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Outlign Zapier integrationAutomate Outlign with Zapier.

Outlign Zapier integration: 8 triggers, 5 actions and 4 searches to tie your creative team's projects to the rest of your tools. Below: what each operation does, what it costs in tasks, how to connect the account and where it breaks.

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Overview

What the Outlign Zapier integration does for a creative team

The Outlign Zapier integration links Outlign, a lightweight project tool for creative teams, to Zapier, the service that runs automations between apps. Once connected, clients, projects, sections and tasks in Outlign can start work in your other tools, or be created from them, without anyone retyping a brief.

Three results show up again and again. A client won in your CRM becomes a ready workspace: Create Client, then Create Project From Template, and the project opens with your usual structure. Finished work reported where people look: Task Completed starts a Zap that posts the news in the team chat or a client update. Deadlines that stay in step: Task Due Date Updated carries the new date to a shared calendar.

Now what Zapier does not do here. Every Outlign action creates something: there is no action to update or delete a client, a project or a task. And the triggers do not all behave alike. Seven of them are instant, so they fire whatever your plan. New Client is the exception: it is a polling trigger, checked every 15 minutes on the free plan. If speed matters for new clients, start the Zap from the tool where the client is born instead. Finally, a Zap never reaches back: projects created before you switched it on are left alone.

Still choosing a tool? The n8n vs Zapier comparison and the Zapier agency page are a click away.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in plain words

Eight words come back on every Zapier screen. Read them once and the rest of the page flows.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it: here, a new task or a finished one in Outlign.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that creates, sends or moves something for you, with no click on your side.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task is one action your Zap completes successfully, and your plan is a count of those.
Polling vs instant
Polling: Zapier checks the app on a timer and keeps only new items. Instant: the app itself calls Zapier when the event happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap go on only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it there otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, such as a project or a section, so later steps can use what it found.
Multi-step Zap
Any Zap beyond one trigger and one action. A second action, a filter or a search makes one, and it needs a paid plan.
Cost

What an Outlign Zap really costs

Zapier does not reserve Outlign for paid plans: it runs from the free plan. What you spend is tasks, and only completed actions produce them.

  • Trigger and checks0 tasks
  • Completed action1 task
  • Failed action0 tasks
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps

A trigger never costs a task, instant or polling, and Zapier checking Outlign for new clients is free however often it looks. Each action that works counts once: Create Client followed by Create Project From Template spends two tasks per run. A failed action is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month, unlimited Zaps, a 15-minute check for New Client, and two-step Zaps only. A filter or any of the four Find searches turns the Zap multi-step, and that needs a paid plan.

Connect

Connect your Outlign account in three steps

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, open Apps and click + Add connection. A connection is your Outlign account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every Outlign step in every Zap you build.

  2. 02

    Pick Outlign in the list

    Type Outlign in the search box of the dialog, choose it, then click Add connection. You need an Outlign account of your own at this point: Zapier links an existing account, nothing more.

  3. 03

    Sign in and allow access

    Outlign opens in a new tab. Sign in, then grant Zapier access to the account. If your Zaps will touch clients or projects you do not own, make sure this account already has read or write access on them.

First Zap

Your first Outlign Zap: the next task, created for you

GoalWhen a task is completed in Outlign, the Zap checks a condition you choose and creates the follow-up task in the right section.

  1. 01

    Pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap, choose Outlign as the app that starts it and Task Completed as the event. Select your connection, then the Company to watch: that field is required.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the trigger test. Zapier brings back the three most recent items from your Outlign account, so you map the next steps on a real completed task rather than an empty sample.

  3. 03

    Add the filter

    From the plus icon, add a Filter step and fill its three boxes: the field to look at, the rule, the value to compare with. Match the rule to the data: a text rule for text, a number rule for numbers.

  4. 04

    Add Create Task

    Add Outlign as the action and choose Create Task. Fill Company, Project, Section Type, Section and Task Title, mapping the values from the completed task where they fit.

  5. 05

    Test, then publish

    Test each step and read what came back. When the new task lands where you expect, click Publish to switch the Zap on. With its filter, this Zap is multi-step and runs on a paid plan.

Triggers

Outlign triggers on Zapier

8 events start a Zap when something happens in Outlign, and 7 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

New Client

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new client is created.”

A client added to one of your Outlign companies starts the Zap, so the people around the account hear about it without anyone forwarding a message. It is the only Outlign trigger that is not instant.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one.
When to use it
you want a folder, a contact card or a welcome checklist set up in another tool for each new client.
Watch out
the Company setting is required, and only clients of that company are watched.
2

Milestone Created

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new milestone is created.”

Each new milestone set in Outlign kicks off your Zap. It is the hook for anything that should exist alongside a key date: a calendar entry, a heads-up to the client lead, a line in a reporting sheet.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
your account managers plan client reviews around milestones and want them on the shared calendar without copying.
Watch out
pick the Company to monitor; it is required, and milestones of other companies stay invisible to this Zap.
3

Milestone Updated

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a milestone is updated.”

When someone edits an existing milestone, this trigger passes the new version to the Zap. Paired with Milestone Created, it keeps a copy of your key dates honest after the plan shifts.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a delivery date moves and the client-facing timeline in another tool has to follow.
Watch out
the Company field is required, and every edit counts as an update, so add a filter if only some changes matter.
4

New Project

Instant trigger

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

A project opened in Outlign starts your Zap. That makes it the natural start for everything a new job needs outside the project tool.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
each new project should get a shared drive folder, a chat channel or a line in the studio's job tracker.
Watch out
the Company setting is required; a Zap that also runs Create Project in the same company can feed itself.
5

New Task

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new task is created.”

Any task created in Outlign sets this trigger off, with the task handed to the next steps. It suits teams that want work requests mirrored in another place, such as a designer's personal to-do list.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
new briefs should ping the person in charge in the team chat.
Watch out
Company is required, and a Zap that runs Create Task in the same company triggers itself again with each task it creates.
6

Section Updated

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a section / phase is updated.”

Outlign splits a project into sections, also called phases, some client-facing and some internal. It fires when one of them is edited: handy to follow a project phase by phase.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a change on a client-facing phase should reach the client lead or a status page.
Watch out
the Company setting is required, and any edit to the section counts, so a filter keeps noise out.
7

Task Completed

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a task is marked as completed.”

Ticking a task as done in Outlign is enough to launch the Zap. It is the most direct way to turn finished work into the next move: a follow-up task, a message, a billing line.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a final review task closes and production, or the client, should know straight away.
Watch out
the Company to monitor is required; completed tasks of other companies never reach the Zap.
8

Task Due Date Updated

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a task's due date is updated.”

Only one kind of change counts here: a new due date on a task. Other edits to the task leave this trigger quiet, which keeps date-driven Zaps clean.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
deadlines live in a shared calendar or a planning sheet, and a moved date has to land there too.
Watch out
the Company setting is required, and each new date on the same task starts a fresh run.
Actions

Outlign actions on Zapier

Outlign gives you 5 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Client

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new client.”

Create Client adds a client to one of your Outlign companies, using data from an earlier step, so a client signed elsewhere exists in the project tool without retyping.

When to use it
a deal is won in the CRM and the studio should see the client without anyone typing it in.
Watch out
Company and Client Name are both required.
2

Create Section

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new section / phase in a project.”

Create Section adds a section, or phase, to an existing project, either client-facing or internal. It lets a Zap extend a project when the scope grows.

When to use it
an approved change request should open a new phase in the right project.
Watch out
Company, Client, Project, Section Type and Section Name are required, and each level must belong to the one above it.
3

Create Project

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new project from scratch.”

This one opens a blank project in Outlign, attached to a client. It suits jobs that do not follow a set structure, where the team prefers to build sections by hand.

When to use it
a one-off request arrives through a form and needs a project to live in.
Watch out
Company, Client and Project Name are required, and the client must belong to the chosen company; you can pass the client ID from a previous step.
4

Create Project From Template

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new project based on an existing template.”

Instead of an empty shell, you get a project built from one of your Outlign templates, with its usual structure already in place. Repeat jobs start the same way every time.

When to use it
after Create Client, to open the standard onboarding project for every new account.
Watch out
Company, Template and Client are required, and the client must belong to that company.
5

Create Task

Action

In Zapier“Creates a new task in a project.”

With Create Task, a Zap drops a new task into a chosen section of a project. Requests from email, forms or chat end up as work items where the team already plans.

When to use it
a feedback form is submitted and a revision task should appear in the client-facing section.
Watch out
Company, Project, Section Type, Section and Task Title are required; the Section list depends on the Section Type you pick.
Searches

Outlign searches on Zapier

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

A search step finds a client, project, section or task that already exists, so the next steps can use it. Searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Each Outlign search also appears a second time as a find-or-create line: that is the same search with creation switched on, not an extra operation.

1

Find Client

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a client by name.”

Find Client looks up a client by name inside a company, so the steps after it can attach work to the right account.

When to use it
before Create Project, to fetch the client ID instead of picking it by hand. The Find or Create Client line runs the same search and adds the client when none matches.
Watch out
Company and Client Name are required.
2

Find Section

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds sections / phases by title within a specific project.”

This search finds a section, or phase, by its title inside one project. It narrows down level by level, from company to client to project.

When to use it
just before Create Task, to drop the task into an existing phase. Find or Create Section is the same search, set to open the section if it is missing.
Watch out
Company, Client, Project, Section Type and Section Name are all required.
3

Find Project

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds a project by name within a specific client.”

Find Project returns a project by name within one client, which avoids mixing up two clients' projects that share the same name.

When to use it
a form names the project and you need it before adding a section. With Find or Create Project, the same search opens the project when it does not exist yet.
Watch out
Company, Client and Project Name are required.
4

Find Task

SearchFind or create

In Zapier“Finds tasks by title within a specific section.”

The deepest Outlign search: it finds tasks by title inside one section of one project.

When to use it
an email reply refers to a task and the Zap should act on that exact task. Find or Create Task is the same search, which also creates the task if nothing matches.
Watch out
Company, Client, Project, Section Type, Section and Task Title are required, so the path to the task must be known in full.

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 there and the steps that depended on it are skipped. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    Ticking this box turns the search into a find-or-create: the setting above disappears and the step asks for the fields needed to create the missing item.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several items match: keep the first one, which is the default, stop the Zap, or hand all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When an Outlign Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to Outlign and lists no limit specific to the app. What goes wrong comes from the way Zapier itself works.

  • Existing projects are not picked up

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Projects, tasks and clients created before you published stay untouched; moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • The Zap keeps feeding itself

    New Task plus Create Task in the same company, or New Project plus Create Project: the Zap writes where its trigger watches, starts again and burns through your tasks.

  • A bulk import is held back

    After a migration or a bulk import of tasks, a trigger can return a huge batch at once. Zapier's flood protection can then hold that batch back.

  • One new client, one run

    On the polling New Client trigger, Zapier keeps track of what it has already seen, so the same client never starts the Zap twice.
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FAQ

Outlign and Zapier: questions people ask

01Is the Outlign Zapier integration free?
Yes on the Outlign side: Zapier does not reserve the app for paid plans, so it works on the free plan. That plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, with one hard limit: each Zap stops at two steps, one trigger and one action. Task Completed followed by Create Task fits. Add a filter, a second action or one of the four Find searches, and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. No prices are given here, since the plan grids change too often.
02How many tasks does an Outlign Zap use?
One per action that completes, and none for the trigger. Whether Outlign calls Zapier itself or Zapier checks for new clients, the trigger side is free. A Zap that runs Create Client, then Create Project From Template, spends two tasks per run. An action that fails is not counted. On the free plan the ceiling is 100 tasks a month, and a Zap that feeds itself, such as New Task with Create Task in the same company, can drain it quickly.
03Is Outlign on Zapier real time?
Mostly yes. Seven of the eight triggers are instant: Outlign reports the event to Zapier itself, so the Zap starts straight away whatever your plan. The exception is New Client, a polling trigger: Zapier checks it every 15 minutes on Free, every 2 on Professional and every minute on Team and Enterprise. On paid plans you can change that pace and run a check by hand from the editor. The type of each trigger comes from the app and cannot be changed in the editor.
04What does it take to connect Outlign to Zapier?
An Outlign account, and read or write access on any client or project you do not own but want a Zap to touch. Then three moves: open Apps in Zapier and click + Add connection, search for Outlign and confirm with Add connection, then sign in to Outlign in the tab that opens and grant access. Every Outlign step reuses that connection afterwards. Since almost every operation starts by asking for a Company, the account must see the company you plan to automate.
05Why does an Outlign step show no project or section to pick?
Because Outlign fields depend on each other. Most operations ask for a Company first, then a Client that belongs to that company, then a Project that belongs to that client, and Create Task adds a Section Type that filters the Section list. If one level is empty or mismatched, the next list has nothing to offer. Fill the fields from the top down, and when the value comes from an earlier step, map the matching ID rather than a name typed by hand.
06What if the Outlign operation you need is not on Zapier?
Check first whether a combination does the job. The four Find searches, with their find-or-create versions, cover lookups at every level, and the five Create actions cover new clients, projects, sections and tasks. What the list does not offer is any update or delete action, so changing an existing task from another tool stays out of reach on Zapier for now. The editor shows the full set: 8 triggers, 5 actions and 4 searches. If a missing operation blocks the project, compare tools rather than force a workaround.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Outlign?
It depends on your criteria, not on a winner. Look at what each tool exposes for Outlign: on Zapier, 8 triggers of which 7 are instant, 5 create actions and 4 searches. Look at billing: Zapier counts one task per completed action and nothing for triggers. Look at the shape of your flows: Outlign searches need several fields and turn the Zap multi-step, so any Zap that uses one sits on a paid plan. Weigh those points against what the other two tools offer for the same flow.
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