Organizations today adopt and deploy various applications, to make their work simpler, more efficient and enhance overall productivity. However, in most cases, the process of connecting with these applications is complex, time consuming and an ineffective use of the engineering team. Fortunately, over the years, different approaches or platforms have seen a rise, enabling companies to integrate applications for their internal use or to create customer facing interfaces.
In this article, we will discuss the different options available for companies to integrate with SaaS applications. We will detail the diverse approaches for different needs and use cases, along with a comparative analysis between the different platforms within each approach to help you make an informed choice.
Types of SaaS integrations
As mentioned above, particularly, there are two types of SaaS integrations that most organizations use or need. Here’s a quick understanding of both:
Internal use integrations
Internal use integrations are generally created between two applications that a company uses or between internal systems to facilitate seamless and data flow. Consider that a company uses BambooHR as its HRMS systems and stores all its HR data there, while using ADPRun to manage all of its payroll functions. An internal integration will help connect these two applications to facilitate information flow and data exchange between them.
For instance, with integration, any new employee that is onboarded in BambooHR will be automatically reflected in ADPRun with all relevant details to process compensation at the end of the pay period. Similarly, any employees who leave will be automatically deleted, ensuring that the data across platforms being used internally is consistent and up to date.
Customer facing integrations
On the other hand, customer-facing integrations are intrinsically created between your product and the applications used by your customer to facilitate seamless data exchange for maximum efficiency in operations. It ensures that all data updated in your customer’s application is synced with your product with high reliability and speed.
Let’s say that you offer candidate communication services for your customers. Using customer-facing integrations, you can easily connect with the ATS application that your customer uses to ensure that whenever there is any movement in the application status for any candidate, you promptly communicate to the candidate on the next steps. This will not only ensure regular flow of communication with the candidate, but will also eliminate any missed opportunities with real time data sync.
Best SaaS integration platforms for different use cases
With differences in purposes and use cases, the best approach and platforms for different integrations also varies. Put simply, most internal integrations require automation of workflow and data exchange, while customer facing ones need more sophisticated functionalities. Even with the same purpose, the needs of developers and organizations can be varied, creating the need for diverse platforms which suit varying requirements. In the following section, we will discuss the three major kinds of integration platforms, including workflow automation tools, embedded iPaaS and unified APIs with specific examples within each.
Internal integrations: Workflow automation tools/ iPaaS
Essentially, internal integration tools are expected to streamline the workflow and data exchange between internally used applications for an organization to improve efficiency, accuracy and process optimization. Workflow automation tools or iPaaS are the best SaaS integration platforms to support this purpose. They come with easy to use drag and drop functionalities, along with pre-built connectors and available SDKs to easily power internal integrations. Some of the leaders in the space are:
Workato
An enterprise grade automation platform, Workato facilitates workflow automation and integration, enabling businesses to seamlessly connect different applications for internal use.
Benefits of Workato
- High number of pre-built connectors, making integration with any tool seamless
- Enterprise grade security functionalities, like encryption, role-based access, audit logs for data protection
- No-code/ low code iPaaS experience; option to make own connectors with simple SDKs
Limitations of Workato
- Expensive for organizations with budget constraints
- Limited offline functionality
Ideal for enterprise-level customers that need to integrate with 1000s of applications with a key focus on security.
Zapier
An iSaaS (integration software as a service) tool, Zapier allows software users to integrate with applications and automate tasks which are relatively simple, with Zaps.
Benefits of Zapier
- Easily accessible and can be used by non-technical teams to automate simple tasks via Zaps using a no code UI
- Provides 7000+ pre-built connectors and automation templates
- Has recently introduced a co-pilot which allows users to build their own Zaps using natural language
Limitations of Zapier
- Runs the risk of introducing security risks into the system
- Relatively simple and may not support complex or highly sophisticated use cases
Ideal for building simple workflow automations which can be developed and managed by all teams at large, using its vast connector library.
Mulesoft
Mulesoft is a typical iPaaS solution that facilitates API-led integration, which offers easy to use tools to help organizations automate routine and repetitive tasks.
Benefits of Mulesoft
- High focus on integration with Salesforce and Salesforce products, facilitating automation with CRM effectively
- Offers data integration, API management, and analytics with Anytime Platform
- Provides a powerful API gateway for security and policy management
Limitations of Mulesoft
- Requires a steep learning curve as it is technically complex
- Higher on the pricing, making it unsuitable for smaller organizations
Ideal for more complex integration scenarios with enterprise-grade features, especially for integration with Salesforce and allied products.
Dell Boomi
With experience of powering integrations for multiple decades, Dell Boomi provides tools for iPaaS, API management and master data management.
Benefits of Dell Boomi
- Comes with a simple UI and multiple pre-built connectors for popular applications
- Can help with diverse use cases for different teams
- Adopted by several large enterprises due to their experience in the space
Limitations of Dell Boomi
- Requires more technical expertise than some other workflow automation tools
- Support is limited to simpler integrations and may not be able to support complex scenarios
Ideal for diverse use cases and comes with a high level of credibility owing to the experience garnered over the years.
SnapLogic
The final name in the workflow automation/ iPaaS list is SnapLogic which comes with a low-code interface, enabling organizations to quickly design and implement application integrations.
Benefits of SnapLogic
- Simple UI and low-code functionality ensures that users from technical and non-technical backgrounds can leverage it
- Comes with a robust catalog of pre-built connectors to integrate fast and effectively
- Offers on-premise, cloud based on hybrid models of integration
Limitations of SnapLogic
- May be a bit too expensive for small size organizations with budget constraints
- Scalability and optimal performance might become an issue with high data volume
Ideal for organizations looking for automation workflow tools that can be used by all team members and supports functionalities, both online and offline.
Customer facing integrations: Embedded iPaaS & Unified API
While the above mentioned SaaS integration platforms are ideal for building and maintaining integrations for internal use, organizations looking to develop customer facing integrations need to look further. Companies can choose between two competing approaches to build customer facing SaaS integrations, including embedded iPaaS and unified API. We have outlined below the key features of both the approaches, along with the leading SaaS integration platforms for each.
Embedded iPaaS
An embedded iPaaS can be considered as an iPaaS solution which is embedded within a product, enabling companies to build customer-facing integrations between their product and other applications. This enables end customers to seamlessly exchange data and automate workflows between your application and any third party application they use. Both the companies and the end customers can leverage embedded iPaaS to build integration and automate workflows. Here are the top embedded iPaaS that companies use as SaaS integrations platforms.
Workato Embedded
In addition to offering an iPaaS solution for internal integrations, Workato embedded offers embedded iPaaS for customer-facing integrations. It is a low-code solution and also offers API management solutions.
Benefits of Workato Embedded
- Highly extensive connector library with 1200+ pre-built connectors and built-in workflow actions
- Enterprise grade embedded iPaaS with sophisticated security and compliance standards
Limitations of Workato Embedded
- Requires customers to build each customer facing integration separately, making it resource and time intensive
- Lacks a standard data model, making data transformation and normalization complicated
- Cost ineffective for smaller companies and offers limited offline connectivity
Ideal for large companies that wish to offer a highly robust integration library to their customers to facilitate integration at scale.
Paragon
Built exclusively for the embedded iPaaS use case, Paragon enables users to ship and scale native integrations.
Benefits of Paragon
- Offers effective monitoring features, including event and failure alerts and logs, and enables users to access the full underlying API (developer friendly)
- Facilitates on-premise deployment, especially, for users with highly sensitive data and privacy needs
- Ensures fully managed authentication and user management with the Paragon SDK
Limitations of Paragon
- Fewer connectors are readily available, as compared to market average
- Pushes customers to create their own integrations from scratch in certain cases
Ideal for companies looking for greater monitoring capabilities along with on-premise deployment options in the embedded iPaaS.
Pandium
Pandium is an embedded iPaaS which also allows users to embed an integration marketplace within their product.
Benefits of Pandium
- The embedded integration marketplace (which can be white-labeled) allows customers and prospects to find all integrations at one place
- Helps companies outsource the development and management of integrations
- Provides key integration analytics
Limitations of Pandium
- Limited catalog of connectors as compared to other competitors
- Requires technical expertise to use, blocking engineering bandwidth
- Forces users to build one integration at a time, making the scalability limited
Ideal for companies that require an integration marketplace which is highly customizable and have limited bandwidth to build and manage integrations in-house.
Tray Embedded
As an embedded iPaaS solution, Tray Embedded allows companies to embed its iPaaS solution into their product to provide customer-facing integrations.
Benefits of Tray Embedded
- Provides a large number of connectors and also enables customers to request and get a new connector built on extra charges
- Offers an API management solution to to design and manage API endpoints
- Provides Merlin AI, an autonomous agent, powering simple automations via a chat interface
Limitations of Tray Embedded
- Limited ability to automatically detect issues and provide remedial solutions, pushing engineering teams to conduct troubleshooting
- Limited monitoring features and implementation processes require a workaround
Ideal for companies with custom integration requirements and those that want to achieve automation through text.
Cyclr
Another solution solely limited to the embedded iPaaS space, Cyclr facilitates low-code integration workflows for customer-facing integrations.
Benefits of Cyclr
- Enables companies to use seamlessly design a new workflow with templates, without heavy coding
- Provides connectors for 500+ applications and is growing
- Offers an out of the box embedded marketplace or launch functionality that allows end users to deploy integrations
Limitations of Cyclr
- Comes with a steep learning curve
- Limited built-in workflow actions for each connector, where complex integrations might require additional endpoints, the feasibility for which is limited
- Lack of visibility into the system sending API requests, making monitoring and debugging issues a challenge
Ideal for companies looking for centralized integration management within a standardized integration ecosystem.
Unified API
The next approach to powering customer-facing integrations is leveraging a unified API. As an aggregated API, unified API platforms help companies easily integrate with several applications within a category (CRM, ATS, HRIS) using a single connector. Leveraging unified API, companies can seamlessly integrate both vertically and horizontally at scale.
Merge
As a unified API, Merge enables users to add hundreds of integrations via a single connector, simplifying customer-facing integrations.
Benefits of Merge
- High coverage within the integrations categories; 7+ integration categories currently available
- Integration observability features with fully searchable logs, dashboard and automated issue detection
- Access to custom objects and fields like field mapping, authenticated passthrough requests
Limitations of Merge
- Limited flexibility for frontend auth component and limited customization capabilities
- Requires maintaining a polling infrastructure for managing data syncs
- Webhooks based data sync doesn’t guarantee scale and data delivery
Ideal to build multiple integrations together with out-of-the-box features for managing integrations.
Finch
A leader in the unified API space for employment systems, Finch helps build 1:many integrations with HRIS and payroll applications.
Benefits of Finch
- One of the highest number of integrations available in the HRIS and Payroll integration categories
- Facilitates standardized data for all employment data across top HRIS and Payroll providers, like Quickbooks, ADP, and Paycom
- Allows users to read and write benefits data, including payroll deductions and contributions programmatically
Limitations of Finch
- Limited number of integration categories available
- Offers “assisted” integrations, requiring a Finch team member or associate to manually sync data on your behalf
- Low data fields support limited data fields available in the source system
Ideal for companies looking to build integrations with employment systems and high levels of data standardization.
Apideck
Another option in the unified API category is Apideck, which offers integrations in more categories than the above two mentioned SaaS integration platforms in this space.
Benefits of Apideck
- Higher number of categories (inc. Accounting, CRM, File Storage, HRIS, ATS, Ecommerce, Issue Tracking, POS, SMS) than many other alternatives and is quick to add new integrations
- Popular for its integration marketplace, known as Apideck ecosystem
- Offers best in class onboarding experience and responsive customer support
Limitations of Apideck
- Limited number of live integrations within each category
- Limited data sync capabilities; inability to access data beyond its own data fields
Ideal for companies looking for a wider range of integration categories with an openness to add new integrations to its suite.
Knit
A unified API, Knit facilitates integrations with multiple categories with a single connector for each category; an exponentially growing category base, richer than other alternatives.
Benefits of Knit
- Seamless data normalization and transformation at 10x speed with custom data fields for non-standard data models
- The only SaaS integration platform which doesn’t store a copy of the end customer’s data, ensuring superior privacy and security (as all requests are pass through in nature)
- 100% events-driven webhook architecture, which ensures data sync in real time, without the need to pull data periodically (no polling architecture needed)
- Guaranteed scalability and delivery, irrespective of the data load, offering a 99.99% SLA
- Custom data models, sync frequency and auth component for greater flexibility
- Offers RCA and resolution to identify and fix integration issues before a customer can report it
- Ensures complete visibility into the integration activity, including the ability to identify which records were synced, ability to rerun syncs etc.
Ideal for companies looking for SaaS integration platforms with wide horizontal and vertical coverage, complete data privacy and don’t wish to maintain a polling infrastructure, while ensuring sync scalability and delivery.
Best SaaS integration platforms: A comparative analysis
TL:DR
Clearly SaaS integrations are the building blocks to connect and ensure seamless flow of data between applications. However, the route that organizations decide to take large depends on their use cases. While workflow automation or iPaaS makes sense for internal use integrations, an embedded iPaaS or a unified API approach will serve the purpose of building customer facing integrations. Within each approach, there are several alternatives available to choose from. While making a choice, organizations must consider:
- The breadth (horizontal coverage/ categories) and depth (integrations within each category) that are available
- Security, authentication and authorization mechanisms
- Integration maintenance and management support
- Visibility into the integration activity along with intuitive issue detection and resolution
- The way data syncs work (events based or do they require an additional polling infrastructure)
Depending on what you consider to be more valuable for your organization, you can go in for the right approach and the right option from within the 14 best SaaS integration platforms shared above.
