Resources · Zapier integration

Noko Zapier integrationAutomate Noko with Zapier.

The Noko Zapier integration gives you 14 triggers, 3 actions and 3 searches. Every trigger is instant, so a new time entry, expense or invoice in Noko reaches your other tools straight away, even on the free plan. The actions log time, expenses and projects back in.

See the 20 operations

Verified Trustpilot reviews · AI, automation & growth agency

Overview

What the Noko Zapier integration does for you

Noko is a time tracker for teams that bill their hours: it shows who worked on what, how long, and whether that time is billable. Connected to Zapier, it talks to the rest of your tools in both directions. Noko events start automations elsewhere, and other apps can create entries, expenses and projects inside Noko.

Three results worth building. Billing that does not wait: New Invoice and Invoice Unpaid push invoice news to your accounting team the moment it happens. Time that logs itself: Create Entry turns a finished meeting or a closed ticket into a Noko entry, so nobody rebuilds the week from memory. Projects that open in one place: New Project mirrors a fresh Noko project into your task board, or Create Project does it the other way round when a deal is signed in your CRM.

The gaps are real too. The actions only create: Zapier cannot edit or delete an entry, an expense or a project in Noko, and it cannot create an invoice. Deletions and changes exist only as triggers, so you can react to them, not cause them. And a Zap never goes back in time: the hours you logged last month stay where they are.

To see how Zapier stacks up for this kind of work, read our Zapier review, or compare the billing models in n8n vs Zapier.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight terms you will see in the editor. Each is explained here once, then used as is.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap, like a new time entry in Noko. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does once started: the step that writes, sends or moves something for you, like Create Entry.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completes successfully. Your plan's allowance is counted in tasks.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer. An instant trigger is pushed by the app itself. All 14 Noko triggers are instant.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when the incoming data meets your condition, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, like a Noko project, so later steps can use what it found.
Connection
Your Noko account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step that reads from or writes to Noko.
Cost

What Noko costs you in Zapier tasks

Noko is not a premium app, so it works on the free plan, and its instant triggers skip the interval grid entirely.

  • Free plan100 tasks per month, unlimited Zaps, two steps max
  • Noko triggers14, all instant, no interval
  • BilledEach successful action, never the trigger
  • Premium appNo

The trigger never costs a task. You pay one task for each action that succeeds, such as Create Entry or a Slack message; a failed action costs nothing. The free plan builds two-step Zaps only: one trigger, one action. Add a filter, a search like Find Project or a second action and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. The interval grid below only matters for the other app in your Zap if its trigger is a polling one; Noko's own triggers fire straight away on every plan.

Connect

Connect your Noko account in three steps

  1. 01

    Open the connection dialog

    Go to the Apps page of your Zapier account and click + Add connection. Have a Noko account ready, with access to the projects and invoices your Zaps will read or write.

  2. 02

    Pick Noko

    Type Noko in the search box of the dialog, select it from the results, then click Add connection. A new tab opens on the Noko side so you can sign in.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to Noko in that tab and allow Zapier to use the account. The connection then appears on the Apps page, and every Zap that touches Noko reuses it.

First Zap

Your first Zap: flag big expenses the moment they land

GoalEvery Noko expense above your approval threshold is posted to the finance channel straight away.

  1. 01

    Pick the Noko trigger

    Build: create a Zap, choose Noko and the New Expense trigger, then select your Noko connection. It is instant, so there is no interval to set.

  2. 02

    Test with a real expense

    Test: Zapier brings back the three most recent expenses of your account. Pick a real one so the next steps are mapped on actual data.

  3. 03

    Keep only the big ones

    Add a Filter step: field = the expense price, a number rule, value = your threshold. A text rule here would never pass. The filter makes this a multi-step Zap, so it needs a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Post to the finance channel

    Add Slack and Send Channel Message. Map the project, the date and the price into the text so the approver sees everything without opening Noko.

  5. 05

    Test and publish

    Run each step once and check the message. When it reads well, click Publish. Expenses logged before that moment are not posted.

Triggers

Noko triggers in Zapier

14 events start a Zap when something happens in Noko, and 14 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Project Archived

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a project is archived.”

Starts a Zap when someone archives a project in Noko, which usually means the work is over and the budget is closed. It is a clean signal for tidying up everything that lives around the project.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
archive the matching board in your task tool, or post a wrap-up note to the client channel.
Watch out
archiving can be undone, so pair it with Project Unarchived if the clean-up is hard to reverse.
2

Deleted Entry

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a time entry is deleted.”

Fires when a time entry disappears from Noko. Hours that vanish after a timesheet has been sent are exactly what a project lead wants to hear about before the client does.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
keep an audit sheet of removed entries next to the ones you already copy out of Noko.
Watch out
the entry is already gone in Noko, so the Zap can record the deletion but cannot restore anything.
3

Deleted Expense

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an expense is deleted.”

Runs when an expense is removed from Noko. If your expenses also live in a bookkeeping sheet, this is the event that keeps both sides from drifting apart.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
flag the matching row in your expense sheet so the accountant knows it no longer counts.
Watch out
deleting the row automatically is tempting, but a wrong match would wipe the wrong expense; flag first.
4

Deleted Invoice

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an invoice is deleted.”

Picks up the deletion of an invoice in Noko. An invoice that disappears is rare and usually deliberate, which makes it worth a human glance every single time.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
send an email to whoever handles billing so the deletion is confirmed, not discovered at month end.
Watch out
any copy you made elsewhere stays in place; this trigger tells you, it does not clean up.
5

New Entry

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new time entry is logged.”

Each time someone logs time in Noko, this trigger starts a Zap. It is one of the triggers Zapier highlights for this app, and the one most teams start with, since entries are the raw material of every report.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
copy each entry into a reporting sheet that your clients or your finance team can read.
Watch out
a busy team logs many entries a day, and each action that follows costs a task.
6

New Expense

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new expense is logged.”

A new expense logged in Noko sets this one off, whether it is a train ticket or a software licence billed to a client. Zapier lists it among the highlighted triggers of the app.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
add each expense to your bookkeeping sheet so receipts and amounts meet in one place.
Watch out
a later edit arrives through Expense Changed, not here, so plan for both if figures move.
7

New Invoice

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new invoice is logged.”

Runs as soon as an invoice is created in Noko. For a small agency, this is the bridge between tracked hours and the money that pays for them.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
announce the invoice in the finance channel, or log it in a sheet that follows payment status.
Watch out
a freshly created invoice may still change; Invoice Changed covers the edits that come after.
8

New Project

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new project is logged.”

Creating a project in Noko sets off this trigger. Zapier highlights it for this app, and it saves the classic double entry of setting the same project up in three tools.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
create the matching board or folder in your project tool as soon as the Noko project exists.
Watch out
if another Zap creates Noko projects with Create Project, this trigger fires for those too.
9

Project Unarchived

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a project is unarchived.”

Fires when an archived project comes back to life in Noko. A client returning for a second phase is the typical story, and it deserves the same setup as a new project.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
reopen the board you archived with Project Archived, or warn the team that hours can be logged again.
Watch out
it only covers projects that were archived, not brand new ones, which New Project handles.
10

Invoice Unpaid

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an invoice is marked as unpaid.”

Catches the moment an invoice is marked as unpaid in Noko. That status change is the start of every follow-up, and the sooner someone knows, the sooner the reminder goes out.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
create a follow-up task for the account manager with the invoice details attached.
Watch out
it fires on the status change, so an invoice that never gets marked will never start the Zap.
11

Entry Changed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a time entry is changed.”

Any edit to an existing time entry in Noko sets it off: new minutes, a different project, a corrected description. It keeps any copy of your timesheets honest after the fact.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
update the matching row in your reporting sheet so client reports show the corrected hours.
Watch out
people fix typos often, and every edit starts the Zap and its actions again.
12

Expense Changed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an expense is changed.”

Reacts when an expense already in Noko is modified. A corrected amount or a project reassignment changes what gets billed, so your books need to follow.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
notify the accountant whenever an expense changes after month-end close.
Watch out
if a Zap of yours writes expenses into Noko, make sure it does not also react to this trigger.
13

Invoice Changed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when any part of an invoice is changed.”

Fires whenever any part of a Noko invoice changes, from a line item to its status. It is the broadest invoice trigger, which makes it useful and noisy at the same time.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
keep an invoice tracking sheet in step with Noko without checking each invoice by hand.
Watch out
one invoice can change several times, so add a filter if you only care about some changes.
14

Project Changed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a time project is changed.”

Runs when a Noko project is edited, for instance a new name or a switch between billable and non-billable. Downstream tools that copied the old version need to hear about it.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
rename the matching board or CRM record so everyone talks about the same project.
Watch out
archiving and unarchiving have their own triggers; do not rely on this one to catch them.
Actions

Noko actions in Zapier

Noko gives you 3 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Entry

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new entry.”

Logs a new block of time in Noko from whatever another app knows: a meeting, a support ticket, a finished task.

When to use it
turn closed help desk tickets into billable time without asking agents to log twice.
Watch out
Date and Minutes are both required, so the source app must give you a duration or you set a fixed one.
2

Create Expense

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new expense.”

Adds an expense to a Noko project. Costs then sit right next to the hours they belong to, which makes rebilling a client much simpler.

When to use it
once a receipt is approved in your expense tool, it goes straight onto the matching client project in Noko.
Watch out
Project, Date and Price are required, and the expense counts as taxable unless you say otherwise.
3

Create Project

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new project.”

Opens a new project in Noko from a signed deal, a new client folder or a form.

When to use it
a deal marked as won in your CRM creates the Noko project so the team can log time from day one.
Watch out
only Name is required, and projects are billable by default; switch that off for internal work.
Searches

Noko searches: find invoices, projects and users

3 search steps look for data that already exists in Noko, so a later step can use it.

Noko's three searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under the SEARCH heading. Use them when a later step needs a Noko record that no earlier step carried. Three settings decide what happens when a search does not find exactly one match.

1

Find Invoice

Search

In Zapier“Finds an existing invoice.”

Looks up an invoice that already exists in Noko, so the next steps can read its details.

When to use it
a payment arrives in your bank feed and the Zap needs the matching Noko invoice before it notifies the account manager.
Watch out
if nothing matches, the default setting stops the Zap, so decide early whether an empty result is acceptable.
2

Find Project

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds an existing project.”

Finds an existing Noko project, optionally narrowed by its billable or enabled status.

When to use it
before Create Expense, so the expense lands on the right project. Tick the create box and it becomes Find or Create Project: if the project is missing, Zapier opens it.
Watch out
that variant is the same search, not an extra operation, and it then asks for the fields needed to create.
3

Find User

Search

In Zapier“Finds an existing user.”

Retrieves a person from your Noko account, so a Zap can work with a specific teammate.

When to use it
a task assigned in your project tool needs to be matched to the Noko user who will log the time.
Watch out
the user must exist in Noko first; this search does not invite anyone.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap and skips the steps that depended on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking it turns the search into a find-or-create. In Noko only Find Project offers it, shown in the editor as Find or Create Project.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out: keep the first match, which is the default, stop the Zap, or pass every match on at once.
When it breaks

When a Noko Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to Noko, so the known failure points are Zapier's general rules, sharpened by how Noko works.

Four cases to check first, all tied to how Zapier itself works. For anything else, the Zapier troubleshooting page lists the usual suspects.

  • Last month's hours stay put

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you publish it. Entries, expenses and invoices that already exist in Noko are never picked up; moving them is a separate job.

  • A Zap that feeds itself

    A Zap on New Entry that also runs Create Entry starts itself again with every entry it writes, and burns through your tasks fast.

  • Bulk changes held back

    Editing a large batch of entries or invoices at once can send a flood of events. Zapier's flood protection may hold them back instead of running them all.

  • Edits retrigger everything

    Entry Changed, Expense Changed and Invoice Changed fire on every edit. A filter keeps the Zap from rerunning its actions on trivial fixes.
Need help

Need help automating Noko with Zapier?

A person reads every message.

FAQ

Noko Zapier integration: frequent questions

01Is the Noko Zapier integration free?
Yes, on the Zapier side. Noko is not a premium app, so its 14 triggers, 3 actions and 3 searches all work on the free plan, which gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps. The real limit is shape: the free plan only builds two-step Zaps, one trigger and one action. Copying each new entry to a sheet fits. Adding a filter, a search such as Find Project or a second action makes it multi-step, and that needs a paid plan.
02How many tasks does a Noko Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. A Zap that sends a Slack message for each new invoice costs one task per invoice. A Zap that finds a project, then creates an expense, bills each successful step on its own. Failed actions are not counted. The trap with Noko is volume: New Entry and Entry Changed can fire many times a day on a busy team, and each run costs its actions again.
03Does Noko work in real time with Zapier?
Yes. All 14 Noko triggers are instant: Noko tells Zapier the moment something happens, and the Zap starts right away. The plan interval grid (15 minutes on Free, 2 on Professional, 1 on Team and Enterprise) does not apply to them. That is the main advantage of this integration for free-plan users. The only delay left comes from the other app if your Zap starts from a polling trigger elsewhere, like a calendar.
04What does it take to connect Noko to Zapier?
A Noko account and a Zapier account. From the Apps page in Zapier, add a connection, search for Noko, sign in on the tab that opens and grant access. The connection is saved once and reused by every Zap. Think about which Noko account you use: the Zap sees and writes only what that account can reach, so projects you cannot access will never appear in a dropdown or a search.
05Why does Create Expense fail in a Zap?
Most often because a required field is empty. Create Expense needs a Project, a Date and a Price, and the project must already exist in Noko. If the earlier steps do not carry a project, add Find Project first, or tick its create box so Zapier opens the project when it is missing. Also check that the Date field receives a real date and the Price a number, not a text label.
06What if the Noko operation needed is not in Zapier?
Then Zapier cannot do it with Noko today. The integration creates entries, expenses and projects, and finds invoices, projects and users. It cannot edit or delete a record, and it cannot create an invoice. Changes and deletions only exist as triggers, so a Zap can react to them but not make them. For anything else, the work stays in Noko itself until the app adds that operation to Zapier. The editor only offers what the app exposes, nothing more.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Noko?
Decide on criteria, not on a ranking. Zapier offers Noko with instant triggers that work on the free plan, which is a strong start for small teams. Make and n8n bill differently and leave more room for branching logic and bulk work, at the cost of more setup. Check whether each tool lists Noko and which operations it exposes, then weigh volume, budget and who will maintain the automation over time.
Same platform

Other docs you might need on this stack.

Browse all integrations