tested today, implemented in a week, and the results can be seen in a few days. Companies that quickly adapt to this new approach to work gain a competitive advantage not due to the headcount or hours of work, but due to business efficiency.
AI use cases are not limited to one industry. Marketing, finance, logistics, HR, and customer support—automation improves work in each of these areas. The most important thing is to identify repetitive processes that should be optimized. After that, you can choose a tool, test it, and scale your business.
Using AI tools allows business leaders and managers to reconsider their approach to work and drive digital transformation. Start small, test a few solutions, integrate them into current processes, and see how quickly they streamline the exciting workflow.
If you are ready to move from theory to practice, DATAFOREST can help you create a custom AI platform and AI test automation tools, or choose the optimal tools for automation. Fill out the form, and our team will get back to you shortly for a consultation on AI use cases for your business and the benefits you can gain.
FAQ
Which industries will be most affected by new AI and automation solutions in 2025?
The greatest changes are expected in manufacturing, finance, logistics, healthcare, and retail. These industries have many repetitive processes and process a large amount of data every day, which can be easily streamlined by AI.
What opportunities for process optimization will emerge with the introduction of new AI tools for financial and manufacturing companies?
For financial and manufacturing companies, AI tools will provide more ways to automate analytics, forecasting, quality control, risk management, and real-time resource planning.
What changes in supply chains will the latest advances in automation and AI bring?
AI will help make more accurate demand forecasts, reduce delays, manage inventory better, and adapt logistics to external changes almost instantly.
What will be the key factor in achieving high performance using new tools in HR and recruitment?
By combining automation of routine tasks (CV screening, interview coordination) and data analytics, HR specialists will be able to make better hiring decisions, evaluate candidates, and retain talents.
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